ianmayco68 Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Thought I’d put these few pics up for people to see as I’ve not seen any before but there may well be , anyway this is the heater matrix off my project 300tdi it wasn’t damaged until I took the hammer to it and I could have reused it but if you’re wondering why you’re heater isn’t as good as it used to be then this might be the cause . hell of a lot of gunk on there and it didn’t look that old either. cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Scary !!!!!!! Are you using coolant, anti-freeze, water ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmayco68 Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 Yes I presume so , it’s off my project that I had off the stepson . I brought it then stripped it so I never had need to service it and I think that’s what he used . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 Is there any truth that a dishwasher tablet popped into the coolant system loosens that sort of crud, so it can be flushed out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmayco68 Posted August 21, 2020 Author Share Posted August 21, 2020 I couldn’t tell you , but with modern anti freeze/ coolants and the addictives inthem you would think that this sort of thing wouldn’t happen . I might go back to waterless coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 I used a hot caustic soda solution to clear out my matrix, giving it a good flusters with the hose before refitting. It cleared out a lot of muck, having sat for about ten minutes. It made a lot of difference. I still use that matrix, so haven’t opened it to see what’s inside. A boroscope would be very revealing for a before and after of that caustic treatment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrovernuts Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Not sure if this is any use to anyone, but I have run a coolant filter on all my land rover engines which stops all this sludge build up in the cooling system. Not only does it filter the coolant but replenishes additives in the coolant. These are fitted to many truck, generator, marine engines etc and were originally fitted to keep DCA levels correct to stop cavitation on the backs of wet liners. You could argue that it is overkill on small diesel engines but it really keeps the coolant system very clean. Many of the coolant filter heads are integral with the engines now, but my one came from a Cummins 855 engine that was being scrapped out a fishing boat after it self destructed (fishermen don't believe in maintenance!) and will easily fit into land rover cooling circuits. There are two filter sizes - I just use the smaller one and change every two years. Toby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmayco68 Posted August 22, 2020 Author Share Posted August 22, 2020 That’s interesting Toby never heard of anything like that before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 I’ve never seen or heard of that before, Nuts, but it’s a great idea. Does it need a booster pump to preserve flow through the filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrovernuts Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 I have never seen a boost pump fitted in conjunction with the coolant filters even on the original fitment. I just tee into any suitable sized pipes such as bleed lines and is relatively easy. On my V8 I machined some reducers from some ally bar as the connections on the filter head are quiet big (I cannot remember the size off hand) but all simple stuff. Ideally they should be mounted so the filter hangs down to stop air locks, but I have had no issues with it as it is. If you Google truck coolant filter , I am sure it will find loads of information. Toby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Where, how is the filter plumbed? Is it in the heater circuit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Interesting, I've not heard or seen a coolant filter before. How does it replenish the anti corrosion additives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 On eBay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted August 22, 2020 Share Posted August 22, 2020 Plumbed as loop in the heater circuit, and the filters contain additive to improve the coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrovernuts Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 On my TD5 it is plumbed into the fuel cooler circuit. The additives leach out of pellets in the filter slowly over a period of time. The kits seem very expensive - try looking for scrap Cummins engines (C series or bigger - the 6b doesn’t have them as they are not wet liners) and take the head off one of these. Toby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 On 8/21/2020 at 9:15 PM, Peaklander said: Is there any truth that a dishwasher tablet popped into the coolant system loosens that sort of crud, so it can be flushed out? On 8/22/2020 at 7:28 AM, Snagger said: I used a hot caustic soda solution to clear out my matrix, giving it a good flusters with the hose before refitting. It cleared out a lot of muck, having sat for about ten minutes. It made a lot of difference. I still use that matrix, so haven’t opened it to see what’s inside. A boroscope would be very revealing for a before and after of that caustic treatment. Yes, it will work. However, caustic soda (also in dishwasher tabs) is not safe for aluminium parts, and in 90C water will quickly corrode them, as well as all the muck. Fine for iron/steel. A better, much gentler treatment is oxalic acid, it is safe for aluminium and iron/steel, and only dissolves the corrosion/muck out of the system. Buy it on Ebay in big-ish tubs, stick it in the engine and run it for 20 miles and drain then flush a couple of times (at least), you will be amazed what difference it makes, even badly stained expansion tanks come clean. Also sold as deck cleaner, and wood bleach. It is the active component in most of the radflush products, but obviously cheaper in bulk. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 4 hours ago, Bowie69 said: Yes, it will work. However, caustic soda (also in dishwasher tabs) is not safe for aluminium parts, and in 90C water will quickly corrode them, as well as all the muck. Fine for iron/steel. A better, much gentler treatment is oxalic acid, it is safe for aluminium and iron/steel, and only dissolves the corrosion/muck out of the system. Buy it on Ebay in big-ish tubs, stick it in the engine and run it for 20 miles and drain then flush a couple of times (at least), you will be amazed what difference it makes, even badly stained expansion tanks come clean. Also sold as deck cleaner, and wood bleach. It is the active component in most of the radflush products, but obviously cheaper in bulk. Just ordered some, any suggestions on how much to put in a 300tdi or kg/L coolant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 23, 2020 Share Posted August 23, 2020 100g would probably do it. It is pretty much harmless, so you can leave it in longer without any repercussions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 17 hours ago, Bowie69 said: Yes, it will work. However, caustic soda (also in dishwasher tabs) is not safe for aluminium parts, and in 90C water will quickly corrode them, as well as all the muck. Fine for iron/steel. A better, much gentler treatment is oxalic acid, it is safe for aluminium and iron/steel, and only dissolves the corrosion/muck out of the system. Buy it on Ebay in big-ish tubs, stick it in the engine and run it for 20 miles and drain then flush a couple of times (at least), you will be amazed what difference it makes, even badly stained expansion tanks come clean. Also sold as deck cleaner, and wood bleach. It is the active component in most of the radflush products, but obviously cheaper in bulk. Useful to know. I gave it a relatively short time and an long flush through with the hose before refitting it, so nothing remained, so it should be alright, but if I’d known it was that bad for aluminium, I’d not have used it. No leaks last time I checked on the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HampshireHog Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 When using oxalic acid don’t breath the powder in or get it in your eyes it’s nasty stuff , unsure if you can get it in liquid form , I made that mistake years ago getting stains out of green oak before oiling it up to a finish ,admittedly I was using it for days on end but still nasty gear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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