Hello we have a '70s komatsu d65e6 that the radiator is no longer working properly, I have it removed from the machine and if I pour water into the top of it nothing comes out the bottom hose. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how we can clean the inside of this radiator to try and get a little more life out of it thanks
You could flush the rad from bottom to top to try and get the larger debris out of there.
Fill with white vinegar and soak for a couple days, flush and repeat until your satisfied.
Have it rodded.
Take it to a radiator shop. Have them pressure check and fix any leaks after cleaning it out
Try to find a old time radiator shop that can remove a tank and rod it. In a town of 50K people there use to be 4-5 full service radiator shops. Now we are 60K and no real shop left.
Here--I go to American Radiator in Pasco--54 miles away.
Too expensive around here, can buy a China radiator, cheaper than they can fix them.
Those aluminum welded radiators crack easy. Around here it's around 5k to rebuild a radiator or 1.5k for china
Zactly!
Last week, I tried Rislone Hy-per Cool radiator cleaner and super flush for the first time. I used it in the Barko 937 that has almost always been running hot in summer weather and had a rusty color to the coolant. Cummins QSL 8.9 engine. I had also ordered a new water pump and thermostat to install at the same time. I did not realize that the water pump was absolutely shot until I started doing the flush. Good thing that I had it and the new one is a much better design with a backing plate to make sure the water moves more efficiently about the system than the old design. I drained the system and flushed it with fresh water for a good 15-30 minutes while letting the engine run, the radiator petcock open and the hose applied to the filler neck of the radiator. After that initial flush, I closed up the system, refilled with fresh water and 3 bottles of the Rislone. I let it run for a good 45 minutes or more in the yard, shut it down and went to town for parts. I let it sit for a good 5 hours and started it back up on my return. I let it run again for another 30+ minutes and then drained the system and started flushing it with clean water. I also installed a Prestone flush tee that I got from WallyWorld in one of the heater hoses to ensure a good flushing of the system. After the new water pump, thermostat, 50/50 distilled water and fresh precharged antifreeze and 3 bottles of Rislone Hy-per Cool Super Coolant to the 6.5 gallon system, I went out on the farm and test ran the machine. It was in the low-mid 90's and I never saw anything above 205 degrees on the gauge. Now, normally, on a hot day, this machine would regularly push 215 degrees if I was working it hard and set off the alarms at 220 degrees if the radiator had any clogging. I was working it hard on the test run. Even at idle, the system was running about 10 degrees cooler that before. Certainly positive results. Was it the new thermostat, the better water pump impeller design or the coolant? Not sure. The thermostat was the same temp rating as what I took out. I do know that the flush took out the rust color and likely some build up. When I get the Lamtrac back together, it will get a flush with the same products and get the additive to see if that keeps temps a bit cooler on that machine as well. I read numerous reviews prior to trying the Rislone. Lots of positive results out there but YMMV.
Good gracious, 5K to rebuild what kind of radiator? Most I've ever paid was about $800 to re-core the radiator for one of my medium-duty trucks. Granted that was a couple years ago, but still. I don't like aluminum radiators, even worse are the ones with crimped on plastic tanks. I find and horde any good copper/brass radiators and heater cores for all my older trucks and equipment. If it has good tanks on it, it can be reworked. We have a good radiator shop that's about and hour away that I take all my stuff to. Real old style place, in the basement of an old building on a back street in town, dimly lit, 50yrs worth of radiator parts laying all over, etc. But the guy is really good and prices are reasonable. I've had him patch, re-core, rod, rebuild, and/or reconfigure many radiators over the past 25yrs. Heater cores too, for hard to find applications. Not sure what I'll do if he ever closes down, guess I'll have to brush up on my soldering skills and learn to do it myself.
There is a place in Oregon that will build you a whole new rad if you ship them the old one. If they have already done that part number then they will not need the old one as a pattern.
I've never seen a invoice but that's probably a new core and possibly testing or replacing the cac I'm looking for a new radiator for my 6.0 diesel, I put a brand used one for the time being but I'm probably going with a aluminum caped and crimped one, any welded aluminum will crack.
While I don’t care for Aluminum radiators, I put one on my skid steer because the only radiator shop in the area, told me to. He said to recore and whatever else my old radiator needed, would cost more than the machine was worth. Every shop guy wants to make at least 100 bucks an hour and this particular guy has so much work, doing jobs for companies with deep pockets, he doesn’t need my work. He said he only does work like mine needed, was for antique stuff that needed the original radiator. Speaking of, I still have the old radiator in my shop, need to throw it out back, get it out of the way.
Keep it in a decent spot though, they are still worth something
I recently had a larger radiator recored. It had bolt on tanks. New core, bolts, gaskets, assembly and pressure test cost $2650. A new radiator was over $6000.
I use simple green its the same as the caterpillar radiator cleaner.