Paul, Listers
My first reaction is that using Cascade in the cooling system sounds like
pretty strong medicine. It is something I definitely would not do if you
have any aluminum parts in the system. The chemical ingredients are very
corrosive to aluminum, as anyone who has run aluminum repeatedly in their
automatic dishwasher can attest to. As for just exactly what all those
chemicals are, refer to the Materials Safety Data Sheet at the following
URL:
http://www.herc.org/library/msds/cascadepwdr.htm
I assume the "gentleman" you refer to uses the Cascade as you would use any
of the usual products for flushing radiators followed by a thorough rinsing.
I would use very little of it, maybe a tablespoon full; it's amazingly
powerful. I use the liquid version for cleaning up oil stains in the
driveway. Also, if I were going to use Cascade as a radiator flush, I would
follow up with Curtis Fisher's suggestion of adding, if I understand
correctly, one gallon of white vinegar in the system and then rinse again
till clean. The complementary action of these two quite different chemicals
would surely leave the system (or what's left of it) squeaky clean. (If the
left one don't get you, the right one will!)
You might consider boiling a piece of aluminum in a stainless pan with some
Cascade added to it just to get a feel for how corrosive it is before trying
it on your F4B and Ron Davis radiator - I know I would. Of course, the
gallon of vinegar is corrosive too, but probably not as bad as the Cascade.
Of course, there are organic detergents that might work almost as well and
be a lot less corrosive. These are my thoughts.
Bob
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