[AT] Cleaning out Tractor cooling system

[Spencer Yost]

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
On 1/17/2005 at 8:19 AM fred bottles wrote:
>Has anyone ever cleaned out a cooling system by using
>vinegar?? I talked with a guy who said a friend of his
>filled up the cooling system of his tractor with
>vinegar and ran it like that a few days, drained it
>and it really got the crud out. Any reason not to try
>this??
>

Any kind of weak acid like vinegar would indeed loosen and remove some
scale and mineral deposits.   Whether that qualifies it as a complete
cooling system flushing compound I wouldn't know.   Most cooling system
flushing compounds at the auto parts store I presume would do a better job
and aren't much more expensive than two gallons of white vinegar - probably
less expensive.

As for reasons not to try it - The gaskets for the upper and lower tanks,
if your tractor has them, might possibly be hardened by straight acid but I
really doubt it.  Older water pumps with packing instead of sealed bearings
might be adversely affected.  However I think these, and other warnings,
would hold true for any type of flushing compound.

Someone on the list with professional knowledge probably needs to jump in,

Spencer Yost
Owner, ATIS
Plow the Net!
http://www.atis.net