Cleaning scale out of cooling system (not overheating)

[funjohnson]

I decided to replace all the hoses on my Westerbeke 30b three engine this week (also painted the engine) as preventative maintenance. I drained the coolant that I changed last fall... about 20 engine hours ago. When I pulled the hoses, I was surprised at the amount of scale and buildup in my coolant system. The heat exchanger looks fine, but the rest of the inlets for items like the thermostat and exhaust manifold had some scale in them.

Now the system doesn't run hot at all, but I would like to clean this out anyway. I'm not planing on pulling the manifold any time soon, so soaking it like a heat exchanger doesn't work. What can I use to flush this system and remove the crud? Any brand of radiator cleaner recommended?

By the way, it's ridiculous how much Westerbeke charges for hoses!

Thanks,

Matt

[Maine Sail]

Rydlyme is what you want. Remove t-stat and circulate the fluid through the system until clean. Buy a cheap 12v pump from Harbor Freight for circulating the Rydlyme and use a 5 gal bucket for your fluid resivior.

You'll need some short lengths of hose and some adapters to get from the bucket to the engine hoses..

[funjohnson]

Awesome. I just googled it and see that my marine carries it (Torresens).

Thanks as always Mainsail!

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Maine Sail

Rydlyme is what you want. Remove t-stat and circulate the fluid through the system until clean. Buy a cheap 12v pump from Harbor Freight for circulating the Rydlyme and use a 5 gal bucket for your fluid resivior.

You'll need some short lengths of hose and some adapters to get from the bucket to the engine hoses..

Exactly right. Before mixing the RydLime, just run water through the system to see how much you actually need in the bucket to keep the pump just covered as the water recirculates. Rydlime is not inexpensive and there is no need to mix up more than you actually need. (I also use this process on our Air Conditioner annually and it really makes a difference in the performance of that unit).

FWIW...