Dodge RamCharger Central banner

Dish Washer soap for radiator flush?

13K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  MoabION 
#1 ·
LMAO - this is actually a serious question -

I read on the web somewhere I don't remember, about using powered dish washer type soap as a radiator flush ....

I want to flush the whole cooling system in my Heep before installing a new heavy duty 3 row core radiator and electric fan set-up.

Went down to my local independent auto parts store to inquire about the best flush chemicals, and was told that none of the junk sold in Kali works anymore ... none of it -

I said that I'd heard about dish washer soap, the parts guy said he'd just heard that himself, and that one of the other regulars there had tried and it worked!

Apparently, the dish washer soap is medium foaming and caustic enough to do the job ... the foaming is the part you want, to 'boil' the stuff out of the system, like the old time radiator flush ... none of the stuff sold here will foam up ... Kali doens't want you spilling anything on the ground  ::) :p

Anyone heard of doing this?

Sorry if a dumb post - just wondering if anyone else has heard of this .... 
 
See less See more
#3 ·
DODGEN1 said:
i think joe made a comment a bout this a while back.
LOL - I guess I should try a search then :p :-[
Thanks

Dang - I think something is wrong with the thread read counts ... 21 people read this in less than a minute ;D
 
#5 ·
Search didn't turn up anything -

Bogie said:
I have read about using laundry soap.
That would be the same idea, but I think dish washer soap is more caustic? ... we have some serious medium foaming, very caustic (about ph 12) soap at work, maybe I'll try some - can't see how it would hurt with a good clear water flush after .... (?)
 
#8 ·
oldmanram said:
Thanks Joe 8) ;D
It won't work for you.

1st off dish washing soap is non-foaming. (that doesn't matter actually)

The problem is, Kali-dish washing soap sucks. It is phosphate free.
 
#9 ·
joe s said:
It won't work for you.

1st off dish washing soap is non-foaming. (that doesn't matter actually)

The problem is, Kali-dish washing soap sucks. It is phosphate free.
Ah - but I have the industrial strength stuff at work - even in Kalistan there's a difference between industrial stuff and consumer goods ;D ;D
 
#10 ·
We actually use Tide quite often at my work on semi trucks when oil gets in the coolant.  On a 11 gal cooling system in a big truck i use about 1 scoop of tide and run the truck on a dyno.  I then have to flush it 2 maybe 3 times to get all the soap out.  Couple times i've used Dawn liquid and it only takes a tad bit.  Cleans it better but have to flush twice as many times to get all the soap out.
 
#13 ·
skajm said:
what about the stuff call "CLR" calicum lime and rust remover, that they sell in supermarkets?

Joe
I've used that in a radiator before. I cleans all the deposits out of the radiator pretty well. Just be sure to flush it 2 or 3 times to get rid of all the bubbles.
 
#14 ·
RAMMAN4 said:
I've used that in a radiator before. I cleans all the deposits out of the radiator pretty well. Just be sure to flush it 2 or 3 times to get rid of all the bubbles.
Will it eat radiator hoses?
 
#15 ·
joe s said:
Will it eat radiator hoses?
Dunno. It was done on my father in laws chevy. I actually saw the idea on pirate4x4.com years ago. I'm sure some of those guys over there have more experience with it.
 
G
#16 ·
Along with the flush, pull the T-stat and bolt the housing back on, disconnect the upper hose from the radiator leaving it connected to the T-stat housing. Fill the block with water, wrap a rag around an air nozzle and blow through the upper rad hose neck on the radiator. 120 psi of air and water blows a lot of crap out of the block.
 
#18 ·
#19 ·
KThaxton said:
Never, EVER mix water and antifreeze yourself! ;D
http://ramchargercentral.com/index.php/topic,34750.msg385244.html#msg385244

Ahhh, the good ol days. :p
LOL, in all seriousness, I have heard about the distilled causing electrolysis, but it is really hard to prove even if it was true. Well actually, I just remember about the multimeter to measure electrical difference of coolant, but I'm not paying for their tap water.

On a side note, I recently saw a case of "battery water". Labeled "Battery water DO NOT DRINK" down at the bottom in fine print...."100% distilled water" ;D
 
#20 ·
joe s said:
LOL, in all seriousness, I have heard about the distilled causing electrolysis, but it is really hard to prove even if it was true. Well actually, I just remember about the multimeter to measure electrical difference of coolant, but I'm not paying for their tap water.

On a side note, I recently saw a case of "battery water". Labeled "Battery water DO NOT DRINK" down at the bottom in fine print...."100% distilled water" ;D
Distilled water, obtained by steam distillation or more modern reverse-osmosis, is essentially pure water. it is a 1st-year chemistry student lab task. That is what you're supposed to mix with the coolant. Other sources of water (tap, "purified", etc)tend to have varying amounts of mineral ions that can cause electrolysis. Anyone saying not to use distilled water just does not know enough about it.
 
