What would be the best way to go about cleaning out my radiator while it is out of the car?

Let me clarify, the rad is pretty new with very little run time on it but the last rebuild; very short lived rebuild, had very dirty coolant and I wanted to be sure everything was out of my rad before putting it back in.

It is all alumnium....what would be a good chemical/mix to put in, let sit, and rinse out (looking for a cheaper alternative to chemical flushes)?

 

at freightliner we use cascade liquid dishwashing detergent, dont laugh it works wonders.

 

No laughing here. I just want to make sure any sediment that may have settled is gone (for the most part).

 

Any other ideas?

Preferably something I can mix with water, dump in the rad to fill it up, let it sit, and rinse it clean (its out of the car).

 

I have to agree with Daves03. I have always used cascade liquid on my aluminum radiators. Look what the stuff does for aluminum pots and pans in the dishwasher. I put a quarter bottle in there and half a gallon of water, plug it up, shake it then, lay it flat and fill it up, let it sit for a couple hours, then shake it up and rinse it all out. Works wonders.

 

Thanks guys I will use the Cascade!

 

Be sure to let us know how it turns out.

 

Go cascade go!

 

Okay. Externally, a vacuum will do. My friend also advised me to apply a liquid dishwashing detergent. Yeah it sounds ridiculous but it's worth trying.