cleaning sludge from overflow

[ManySHOs]

Hello
Has anyone had any luck cleaning the sludge out of a coolant overflow tank? I finally obtained a leak free ATX side tank but after spending some time with hot water and simple green, I can't get it any cleaner. It still has chunks of sludge inside that I want to clean out. I thought about oxy clean and soda water but I don't have any handy.

I was wondering if draino would work. It's supposed to be safe for plastic/pvc pipes, right? I really don't want to find out the hard way and have my tank melt in my hands.

Thanks!
Ian

 

[SHOIT0ff]

i personally would stick to dish soap and a pipe cleaner....keep the dish soap in the tank while you scrub it.

 

[shoon]

VERY hot water and maybe some CLR or engine degreaser work well. I was fortunate enough to get my overflow perfectly clean with hot water alone.

 

[itwonder]

It's a polyethylene tank, so you are not going to hurt it with chemical cleaners. But thoroughly clean out all cleaner residue when you are finished. Might try a few pieces of gravel in there with the cleaning solution. Shake it and let the gravel scrub the gunk off. Might try an acid cleaner like Snobowl toilet bowl cleaner, but wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

 

[SHOtimer]

I used Berryman's Chemtool - that worked well.

Doug

 

[SHOZ123]

Sudsy Ammonia

 

[ManySHOs]

Thanks for all of the replies. I got it a little bit cleaner with 180 degree water last night but there's still some crud in it. I need to go to a parts store this week to pick up some hood struts so I'll look into getting some harsher chemical cleaners while I'm there. I did try CLR as someone suggested and that did help. The problem is getting something inside there to scrub it out. The ATX overflow is much trickier than the MTX's.

thanks again
Ian

 

[SHOtimer]

I used a large pipe cleaner that I could bend and get into the crevices. Also, I assume you have removed the low coolant sensor, as it is easier to use that hole that the fill hole.

Doug

 

[LJRuddy]

You could use a dremel with a flexible extending attachment. Put a soft bristle brush on the end and use it to snake around and scrub the hard to reach spots.

 

[CPUNeck]

Crushed ice and simple green will do the deed

 

[ManySHOs]

I ended up using seltzer water and oxyclean. I did a few rinses with that + boiling water. After the last cycle, I let it soak over night and it looked new from the inside the next day. It's going through the dishwasher tonight in hopes of cleaning up the outside a bit.

Thanks everyone! The dremel idea was a really creative one. I'll have to remember that if a similar situation arises.

Ian

 

[hawkeye18]

lmfao @ dishwasher

Man, the stuff I've put through our poor dishwasher. Valve covers, valve cover bolts, alternator casings, TBs, disassembled intakes... and my wife has NO IDEA

 

[ManySHOs]

Well, I asked my girlfriend if it was ok with her. She said that it was fine.

Then again, it's an apartment so its not her dishwasher. Still, our dishes and glasses that we use still share the space. While I'm not concerned about contaminating them I understand why some people would have a problem with the idea of putting car parts in a dishwasher.

I knew I shouldn't even bother asking my mom.

Ian