What is this copper colored deposit in my system?
I see it in several spots while doing my head gasket job. I am currently removing water pump and replacing all coolant hoses with a set from Atlantic british and an airtex pump from BP of Utah.

 

Somebody used a stop leak in the cooling system.

 

I would flush out your cooling system out several times.Those stop leak addatives can cause havac, they are known to cause all kinds of blockages !

 

x2 on that - the original coolant sludge in the lower parts of radiator can be thick as a wet sponge, some water will pass but not much. Add the stopz leakz, and that sponge becomes more like a brick. Flush may not get rid of it. Be sure to check radiator when truck warmed up. Feel fins top to bottom. If big temperature difference, bottom would be colder bacuse no circulation. Summer is comming and you will need a 100% radiator.

 

Ah, does this mean since the head gasket job is going on and everything is apart I need to pull the radiator out and manually flush it?

Haha, if you recommend it I will add it to the list. How long will it take me to pull out the radiator?
I just got the crankshaft pulley off, had to make a tool , and I was debating on pulling the radiator so I could put the impact wrench on the 24mm bolt...
I saw in RAVE it looked like it would take a few hours???

 

Man you like to make more work for yourself dont you?
Put a breaker bar on the crank pulley nut, set breaker bar handle on the floor.
Remove fuel pump fuse, tap ignition key for half a second.
Now you can unscrew the crank pulley nut.

 

Since it is a D2 flush is about all you can do, most shops charge enough to rod out a plastic tank radiator that you could buy a new one. You can flush in the truck, it just has to go somewhere. SWMBO will not tolerate a large puddle of gunk antifreeze on her side of the garage.

Fun fact - usually the spouse that parks on the left side of garage sleeps on left side of bed.

 

Okay, I was thinking if I pulled the radiator out since everything is out of the way behind it I could shake the radiator to the side to get more deposits out, that is why I asked about removing from vehicle...

So, leave in and flush?
or
remove and flush?

What would be best?


Spike555, I had already unhooked battery and electrical due to Head Gasket work, I guess next time.
Here is my setup -

 

Very best is remove rad and take to indy shop for hot flush. At home, leave in truck. Material inside is not loose granular stuff. It is a sludge (Dexcool mud) and scale (calcium stuck to sides of tubes). Reverse flush always works best. Garden hose and a couple of rags around it to seal up and flow thru bottom and out top. If engine is not running you can't circulate chemicals, so garden hose is about it. Once everything back together flush whole system with a few jugs of distilled water. Take it from a country bumpkin, well water has no place in a radiator except as emergency. Too much calcium to boil out.

D2 radiators have very delicate plastic nipples that will break if you sneeze on them. Slice old hose off with razor, put new hose on with a little soapy water lubricant.