#21 ·
Always, always, i don't care where you live always use 50/50, never ever add water, or distilled water, or any other BS type of water, 50/50 mixes use a special cured water free of everything that ruins your cooling system, trust me water causes all kinds of problems and distilled water adds to electrolysis and other chemical reactions.
Oh man, that certainly is a classic. Marty and I used to go at it like some of the new folks and I do, only it didn't have to do with politics or conspiracy. It was just good ol' fashioned yelling.
 
#22 ·
Thanks for the continued input people - I don't have a serious cooling problem or anything, just want to flush the block real good before switching from a two core radiator to a new three core radiator.
The CJ gets a little hot when crawling on a hot day, so just beefing up the system a little and adding a bigger radiator, and a dual electrical fan set-up ....
I'll probably use the soap we have at work to start ....
I'll let you know what happens, this project just got moved to the back burner, as I am now build a large storage shed in the back yard ... back to this in about a month and a half :p

KThaxton said:
Never, EVER mix water and antifreeze yourself! ;D
http://ramchargercentral.com/index.php/topic,34750.msg385244.html#msg385244

Ahhh, the good ol days. :p
LOL - I had missed that thread ...

Kendall, I guess you know that there is a difference between DI water and distilled ... if you are using a mixed or dual ion bed system, then neutral charge partials like silicone can get through ... distilling technically removes everything ( I make about a 1000 gal's of DI water about once a week at work.)

MY only concern about using DI or Distilled water in the radiator is the pH ... about 5.5 (pure water is 7)

But once I do this flush out thing, I will make an antifreeze/distilled mix ....
 
G
#23 ·
You really should consider a little air/water. You'll be suprised at the chunks of rust and mud that come out of the block if it's very dirty. There's enough volume through the hoses/cores/passages that the chances of splitting a radiator seam or some such are virtually nil if done with care.  Works.
 
#24 ·
oldmanram said:
LOL - I had missed that thread ...

Kendall, I guess you know that there is a difference between DI water and distilled ... if you are using a mixed or dual ion bed system, then neutral charge partials like silicone can get through ... distilling technically removes everything ( I make about a 1000 gal's of DI water about once a week at work.)
Yep, but for all intents and purposes, the end result is nearly the same, the bulk of the minerals are gone in DI water........oh and I make 10,000 gallons or so[/quote] every week (continuous closed loop system) Neener neener. ;D

MY only concern about using DI or Distilled water in the radiator is the pH ... about 5.5 (pure water is 7)
While DI will tend to get lower in pH (due to carbon dioxide in the air) it is really difficult to accuratly measure the pH of DI water......since it is void of most ions. It can't be measured with conventional means. I wouldn't worry about it though, I've been using DI water in my cooling system for years.

Hybrid 1ton said:
Oh man, that certainly is a classic. Marty and I used to go at it like some of the new folks and I do, only it didn't have to do with politics or conspiracy. It was just good ol' fashioned yelling.
I remember that, fry cook. ;D
 
#25 ·
lugnuts said:
You really should consider a little air/water. You'll be suprised at the chunks of rust and mud that come out of the block if it's very dirty. There's enough volume through the hoses/cores/passages that the chances of splitting a radiator seam or some such are virtually nil if done with care. Works.
I will do that also, as I do know about that - it's very good idea.

KThaxton said:
Yep, but for all intents and purposes, the end result is nearly the same, the bulk of the minerals are gone in DI water........
This is true -

oh and I make 10,000 gallons or so every week (continuous closed loop system) Neener neener. ;D
fine ::) ;D
I don't use a closed loop system, but I know that's the way if you want hi quality water.

While DI will tend to get lower in pH (due to carbon dioxide in the air) it is really difficult to accuratly measure the pH of DI water......since it is void of most ions. It can't be measured with conventional means. I wouldn't worry about it though, I've been using DI water in my cooling system for years.
I have my DI water tested by a hi-tech, independent lab from time to time, it's pretty much always pH 5.5 - so there ;D

I also had the great honor of making 500 gallons of this stuff to run in the cooling system of a Marine Harrier Jet for a local airshow ... if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for my Heep ...

So double there ... ;D ;D
 
#26 ·
oldmanram said:
So double there ... ;D ;D
Damn, I can't beat a "double there". :p

Once I had a tank of DI overflow into our pit, I put a sump pump in there to suck it out. Later I came back to find that the cord and extension cord connection was submerged in the water. The water is so clean (even in my dirty pit) that the pump just kept pumping away. 8)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top