Coolant Overflow Bottle cleaning

[DanDXJ]

2001 4.0L AW4
I know this may be a trivial problem, but what will clean the brown crud out of the coolant overflow bottle? It just laughs at Crud Cutter, dishwasher soap, acetone, etc. It is a pain to clean with a baby bottle brush.
Thanks

DanDxj

 

[DieselSJ]

I usually just use a blast from my garden hose. I figure if the garden hose doesn't break it loose then I don't need to worry about it.

 

[johnnyc]

My coolant bottle was the same. I picked up a clean one from the junkyard.

 

[casm]

2001 4.0L AW4
I know this may be a trivial problem, but what will clean the brown crud out of the coolant overflow bottle? It just laughs at Crud Cutter, dishwasher soap, acetone, etc. It is a pain to clean with a baby bottle brush.
Thanks

DanDxj

Simple Green. Pour it in, agitate, top up halfway with water, agitate, fill completely with water, let sit for a few hours.

x2 on the water-under-pressure suggestion.

 

[2stix]

crushed ice. throw some in with water, turn on radio, and start shaking it like your doing some crazy dance. seriously though, the crushed ice will act as an abrasive and scrub the crud. you can also use sand, but then its a pain to clean out all the sand from the small tight areas. the ice will just melt away.

 

[CharlesS]

crushed ice. throw some in with water, turn on radio, and start shaking it like your doing some crazy dance. seriously though, the crushed ice will act as an abrasive and scrub the crud. you can also use sand, but then its a pain to clean out all the sand from the small tight areas. the ice will just melt away.

This is exactly how we clean the coffee pots at work.... and it works very well. The coffee pot cleaner doesn't remove much of the scunge unless we add ICE chips....
We have an ice dispenser that pulverizes that ice which works better due to more surface area of the ice chips.

 

[KD3NE_]

I use a bunch of very small nuts, and washers.

Actually have a container of them for that very purpose. ( cleaning out plastic containers )

My daughter raises rabbits and over time the water bottles get algae growing in them.

I toss in the nuts, washers, and some water ..... shake it up, pour it out and all is clean.

As to the coolant reservoir - if there is brown film inside of it, might be an indication you need a good coolant cleaning and flush for the motor as well.

ALSO - you could used BB's and water to do the task.

 

[old_man]

CLR works great.

 

[iwannadie]

I use nuts and bolts with whatever cleaner I feel may work. The nuts and bolts banging around is what really helps.

Also try Hot water that always seem to work best for me.

 

[ehall]

I use the junkyard method

 

[hubs97xj]

I like the hardware method; I'll have to remember that. I just use the hose with a jet nozzle though.

 

[cruiser54]

Crushed ice and salt. Shake, then rinse.

 

[joe_peters]

Crushed ice and salt. Shake, then rinse.

There you go--that is how my Mom cleaned the coffee pots in our restaurants.

 

[cruiser54]

That's how I learned it. From an employee who had previously worked in the restaurant business. Until he worked for me I never did more than rinse the pot every once in a while.

 

[Ecomike]

CLR works great.

CLR should work great, so will house hold vinegar, other wise known as acetic acid. Any radiator flush with glutamic acid or oxalic acid or sulfamic acid will re-dissolve the calcium, magnesium, iron carbonate precipitant (AKA brown crud) pretty fast.

IIRC most bath tube and tile cleaner for removing soap scum, like CLR has one of the acids I listed above in it. I think I have also seem some with citric acid in recent years. Vinegar is cheap and easy to find.

They are all biodegradable, and safe for sanitary sewer disposal in small quantities.

 

[austinaubinoe]

man that ice is a good idea. When I flushed the block on my 2.5L TJ I just cleaned the bottle with a garden hose, but I just hate how dirty it looks.

 

[DanDXJ]

Thanks for the suggestions from all. I used a combination of CLR first and followed up with the crushed ice. Looks much better - I can read the level without lifting the cap and looking in.

Thanks again