Oil cooler cleanout

[NCHeavyDiesel]

Hey guys. Have been working on several road tractors lately with Cummins ISM engines that have oil coolers leaking. Have been trying to figure out a better way to clean out the cooling systems after being contaminated with oil. It was my understanding that cascade automatic dishwasher detergent used to work very well but when the phosphates were removed from it then it lost its effectiveness. Just wondering if anyone else has a better way.:beatsme:beatsme

 

[Cmark]

Try using a laundry powder. But make sure you get one for a front loader.

 

[NCHeavyDiesel]

Whats the difference in the front or top loader?

 

[NCHeavyDiesel]

The majority of the ones i have done havent been too bad but this one i have now didnt leak....it experienced catastrophic failure and just dump oil into the cooling turning it into a thick brown slurry. LoL

 

[Cmark]

Whats the difference in the front or top loader?

Front loader doesn't foam.

 

[ETER]

I have been using "Purex" liquid detergent for cooling system baths/washings followed by the "Fleetgaurd" coolant system flush, then straight water rinsings...short of disassembly, about the best method I've found to remove most of the oil/residue.
Regards, Bob

 

[Nige]

From my experience, certainly up to a year ago when I left, we were successfully using Cascade detergent for cleaning contaminated cooling systems. So unless the formulation of Cascade has changed in the last 12 months then AFAIK it's the best product out there for getting oil out of cooling systems. IIRC Cat even had a Part Number for it but I can't seem to find it at the moment .....

 

[Truck Shop]

Liquid Tide works well also. Transmission oil coolers that go bad and pump 75x90 in the radiator is a pain
to clean out. The Tide worked good on gear oil.

Truck Shop

 

[repowerguy]

Old timers used to talk about Butyl-Cellusolve, apparently it is still made but where you would get it I don't know.
I cleaned out a 4-236 Perkins that was beyond sludged up with Zep-Alum aluminum cleaner, it brought out a amazing amount of crud. I flushed it out with clear water and may have used baking soda (don't remember) to raise the ph. It was fine after that very unorthodox repair.

 

[Delmer]

You can still buy trisodium phosphate. Maybe not locally, it's available online though. Not "phosphate free, PF, or substitute". Follow the label directions for the amount per gallon for a lighter cleaning and mix it with a laundry or dishwasher detergent. It doesn't have to be as concentrated because of the heat and agitation.

According to googles, butyl cellusolve is only a few clicks away, as cheap as $40/gallon delivered. I assume a small amount is added to cooling water for this application?

 

[NCHeavyDiesel]

Yes that is correct. I also found out through the world wide web that cascade industrial dishwashing detergent still has 7% phosphate used. It has been repackaged as cascade professional "fryer boil out". Just trying to find a better way to do these cleanouts and save time. Plus this current one im doing the driver must have just kept adding oil to the crankcase and ignoring the fact that it was spewing out of the coolant bottle. It has the consistency of cake batter!

 

[ohiofleet]

cascade always works well I have had a couple that had so much oil in them I started out with diesel fuel to get it cleaned up then used cascade

 

[Nige]

Old timers used to talk about Butyl-Cellusolve, apparently it is still made but where you would get it I don't know.

I think maybe something need sto be cleared up here.

As I understand it the OP is wanting to clean up a cooling system that was contaminated with oil after a cooler failure. Cascade is the best product I've found for that job.

Butyl cellusolve is used for flushing an engine lubrication system when said system has been contaminated with glycol-based products such as coolant/antifreeze. It works very well but is so nasty that you have to take all sorts of special precautions for using it because it can literally kill you if mishandled. The danger when a lubrication system has been contaminated with glycol is that the glycol attacks the lead-tin overlay in the crank & cam bearings and literally dissolves it. The engine will have no apparent ill effects until it suddenly throws a rod out the side maybe 1-3 months later. If someone's really sharp they can detect it on oil analysis reading from round the time the contamination occured but you have to be really on the ball and from my certainly experience most oil analysis labs don't pick it up.

 

[repowerguy]

Thanks for clearing up my confusion about butyl cellusolve, I'd heard some old fellows talk about using it and do remember now it was to get the ethylene glycol out of the crankcase. I knew a old-timer would weigh in!

 

[Nige]

I knew an old-timer would weigh in!

I don't know about the "old" bit but you're welcome anyway ......

 

[Delmer]

Sorry for that confusion. I thought the active ingredient is a familiar heavy duty specialty cleaner ingredient (water based degreaser, latex paint cleaners) so I thought maybe it was used in water for cleaning cooling systems.

Turns out Dow makes two different Butyl Cellosolve products, so know what you're using, don't take my word for it.