Will this damage anything?

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Ruger64

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I do not have my thermostat in right now. I wanted to splice in one of those flush kits tomorrow. I won't use chemical.
But I did want to flush my system, since it is dirty, from sitting for approx. 14 years.
If I have the engine running, and I am using the garden hose, after it gets warm, will it hurt to run the hose, with cold water coming through it? Like can the head or anything crack, from cold water?
 
Just put in as much water as can come out the radiator drain and you'll be fine as long as the engine wasn't run hot and dry first. I do this when breaking in a cam in a new engine to keep it cool and have never, ever had a problem.

Once again though, you don't want to run cold water into an engine that was running dry.

BTW, you're doing a good thing, get all that crap out. I've seen engines that ran hot no matter what was done and after pulling the heads, I found that the coolant passage holes in the head gasket were blocked with deposits. What you're doing may or may not relieve that issue, but it sure won't hurt.

BTW, just pull that lower hose and flush the heck out of everything. I've also seen casting crud come out of blocks that will block the tubes in a radiator.
 
Thanks! I planned on starting the car, turning on the hose, and letting the car warm up while the hose is running. I know what you mean.
I flushed it a few times with the top hose off, and the bottom hose hanging, and blasted water through, "no thermostat", and it ran clear. After a half hour of running. The water was brown again! ugh!!
It will eventually will run clean one day!
I have a new rad, water pump, and heater core. I wanted to install my heater hoses tomorrow to the water pump, and the new thermostat. So I figured on trying to flush it again for a few hours, before doing all that and adding anti freeze.
I was told no chemical, that it may break things loose and clog elsewhere. SO I am afraid to do that.
I don't know if mine was ever running while dry, i just bought it not long ago. Ignore this part if I am being stupid...LOL
 
Not at all, the only stupid people are the ones that know it all and refuse to learn.

If it was run dry, there's nothing you can do about it now and you'd know if there were damage.
 
ramcharger said:
Not at all, the only stupid people are the ones that know it all and refuse to learn.

If it was run dry, there's nothing you can do about it now and you'd know if there were damage.
Click to expand...

Thanks very much! I know cars, but I have a lot to learn. I know the basics
"so to speak"...LOL
It runs great. Never an issue. The last sticker on the windshield when I bought it was 1998. It only has 68k on it. So the water is dirty. EVerything else has been gone over, for except a few more things. I will get on this today, and get this part done. I appreciate the advice. I just hope it eventually comes clean. I keep getting it to run clean, then after about 10-30 minutes of running, its dirty again. I think I just need to be patient.
 
I do have another question. Which hose on the slant 6, "heater hose",
can I install this flush kit on? The "T" fitting?
I have a 5/16 hose, and a 5/8's hose.
I am gonna flush with the upper and lower off,. but since I bought the kit, I might as well install it, so I can do it while its running to, when I hook my rad hoses back up. I didn't know if it mattered on which heater hose to put the "T" fitting on?
 
Don't put cold water into a hot block. I pull the t-stat, leave the cap off and run just enough water to keep the radiator fill, never had a problem. Depending on where you hook the garden hose up and how much loose scale there is your water pump may ***** & moan a bit.....and may end up crapping out.....Fairlane we bought had ran with straight water for years. Went down and bought a mild acid solution from Carquest, filled it with fresh water and let it run for an afternoon in the driveway. While the motor was not spotless it was clean enough to run. Ended up getting the radiator recored after doing it, but the core that was in it was a bad design anyway....
 
Keep an eye on the freeze plugs if it sat with anti-freeze in it. It tends to turn acidic after a while and can damage them.
 
inkjunkie said:
Don't put cold water into a hot block. I pull the t-stat, leave the cap off and run just enough water to keep the radiator fill, never had a problem. Depending on where you hook the garden hose up and how much loose scale there is your water pump may ***** & moan a bit.....and may end up crapping out.....Fairlane we bought had ran with straight water for years. Went down and bought a mild acid solution from Carquest, filled it with fresh water and let it run for an afternoon in the driveway. While the motor was not spotless it was clean enough to run. Ended up getting the radiator recored after doing it, but the core that was in it was a bad design anyway....
Click to expand...

No, I would never put cold water in it after it is hot. I was going to let it flow through while it was cold and warming up. The water pump, and rad are brand new. Last week, I unhooked the upper and lower rad hose, "t stat out", and ran the garden hose, "engine off, and cold". It ran clear after a short period. After I hooked the hoses up, and started the engine, the water turned brown again. Not as bad, but it did.

magnumdart said:
Keep an eye on the freeze plugs if it sat with anti-freeze in it. It tends to turn acidic after a while and can damage them.
Click to expand...

This car sat since 1998, up until last month or so. I hope the freeze plugs are okay.
 
Have had a few vehicles that needed took several flushes to get all the loose crud out of them....
 
You can also run some non sudsing cleaner in the system after you flush it such as simple green. This is what we use in the 6.0 Ford diesel when the oil coolers rupture and fill the rad. with oil. Now that is a mess to clean out.
 
Filter on upper radiator hose will be a great option for you.

Not alot of supporting info on forabodiesonly but I have personally used a basic cone screen inside the upper rad hose and trapped tons of crap that would have been clogging in the radiators on several vehicles.

http://www.fasterjags.com/Tefba.html

http://www.cal-mustang.com/GANO-COOLANT-FILTER-Clear-fits-1-58-ID-hose-P14369C1044.aspx

Would be great insurance when running a motor that could percolate out debris which has formed from sitting for years.

I would, If you can, run the coolant filter before running the car much. Then flush the cooling system several times consecutively with water. Clean the trap on the filter when it gets full of crap occasionally.


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I have one of those Tefba filters ion the Fairlane. Works well. If you place it in the right spot you can clean it without draining the radiator.......
 
Typical public water pressure is 65 p.s.i. The coolant system in your car can't withstand that kind of pressure. Trying to throttle you water spigot to match the volume that can exit the drain **** may not work since this doesn't limit pressure build up.
I can drape the heater hoses over the fender and flush the heater core a lot better than any 'T' could so I dont need a 'T'. Garden hose where the radiator cap goes will flush everything else.
 
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