I just tried this method with my newly-acquired Model A: 1 day soak of vinegar, flush with water, then 2 day soak of vinegar. After draining the second time, with the drain valve open, I poured 3 gallons of water into the radiator and nothing came out. Uh-oh, bad sign. I took the lower radiator hoses off and it gushed out. Apparently the vinegar soaks did some good, it broke loose some very large rust clumps that had been in the system for who-knows-how-long, but now I'm going to need to go in with some kind of spindle brush to clean them all out so I can have a normally functioning system again. Thanks for the tips!
You didnt really have a rust poblem,all the tubes were unobstructed, so just a light layer of rust sludge. Vinegar and other acids will renove that quite easily.
Saw one video the guy flushed the radiator after draining the coolant. The he poured in a small box of baking soda then filled with vinegar. It boiled up. He let it set for 24 hours. Thing I will do what you do. Then do the baking soda vinegar trick for 24 hours.
Wow you have some nice cars. Would you have left the vinegar in 3 days straight instead, or do what you did and flush it between those 3 days? and you think 50/50 diluted vinegar would only slow down the process?
Because vinegar contains acetic acid, you have to be somewhat careful when using it to remove rust. It really depends on what type of metal (and the condition of that metal) you are using it on. The tubes inside antique radiators are thin-walled. Prolonged exposure to acetic acid might inadvertently damage some of the "good" metal you are trying to save. If you are using it on thick steel, for example, you don't need to be quite as careful. Anyway, I think it is safest to use multiple applications and flush in between. It just depends on the project. Start with shorter intervals, then increase them based on the results you see after each flush. Since there is only about 5% acid by volume in each gallon of vinegar, diluting it to 50/50 would significantly slow down the process. It might be safer this way, but you would still have to apply the same approach .... start with short intervals, evaluate the progress, then increase them based on what you see. So, I don't see an advantage by diluting it.
@@AntiqueCarsandStuff Thanks for the reply. 2 questions, should I bother "neutralizing" the vinegar with baking soda? and what do I do with the used rusty vinegar?
That is a 1914 Ford Model T Touring. It runs on its internal magneto, no battery. No starter. No generator. No oil pump. No fuel pump. Someone put a water pump on this one but originally it didn’t have a water pump either. The coolant system works via convection or “thermosyphon.”
Will using vinegar in your radiator that has some surface rust from sitting with coolant in it for a long time will the vinegar method cause any damage to the metals inside the radiator because of the acidic nature of it?
I think there is always that risk. However, white vinegar has a low acid content and is a comparatively gentle rust removal product. If this vinegar method causes damage to the metals, I would guess that the metals were already very thin and likely due to fail anyway. Or, it was left to soak in the system far too long.
@@AntiqueCarsandStuff Ah, okay thank you for your reply! I have a old classic muscle car that sits in a heated garage for sometimes long periods of time due to winter and not ideal weather however i did notice the coolant and the aluminum radiator had some surface rust in it due to sitting was just curious if this would hurt aluminum but seeing by your reply it should be okay I have one other question how long would you let it sit in there like a day or two? and what would be the mix ratio of distilled water and vinegar? Thanks for your video and help!
In the video I started with a 12 hour white vinegar soak, then followed up with a 2 day soak. That timeframe worked well for me. There is only 5-8% acetic acid in white vinegar by volume, so I chose not to dilute mine at all. Some people mix 1:1 or even 3:1 water to vinegar. I guess it just depends on the project, condition of the metals, thickness of the metals, etc.
my farmall regular has some rust in the radiator i think im gonna do this now, but first i have to get a new drain pipe or plug it or something, you think this would work for my 8n gas tank? it has rust in it but i ordered a new tank anyway cause it was giving me hell.
White vinegar will work for light to moderate rust. If the rust is heavy and scaly in the gas tank, you need to use some type of hard abrasive material first.
