Radiators and Mouse Nests

jd2cyl1943 · Feb 14, 2023

How do I know if I have all the mouse nesting out of a radiator? I keep finding more after I think that I have it all. How do I know if the core isn't plugged? Do I run water through until I don't see any more nesting? I would really prefer not to take it apart since I pressure tested It and it didn't leak and because I'm afraid I might damage the core.

cjunrau · Feb 14, 2023

I would run hot water through it till no more came
out. I would put water in the bottom as most of it
probably floats. Let sit over night and flush again.
Do that for few days then reverse direction of water
for a few days and should be clean.

rustred · Feb 14, 2023

U would need to do a flow test. Plus u could look at the
cores from the top to see if theyre open. Have it full of
water to the top and see how fast the water runs out
when bottom is opened. And if u have a 1 inch hose
running wide open it should be running out as fast.

stevieb49829 · Feb 14, 2023

Fill it up, and let it sit for a couple of days, then fill it some more so the stuff comes out the top instead of lodging in the core. I pulled wasp nests and wasp parts out of my antifreeze for over a year. Steve

redforlife · Feb 14, 2023

I'd flush it with the mouse nest down. If
nest is on top, flush radiator with
radiator upside down. If nest is on the
bottom due to the lower radiator hose being
off, then flush it out with radiator right
side up.

That way, most of the debree will already
be at the lower end, instead of trying to
run all that debree through the tubes as
you flush it.

Then flush both ways before your done.

About all you can do, unless you take it
apart and probe the tubes. Not many
radiator shops around anymore that do that.

If a tube or two is completely plugged,
it'll be OK. No way to really check them
all. You might check the tubes individually
that you can get to through the cap. See if
any of them are plugged. If they don't seem
to be plugged, it might give you an idea
about the rest of them you can't get to.
But if all the ones you can get to are
plugged up, you can assume the rest of the
radiator isn't no better.

Steve@Advance · Feb 15, 2023

Maybe one of the barbed plastic drain cleaners would reach across the tank and hook whatever is in there.

You can also buy a cheap borescope camera that works with a phone or PC. That would let you look across the tanks for anything still packed in the ends.

Mike(NEOhio) · Feb 15, 2023

I have an H that's been sitting a long time. I took the radiator apart and ran a stiff wire through all the tubes. There was a lot caked in there.
Going to soak it in cleaning vinegar and make new gaskets. I managed to get all but three or four screw out without breaking them. Just need to find
a plastic container large enough.

Radiators and Mouse Nests

jd2cyl1943

Member

cjunrau

Well-known Member

rustred

Well-known Member

stevieb49829

Well-known Member

redforlife

Well-known Member

Steve@Advance

Well-known Member

Mike(NEOhio)

Well-known Member

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