vinegar somor
 

I'm on day 8 with 5% white vinegar inmy repro aluminum radiator on my 39 peeekup. We went to breakfast this am and the engine temp stayed a cool 161.34 deg. The flluid has turned a tea color. I'm planning to leave the solution in a couple of more days and then give it a good flush. Nice run other than them women's trying to pile in the back. Ida thunk the vinegar woulda chased them away.
Clem, the hopeful

Re: vinegar somor
 

Clem you might want to give some thought as to what they want the vinegar for? heh heh he

Re: vinegar somor
 

Now B-O-B.!!!!

Re: vinegar somor
 

That's unreal. 161 temp and it looks like you are in virginia where, like KY, it's in the upper 90's. I wouod not or thought aluminum would of made that big of a difference.

Re: vinegar somor
 

What's the thought behind vinegar in a aluminum radiator . Does it reduce corrosion?

Re: vinegar somor
 

I think checking temp to 2 decimal places is a bit of overkill.
But then I'm just happy to stay below 200'.

Re: vinegar somor
 

Clem,
Don't drain that vinegar on your driveway, or you will have tea colored concrete.

The womens that live there may not like it.

Shadetree

Re: vinegar somor
 

SHADETREE .....................
I drained my vinegar out onto my concrete driveway and I got RUST colored concrete ! Is that what you meant ?
MIKE :)

Re: vinegar somor
 

Ya! Whats the deal?

Re: vinegar somor
 

Some of us use vineger to clean the water jacket area of Henrys old engine block, todays radiator flush in not worth didlie, (dose not work), it is said the vineger will desolve rust, scale, slage, and help move old casting sand up and out of the block. most of us will put a " catch screen " in the upper return hose, to catch whatever comes out, its part of the clean and refresh the new/old engine and keep the flathead running, we use white vineger for the flush. .... In Clem's case he uses womens panttie hose, for "catch screen" and you don't want to know how or where he gets em.....as for the cooling its questable, next Clem will run a test with GATORADE ?? when he gets his radiator back from the repair shop,,.. TEE-HEE-HEE..... OLD...BILL

The Vinegar Treatment
 

I ran straight white vinegar in my 8BA for a solid week, driving it every day. Here's what came out! And this is just from the radiator petcock!

This engine has only 165 hours total time!

Next step will be backflushing the block and radiator separately.

Re: The Vinegar Treatment
 

Here's what the vinegar looked like after being in the engine for 2 weeks and then in the bucket a few days. 100% pure vinegar.

Re: vinegar somor
 

So if I am reading this right and I think I am, you run vinegar and ONLY vinegar no water etc in the flathead for about a week. So with the vinegar in how does the engine run in terms of temp?

Re: vinegar somor
 

I used 2 gallons of cheap white vinegar from BJ's and added water to fill. Solution is like tea now. I start the car every day and get it hot. temp ran 160 on Monday when we went for eggs. Inside of the filer cap still has a little scum. That maybe from cooling as I can't check it hot. A few more days and I wil drain and flush the system including a thorough back flush. The back flush will tell the tale.
clem

Re: vinegar somor
 

I ran 100% white vinegar, and the temperatures were about the same as with straight water.

Re: vinegar somor
 

Clem:

Sounds like you are going in the right direction. That is some low temp. for a flathead in the summer time!

Could you clarify what you mean when you say "back flush"? Thanks.

Tim

Re: vinegar somor
 

Yes, I would like to know how to "back flush," on my '36 I have two upper radiator outlets; would I place screen material over both outlets?

Re: vinegar somor
 

Those really low temperatures can be deceiving. I went out this afternoon to do a special thermostat test in my '53. The outside air temperature was about 90, heat index 99°.

For the first ten minutes or so the temperatures stayed around 160... just like yours. Most of this time was at 35-40 mph. However, after that the needles started moving upwards; after I'd been running at 55 to 60 mph, the temperatures were up around 190+.

After the run, back at about 35 mph, the temperatures came back down about 10° and stayed there until I was home again.

So a short run that looks like 160° may not be the whole truth.

Re: vinegar somor
 

I think I'd have to question what that vinegar is doing to the inside of that ALUMINUM radiator. DD

Re: vinegar somor
 

I checked with severalchemists who said that at 5%, no problem. yesterday I noted a little drip under the car. This morning I went to the post office and back.80 deg. outside and 160 on the temp glass. I'm now draining the rad and will flush it in a hour or so. Then it is fresh water and see what is leaking. I had only a slight weep from one of the WPs before.

Re: vinegar somor
 

I have photos of the slop that I drained out plus the inside of the rad if someone would post them for me.

Re: vinegar somor
 

After cleanup, I find a fine block crack behind the starter. I assume the vinegar opened an old crack. It doesn't appear to weap much. Should I use radiator stop leak? Baar's block leak bottle sez to disconnect the heater etc. Can I use radiator sto leak first app and see what happens. Or did the vinegar clean the crack enough for it to rust closed?
clem

Tales from the dark side
 

Re: Tales from the dark side
 

David, sorry to hear about the leaks, sounds to me like these leaking areas were about to start leaking soon anyway, when you get the water pumps rebuilt ( by Skip I hope) and replace the freeze plugs, you will be good to go again, backflush the radiator and add some bar's leak and you will be a happy Ford owner once again. may luck be with you.

Re: vinegar somor
 

David J. ...................
MAN ! You'd kick if someone cut off your legs ! ... LOL
That vinegar did not make your car leak. It just showed you were you had leaks, that were held together with rust, sand, grease or decades old stop-leak. Like jdl said, those leaks would have showed up, later, anyway.
You can, probably, get back in service with some fresh stop-leak.
MIKE :)

Re: vinegar somor
 

Re: vinegar somor
 

David J ............................
I'm really sorry that you had to take your '33 off the road.
I'm really happy that I did not p___ you off with my comments.
But, you got to admit that vinegar works. It cleans out the crud. Even the crud that is making your block waterproof.
I don't think that you are the first that this has happened to. My '35's radiator leaked after doing the vinegar thing. I put in some new stop-leak and it hasn't leaked since.
Good luck,
MIKE :)

Re: vinegar somor
 

I just filled my 53 8ba thats sitting in my garage. I will be flushing it thursday and cant wait. I will post pics when i do it. Hopefully some dead horses dont come out.