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changing water pump and engine flush

S

shmicah

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Texas
Hello all,

Two questions. In the middle of replacing the entire cooling system.

First, I was told to put teflon tape on the water pump inlet tube before attaching to the pump. I ordered a dorman one, but it came with a red paint looking seal on it already. Should I put teflon over that? Peel it off and put teflon in place? Or just leave it? I ask because it isn't soft like teflon, so I worry it may be a cheap quality seal. But if this is normal and I can leave it then I will.
Inlet Tube

Next, I removed the thermostat and water pump and used the hose to run water through the top of the engine block and let it drain out the front. I didn't jack the back part and cant really move it into my driveway. I poured a shit ton of cleaning vinegar into the block and let it sit for about 2 days. I came back out and flushed again with the hose, but I can't get all of this nasty junk out. I ran the hose until it seemed clear, and then made a siphon to get as much out as possible. It's immediately disgusting again. I'm putting all new radiator, water pump, hoses, everything. I really don't want a bunch of nasty shit in the system from day 1. Should I be worried about this? Is it necessary to lift the back of the XJ and try to drain more? Or will I be ok to just do a typical fill then maybe flush again after driving for a bit?
Block 1
Block 2

How do people get the block clean(er) inside? Looks pretty nasty in there, and I've always used tap water to fill my cooling - didn't know to use distilled until now.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Iv never heard of the Teflon tape thing. I just used a thin layer of rtv and the gasket that came with it and never had an issue. Iv never had to flush a block though


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shmicah said:
Hello all,

Two questions. In the middle of replacing the entire cooling system.

First, I was told to put teflon tape on the water pump inlet tube before attaching to the pump. I ordered a dorman one, but it came with a red paint looking seal on it already. Should I put teflon over that? Peel it off and put teflon in place? Or just leave it? I ask because it isn't soft like teflon, so I worry it may be a cheap quality seal. But if this is normal and I can leave it then I will.
Inlet TubeThe red stuff is sealer, leave it alone.

Next, I removed the thermostat and water pump and used the hose to run water through the top of the engine block and let it drain out the front. I didn't jack the back part and cant really move it into my driveway. I poured a shit ton of cleaning vinegar into the block and let it sit for about 2 days. I came back out and flushed again with the hose, but I can't get all of this nasty junk out. I ran the hose until it seemed clear, and then made a siphon to get as much out as possible. It's immediately disgusting again. I'm putting all new radiator, water pump, hoses, everything. I really don't want a bunch of nasty shit in the system from day 1. Should I be worried about this? Is it necessary to lift the back of the XJ and try to drain more? Or will I be ok to just do a typical fill then maybe flush again after driving for a bit?
Block 1
Block 2

How do people get the block clean(er) inside? Looks pretty nasty in there, and I've always used tap water to fill my cooling - didn't know to use distilled until now.
I'm not understanding the vinegar reference. Most products use a surfecant that needs a few thermal cycles to do the job.,
Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
97jeepxj1 said:
i'm thinking he used vinegar like you would in a coffee maker to clean the inside. I THINK it also works better when hot.
Click to expand...
Yes I used the vinegar as a soak like you would with a coffee pot. I didnt thi k it has to be warm but now that I think about it that sounds right.

My car is completely disassembled so putting it back together before a flush is out of the question. Any ideas? Thanks

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The solution to pollution is dilution. Soak it, rinse it with your garden hose till clear. Repeat until as clear as you want. You can then flush with a couple gallons of distilled water if you want to get rid of the tap water leftovers.
 
Yeah, the red stuff on the inlet tube is a sealant. If it makes you sleep better at night, put some teflon paste on it before installing, it won't hurt.

I don't mess around with tape anymore, I use paste exclusively.

Flush out what you can for now then put it all back together. Run it for a day or two with just water, then do a complete flush and fill. It won't hurt anything unless you've got huge chunks of whatever floating around.

On these older engines you will never get EVERYTHING out unless you do a complete tear down.

If I'm not mistaken there is a drain plug somewhere near the back of the block that is supposed to get the majority of the old coolant out. But most don't mess with it.
 
Thanks guys. I've flushed a few times now with the hose, and crap just keeps settling at the bottom. It doesn't seem to be chunks, just lots of minerals floating around. I'll keep flushing it for now.

I've been just running the hose thorough, can I put a nozzle and blast a jet stream everywhere in there, or is there stuff I need to worry about?
 
First, don't freak out, it will be OK.

Second, take a clean rag, soak it with oil and wipe the rust off the crank snout, wipe the front seal also, unless you had planned on replacing it.

Third, reinstall the crank damper.

Fourth, drain the water out of the oil pan. There is a product that was developed specifically for water contamination in crank cases and gear boxes. It is called Sea Foam, read the instructions.

After you seal the crank case, you should be OK to stick a high pressure hose in the water jacket and blast away. If there is something stuck in the bottom of the water jacket after that, I doubt it will cause problems later.

After you get this thing buttoned up, do a couple water flushes with the engine running. After that, buy a commercial cooling system cleaner and follow the instructions.
 
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