Cleaning a Dirty Coolant Reservoir

[JRSJ]

Today, I thought I'd share my experience on how to clean a dirty reservoir tank. After replacing worn coolant hoses, and completing a thorough cooling system flush, it was on my list to find a way to clean the recovery tank. The previous owner had left the tank looking pretty rough. Neglect had left a thick coat of rust/grime along the inner walls, entering the possibility of tainting fresh coolant. (That, and it looks gross.)



I'd tried conventional cleaners, and brushes, with varying degrees of success. Most solutions were like trying to clean a carpet with a garden hose, they just didn't work. Brushes were limited in that they couldn't reach into the tank effectively. I needed an abrasive material, that wasn't so harsh that it could damage the coolant level float inside the tank. I had heard of using coffee grinds -- but I had a item on hand that could work better: Kitty Litter.



Meet Homer (or 'SlugLoaf' as I affectionately call her.) Without her, I wouldn't of had an ample supply of material to use. The process is simple really. Pour a 1/2 cup of litter into the tank, and fill the tank halfway with water. This particular litter was designed to be flushed down the toilet, but as long as you have more water than litter, clumping/hardening shouldn't be an issue.

Once its inside the tank, replace the cap and shake vigorously for a few minutes. Dump the contents out, and rinse. Repeat as necessary until clean. If you find you have really stubborn deposits, soak the tank in CLR for an hour (or over night) before using the litter. As you can see the tank is now clean, and the float is undamaged. Hopefully this'll help some of you guys looking to clean your tank.

[User1]

SlugLoaf and I both give this a big thumbs up!!! Yaaa for all cats!!! Will be trying this this week!
The results look great!

[timsrv]

I see some similarities between Slugloaf and User1.........hhhhmmmmmm. Are you sure you two aren't related?

Nice tip on the kitty litter, I just cleaned one last week........but it didn't come out as nice as yours. Tim

[User1]

Us cats gota stick together. We're much better like that!

[Usaviator]

Thanks for that tip! I'm definitely gonna try that since I have a generic coolant tank in my van right now and the original one in hand, and its quite dirty. Also, I was thinking of just putting the old one back myself. I gotta start somewhere with this van working on it myself. It did need a rear axle seal replaced since it was leaking on the inside of the wheel, and that's something I just didn't feel comfortable doing myself, so the shop did that part, but I think i can probably handle putting the new sensor on the old tank and putting it back into place. Only thing i was curious about was when i get the new sensor, do i just pop it back into place? Or does it need some kinda of sealer put between the grommit and the plastic tank? It looks like an easy just pop in kind of thing, but i just dont want to miss something and have another coolant leak on my hands.

[llamavan]

[...] when i get the new sensor, do i just pop it back into place? Or does it need some kinda of sealer put between the grommit and the plastic tank? It looks like an easy just pop in kind of thing, but i just dont want to miss something and have another coolant leak on my hands.

No sealer needed and probably wouldn't fit anyway — it doesn't exactly "pop" in ... more like a wrestling match.

Gwen

[Usaviator]

No sealer needed and probably wouldn't fit anyway — it doesn't exactly "pop" in ... more like a wrestling match.

Gwen

Hey Gwen. I got my new sensor and grommit. I was thinking about when you said this, and I actually did wrestle with it for a while, till my hands started to hurt. They were all sensitive and wrinkly from washing the tank out, so it wasn't mixing well with trying to get this in. Then I realized that the rubber grommit could be slid out of place from the sensor inside of it. I know I'm still really new at all of this, and this is not a huge deal, but I figured I would contribute something. So here it goes.

Got my tank all shiny and clean


here is the sensor right out of the box


The rubber grommit can be worked out of place and slid up the sensor so that it more free to flex


First the grommit goes very easily into the hold on the tank


Then you can put the sensor into place, you will feel pressure, which is fine


A lot easier than trying to keep the grommit over the sensor


When you push it all the way down, the grommit will snap around the edge of the top of the sensor, sealing it in place, and viola!

[llamavan]

Thanks for the step-by-step. I will definitely be trying that method next time!

Gwen