Flushing radiator?

[Grn92LX]

I am gonna flush my radiator in the afternoon today. I might pull it out and hose it down, im just wondering if their any 'cleaner' type of stuff i can pour in to help clean it out as I hose it down? I am having problems with the car running hot only in warm sunny afternoons. It got up to 205* this afternoon and it was only like 50*. Tonight the car was 178-180* and it was about 40* maybe. I wanna clean my radiator out real good unless by chance my friend finds his recipt for the pep boys 3 core radiator (i have the pep boys 3 core to, but lost recipt) so I can exchange it for free (lifetime warranty) I have a buddy that says he used to pour baking soda in to clean it out. Is there something cheap i can pick up at the parts store to clean it out? Hopefully my friend finds the recipt to save me the trouble.


Mike

 

[Michael Yount]

Mike - they make 'flush' you can buy at the parts store - goes in, then you run it for while to circulate/heat things up before draining. How old is the radiator? Is it running warm all the time, or around town and then cools down when you pick up speed? If it cools off as you speed up, it's usually an issue of not enough air being pulled across by the fan; if that's the case, cleaning the radiator probably won't help much. If you're certain it's a radiator issue, I'd either replace it, or take it to a shop and have them clean/rod it by taking the tanks off - that's the only way to be certain that it's clean enough to function like it should.

 

[Tstang90]

That is the best way to go Mike. But a boiling at a rad shop may run ya like $50-60 I think. And if I recall a Pep boys rad is only $120. So IMO I'd go new.If thats the route you decide to go. Good Luck.

 

[Grn92LX]

My friend found his recipt, I put the new radiator in just now, it cools awesome now, actually, its too cool. Im gonna dump the fluid now and add antifreeze in. No more having to blast the heat in 90* summer weather anymore