Vinegar in the radiator seems to have worked...

Glad it worked for you as it should have worked and the way you did it should have cleaned it well. I would suggest that you give it a qucik flush with baking soda to neutralize any acid left behind and do not forget the install a valve in bypass too if you want max cooling capacity on a hot day (it will help AC too)

----------------- The SnoMan

Well right now, the heater core isn't even in the loop...the hoses going to and from it are disconnected.

The strange thing I'm noticing, is that the compressor is cycling itself on and off...on for 2 seconds, off for 2 seconds...I haven't tried it on the road with the A/C blowing, but I had heard the clicking on and off of the compressor in the past.

Is that strange or normal? Does it have anything to do with the heat switch no longer being connected, as the ESC/ECM is no longer in the circuit??? Seems that the old wire that went to the compressor did pass through the ESC.

~jp

SnoMan wrote:

GM's bypass water through heater all the time and they can make a engine run hotter at time because some water is never cooled. If you insert a shutoff valve in the hose from intake to heater it will do too things. One, it will increase cooling capacity because all coolaant must go through radiator and the second is it will improve A/C output because there will not be a hot core in box that leakes heat into it and you will not get that hot start blast of hot air from AC from "box" being heat soaked from hot core when you shut down a hot engine fore a bit.

----------------- The SnoMan

the ac cycling that much most likely means its low on freon. It could also be a bad cycle switch (usually on the accumulator) or a plugged orifice tube. But most likely just low :) Wont have anything to do with the heat switch.

Sounds like its low on Freon.I would start there 1st,by having it checked.

Hi gang

I just joined the group :-)

After reading this I thought I'd pass this along. A radiator shop owner owner once told me -- " If everyone would put a cup of laundry detergent ( Tide , ETC, ) in their radiator and run the vehicle two or three days, then flush it with water, and refill with a 50 / 50 mix I'd be outta business"

Johnny

A cup of soap in my small towns water fountain played havoc with it when I was a kid. I don't think I would do this. Soap is on the caustic side so I can see why it may work. However ????

GM

My 2001 S-10 4X4 4.3L is running HOT here in Las Vegas afternoon heat. Yes, it's hot here and of course something has gotta give, so to speak. But, I'm wondering if this is normal. This is my first summer driving this truck. I've also had a tranny cooler installed in front of the radiator (I was thinking about pulling a camper).

When the outside temp gets above 95° (by the overhead console), the coolant temp starts to climb. By the dash gauge, it will climb to around 205-210° when the fan clutch engages while tooling around town. As previously mentioned, the fan sounds like a Cessna at 45-50mph down the road.

Now, with the temp running as hot as it is without a load, I'm hesitating about pulling a trailer, especially at highway speeds.

Does the temp for this setup seem to be about right? A quick look inside the radiator cap doesn't reveal any scale build-up. I was thinking about the vinegar trick. Would it be recommended to disconnect the radiator from the engine before trying this or would it be safe to dump a gallon or two of vinegar into the cooling system and running the engine without disconnecting anything?

Denny

Hi gang

I just joined the group :-)

After reading this I thought I'd pass this along. A radiator shop owner owner once told me -- " If everyone would put a cup of laundry detergent ( Tide , ETC, ) in their radiator and run the vehicle two or three days, then flush it with water, and refill with a 50 / 50 mix I'd be outta business"

Johnny

disconnecting

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