Small stones, midges, water poured into the system can cause internal or external contamination of the radiator. You will need a pressure washer or compressor to clean it. It will be a little more difficult if a leak appears in the radiator.
A car needs a radiator to effectively cool the engine. If it becomes clogged from the inside or outside, then the temperature of the coolant rises, the engine goes out of normal mode. The reasons for clogging can be different. From the outside, the radiator is usually clogged with midges, foliage, pebbles, dust, cobwebs. In other words, everything that can get into the radiator grille on the go.
But the channels inside are often clogged. Instead of antifreeze, we poured tap water, and it contains a lot of salts. These salts are deposited in the cooling system, then flake off and go in pieces for a walk to the radiator, pipes, pump. The scale that builds up also eventually ends up in the radiator. And the thickness of the tubes is very small, they quickly become clogged with deposits.
What to do if the radiator is clogged?
The most effective way to remove external contamination is by high pressure water flushing. But first, it is best to drain the coolant, remove the radiator and inspect it for damage, assess the degree of contamination. It is advisable to first cover the entire surface with special foam, let it turn off for some time.
And after the radiator has stood in the detergent, thoroughly treat it with a jet of water under high pressure. Washing units are able to develop the required pressure. Getting rid of internal contamination is a little more difficult. Alternatively, use household products that are used to clean sewer pipes. Do not just keep the product in the radiator for a long time.
After using it, be sure to thoroughly rinse all radiator channels. Despite the fact that they are non-separable, you can still remove the sidewalls (only during assembly it will be necessary to abundantly lubricate the gaskets with sealant and let it settle for a while). Having disassembled the sidewalls, each tube can be blown out with compressed air. This is the most painless cleaning method.
But what if a leak appeared?
Here it is a little more difficult, you first need to identify the exact location of the hole from which the antifreeze came. When you find it, then estimate the scale of the disaster. If the hole is in the plastic sidewall, then you will need to remove the radiator, treat the crack with a solvent or white spirit, and then glue it with epoxy glue. But, as practice shows, cold welding is much better, it is easy to get it, it will completely eliminate the leak and you will forget for many years that it was.
But what if a honeycomb leak appears? Then there are two ways out - either solder or disconnect the tube from which it flows. Soldering is effective if the damage is minor (eg, a thin crack). To carry out the work, you will need a powerful soldering iron. But in case there is a lot of damage, then it will be much better to cut the damaged tube and bend the resulting two ends with platypuses.
Then degrease and coat the ends with cold welding or solder to prevent leakage from small cracks. You can do without bending the tube if you remove part of the honeycomb, clean the surface, degrease it and evenly cover the leak with cold welding. Note that all work must be carried out without coolant in the system.
