Draining coolant from engine block

[omega7979]

Hi People,


I have a question about the good ole 235.....I pulled the motor and trans today for a cleanup and paint job after getting it running like a top....my question is the 1/4 npt plug on the rear left side of the block(sometimes a petcock).

I removed the plug and did the usual stick the screwdriver in there and poke the sludge till the coolant started to come out but no coolant wanted to come out.

I stuck a #2 phillips screwdriver in there a good 4" and still nuthin...at this point I started to get curious about how much sludge is actually in the block and if its ok to leave in there.......I dont really feel like taking the whole engine apart to get the block baked and shot blasted.....cuz that will get into boring it out and all that crap.....basically too much money......It ran too good to touch.

I had a thought of taking an old throttle cable from a junk lawnmower and using the outer casing of it in a drill and kind of goin in that hole and use it like a drain snake till I got fluid to flow..... if ya know what I mean ??

I will be removing all the freeze plugs for replacement .....so maybe once I get em all out i'll have a better idea of what to do maybe??

I'm just afraid if i dont get it all cleaned out i will have a problem with overheating in the future.

Thanks again,

Leon

 

[Zig]

Thermostat still in?

I'm not sure, but if the thermostat is in it, would that act the same as holding your thumb over the end of a straw?
You might be able to (kind of) flush it this way also?

 

[omega7979]

Got it figured out

Zig,

I know what you are saying about the suction effect if the thermostat was in but it wasnt the case.

There was alot of rust and sediment in the rear section of the engine block
I pulled all the freeze plugs including the one in the back(sediment was up to midway of that rear plug) and took off the water pump.

I stuck the garden hose in where the water pump goes and used a piece of old brake line which I could bend and adjust to reach just about anywhere and kept poking around in there and got it all out.......took a good hour to get it all loose....and did it till the water was running clear....had a big pile of slop in the driveway after it was done.

The rear cylinder must of been running hot for sure......just something for you guys to think about when taking the motor out and doing a spray can rebuild.

Thanks,

Leon

 

[Fla54Chevy3100]

The passage upward from the petcock on my engine was clogged for almost a foot up towards the head. I used a stiff wire to break the crud loose, a little bit at a time. Popping out the freeze plugs and using the garden hose will work wonders. Was amazed at how much crud flowed out.

Once you've got your system cleaned I recommend distilled water as the mix with the coolant. For $1.50 you can eliminate most of the hard-water minerals that contribute to clogged water-jackets and waterpump impellors that are gummed up with crud.

Dave

 

[vwnate1]

All This PLUS :

If you buy some Citric Acid powder and mix one pound of it into three gallons of warm water & fill the water jacket with it , it'll slowly but surely eat all that rusty silt up that you couldn't quite reah with the bent up coat hanger through the open freeze plug holes....

This is the # 1 thing to do to reduce your operating temperature .

Using the distilled water is wise too , search for it in ddrug & grocery stores for only .99 CENTS the gallon , use it to flush and with a 40 % of coolant too .