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block cleaning

Technical issues not related to a DLOC car marque, eg tyres, ethanol, other car makes, etc. and legal, political and insurance
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Db n j
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 919
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 8:55 am
Location: uk shropshire

block cleaning

Post by Db n j »

Having removed the head from the DB18 Special Sports and found all of the head and block waterways solid with calcium and debris,
I was thinking about how best to clean the block (the head is taken care of)

I am thinking that leaving the core-plugs in place and adding a descaling chemical, whilst prodding at the build-up in the water jacket might
be a good strategy - once the plugs are out its more difficult to contain liquid.

What do people think, and what de-scaler would be good.

Rolf B.
Posts: 245
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:07 pm
Location: 68309 Mannheim, Germany

Re: block cleaning

Post by Rolf B. »

The engine of my 1933 Daimler 15 has had a lot of deposit of the same kind. On the bottom of the block I found 1" high debris. So I cleaned all the waterways of the engine block with with a high-pressure cleaner by a hand-held spray nozzle. But then the engine was out of the car and completely dismanteled.

Db n j
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 919
Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2016 8:55 am
Location: uk shropshire

Re: block cleaning

Post by Db n j »

Thanks Rolf - I believe I have same sort of debris - my concern was if the material was too solid to be washed out - which is why I had thought abouta suitable chemical to dislove the calcium and the rust.

As it happens the engine is out of the car, and will be stripped soon.

A.N.Other
Wide Man
Wide Man
Posts: 551
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 12:45 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: block cleaning

Post by A.N.Other »

If the engine is out you may wish to consider acid cleaning.
Colin,
I may be slow but I’m rough as well !

Rolf B.
Posts: 245
Joined: Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:07 pm
Location: 68309 Mannheim, Germany

Re: block cleaning

Post by Rolf B. »

After cleaning by high-pressure the engine block was broght to a company specialised derusting the waterways in the block in an soaking bath. But the liquid of this bath was not acid but base, because the cast metal of the engine block includes a lot of carbon, which should not be excavated by acid. After the derusting all the waterways has got a phosphatating cover, to seal all the pores and protect the surface of the cast metal angainst further corrosion.

The next step, when the engine will be reinstalled the next few weeks will be to fill instead of water with current cooling additives the little bit more expensive Evans liquid without water, to protect all the waterways inclusive the radiator against further corrosion.

I suggest to bring the radiator to an specialist for cleaning it from all the debris inside the cooling net and the other waterways, because all the sediments I've found in the engine block I'd found in the radiator too.

Rolf

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