CLR cleaner ??

[Logix66]

   So with my car that hadn't been started since 1986, i found the coolant system to be littered with crystals due to the evaporated anti freeze and what not that was in the system. I have cleaned every opening as far in as i could and have removed any corrosion found on components. I used a small sump pump with long hoses and my dogs pool to back flush and then front flush the system. I was told by an old guy (I'm 54) he is like 89 (lol) that when i flushed the system to put a quart or so of CLR thru it. Then after i have completed the reassembly the first fill i should do the same and run for 50 to 100 miles with it in the system and then flush and fill will normal mixture.
Does that even sound right ?? After the flushing i ran straight hot water from my hot water tank thru to clean out any CLR that might have remained but to put it right into the mix and run for awhile seemed a little aggressive ??
Any thoughts on this ? I did check out the chemical makeup and its not a fire issue, but certainly seems weird to me.
  UPDATE: I have cleaned the fuel system and the water system tested the heater core for leakage (tight), had to replace the knobs on the heater/cooling levers, replaced and tested all light bulbs in the dash. My car has the Blaupunkt Frankfurt US (S) radio in it and i serviced that myself as well, did put a new speaker in it (those bastards charged me $100 for a $10 speaker but it has the right hole pattern and is the OEM spec) , Clock is working which surprised the hell out of me ! LOL Interior has been cleaned and reassembled. Before i reassemble the front of the motor I want to take it up a bit and replace the brakes and rubber lines as well. I need to finally turn the motor by hand, I plan on doing this with the 22mm or 24 mm bolt on the crankshaft ? is that ok on this car also which direction should I turn it ? Thank you all very much for assembling this vast wealth of knowledge. I do want to point out 1 flaw in the REPLACING HEATER LEVERS tutorial. Cars with the 10 mm nuts on the rear of the chrome dash pieces, the speaker should be removed to get to the drivers side chrome piece 10mm nut. That is not stated and thru me for a loop, i was able to get it out from behind but there is no way in hell to get it back on, lol. So i had to yank the speaker anyway to verify it didn't turn to dust, which it did and gee whiz i can access that nut now. Trying to be a purist about this project so i did get the OEM correct colors for the knobs (she want the colored knobs them selves) .

[FresnoBob]

Good luck John!

I was in the same position about 3 years ago as my car had been in storage for 24 years.  I boiled the gas tank, rebuilt the fuel pump, blew air through all the hoses, replaced the fuel filter, changed the oil and filter, boiled and painted the radiator and installed a new battery and the car started right away.  I would highly recommend boiling the gas tank before you try and start the car.  There is likely so much gas converted to varnish and you don't want that in your mechanical fuel injection.  I also wish I had gone straight to a triple core radiator instead of wasting money on the original. 

Lots of fun and games in your future I suppose!

[kampala]

Have always read best to use Mercedes acid flush :   000 989 10 25 11

[stickandrudderman]

What's CLR?

[Garry]

Calcium Lime and Rust, a brand name for a descaler

[Cees Klumper]

I have been descaling/cleaning my cars' radiators with a product called Barnacle Buster, which is bio-degradable and made for boat engines. Have found it to be effective on cars' coolant systems also.

[Logix66]

Thank you for the feed back guys. I do appreciate it very much. The fuel tank and radiator I have sent out to be boiled and cleaned or whatever those guys do,lol. My biggest fear is whatever is left inside the motor and other devices, at every line connection the scale and crystalization i have found is concerning me the most. I have the fuel pump rebuild kit and will start on that this weekend probably, its cold up here this week so a in house project is what i need,lol.

[UJJ]

Don't forget to open the drain holes at each side of the engine block to get the bottom of the cooling chambers clean as well.
You even want to get a wire or something into these drain holes to clear it up more.
Good luck, Urban

[mdsalemi]

I'm unfamiliar with all the protocols of cleaning these...

But Barnacle Buster is a strong phosphoric acid base, pH <1.
CLR is also a reasonably strong acid, but different, with a pH <3.
pH of 7 is neutral; below is acidic, above is caustic.

Stong acids or bases will corrode aluminum and copper, so use with caution. Less concern on cast iron...

[FGN59]

Phosphoric and citric acids work very well on calcium deposits, and are not as nasty as (for instance) hydrochloric acid, both for one’s health (breathing or skin) and for the metal itself. Phosphoric acid is used as a industrial cleaner for copper and brass, as well as a rust-cleaning agent in retail/diy formulas. Cleaning a cooling circuit with either should not generate any kind of corrosion issues. Citric acid is easy and cheap to find (at least in Europe), it is one of the base products in any good housekeeping cupboard, together with baking soda, ammonia, etc. Phosphoric acid is a bit less common, but you can find it in large DIY stores. Fill the circuit with clear water, add citric or phosphoric acid, run the engine until hot, let it rest a little (1/2/3 hours depending on how dirty it is), flush/rinse with clear water until the water runs clean. Fill with appropriate cooling fluid. I’ve done this with each and every one of the old engines I ended up having throughout my life (not my Pagoda as the engine had been completely redone -and the radiator too- just before I bought it), never had any issue, and never had any cooling issues thereafter.

[mdsalemi]

Phosphoric and citric acids work very well on calcium deposits,

Of course, anyone can use any product on their own car. However, it's always best to use a product for its intended purpose.

Commercial radiator flush products, such as Blue Devil, Prestone and others, are not acidic but caustic; they are higher pH not low. Must be a reason for this; I'm not a chemist and couldn't tell you.

I've used CLR many times to remove rust and hard water build up. In toilets.
I've been a fresh water boater, so I have not had the issue of barnacles nor have I had sea-water cooled engines...

But when I flush my Pagoda engine, I'll use a product designed for land-based automotive engines...but that's just me.

[Cees Klumper]

I figured the Barnacle Buster product should be fine, since the closed cooling systems of the boats it is intended for are identical to cars' (except instead of a radiator they have a heat exchanger - same thing). In fact, my boat's Caterpillar V8 diesel engines are also used in trucks, excavators and the like. My son's 300ZX was overheating until I ran this stuff through its radiator for about two hours, and this solved the issue. Few thousand miles later all still ok. But I agree it's best to use products as intended, I just figured this was an intended use.