Casting Sand: 6.4 Hemi HD Coolant Filter

[Wild one]

Found this thread that's several years old on another forum.

johnny87Discussion starter
266 posts · Joined 2007

#1 · Jan 12, 2010
Hey thought I'd ask and see if many 6.4 owners/operators have installed a coolant filter on their trucks. If so are you finding any sand or other debris? It does not seem to be talked about as much on the 6.4

 

[jake Brekkestran]

This is what is in the blocks.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Well, now I'm pretty sure my heater core is clogged.

Started getting less heat last winter, 2017 MY 65K miles.

So, I guess the heater core is the stock coolant filter.

 

[Sherman Bird]

View attachment 568998
This is what is in the blocks.

That is THE very crud I got out of the heater core on the 2001 RAM 4.7L I recently replaced the engine in. I used CLR.

 

[HEMIMANN]

That is THE very crud I got out of the heater core on the 2001 RAM 4.7L I recently replaced the engine in. I used CLR.

You didn't replace the core? CLR is just a citric acid - won't dissolve sand.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

I used CLR.

You should of uses RMI-25 @Burla has a complete write up on using this chemical also good for strogotts that enjoy mixing their antifreeze W/ a universal one.

 

[Burla]

View attachment 568998
This is what is in the blocks.

thanks for posting, not sure rim 25 could handle this, maybe multiple uses and vacuums on the over flow. This issue is horrible, wtf fca???

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

CLR is just a citric acid

Good for cleaning lime deposits, that I don't see allot in our cooling systems, because we use Distilled water W Hoat/OAT (organic additive technology).

 

[HEMIMANN]

Good for cleaning lime deposits, that I don't see allot in our cooling systems, because we use Distilled water W Hoat/OAT (organic additive technology).

Sure, but the issue is casting sand.

 

[U&A]

Well, now I'm pretty sure my heater core is clogged.

Started getting less heat last winter, 2017 MY 65K miles.

So, I guess the heater core is the stock coolant filter.

Mine was clogged by about 65,000miles, maybe 70,000. I rode it out for 3 full winters with zero heat before getting it done.

Sand is sand. Extremely abrasive in the system.. You should not rely on an additive to remove it.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Mine was clogged by about 65,000miles, maybe 70,000. I rode it out for 3 full winters with zero heat before getting it done.

Sand is sand. Extremely abrasive in the system.. You should not rely on an additive to remove it.

Did you replace the core or clean it?

 

[Sherman Bird]

Good for cleaning lime deposits, that I don't see allot in our cooling systems, because we use Distilled water W Hoat/OAT (organic additive technology).

Sand has a significant amount of calcium carbonate, which is dissolved by CLR. I'm just sharing what has WORKED for me more than a few times.
Oxalic acid is THE very best for cleaning a cooling system, but requires EXTREME patience and caution while using it. One must flush with copious amounts of water to neutralize it. It was taken off the market as a product to clean cooling systems several years ago, but can be gotten at a hardware store, because it is used in furniture finishing.

It's too bad that a sacrificial anode rod is no longer used in engines. My 1974 AMC Hornet 232 6-cylinder had one. It ran lengthwise in the water jacket of the block from just behind the thermostat to the rear of the block.

 

[U&A]

Did you replace the core or clean it?

Replaced and flushed the system. It developed a leak from the sand at the core. I had my buddy do it. It was corrosion from the samd sitting in it. I started smelling a lot of coolant with the blowers on.

 

[R.D.J.]

I just flushed the cooling system in my 2018 6.4. It has 82,000kms on the odometer.

I pulled the lower rad hose, radiator drain, and block drain on the drivers side. I then isolated the heater core and flushed it separatly. I flushed the rad and block out as best I could with a garden hose.

In the pan where I collected the factory coolant, and on the floor of my shop where I flushed it out was a whole bunch of sand. Looks just like the pictures in this thread.

I'm a mechanic by trade, and this was one of the worse sand contaminations I've seen.

 

[mdc1990zr1]

I just flushed the cooling system in my 2018 6.4. It has 82,000kms on the odometer.

I pulled the lower rad hose, radiator drain, and block drain on the drivers side. I then isolated the heater core and flushed it separatly. I flushed the rad and block out as best I could with a garden hose.

In the pan where I collected the factory coolant, and on the floor of my shop where I flushed it out was a whole bunch of sand. Looks just like the pictures in this thread.

I'm a mechanic by trade, and this was one of the worse sand contaminations I've seen.

I know it looks like sand, but I think it is the additives breaking down and forming precipitates. Looking at the pictures some of you guys post, I just can't believe that much sand was left in the block. Calcium, phosphorus, silicone , hard water, organic acid and a little bit of iron oxide in the block will all form some kind of precipitate and settle on the bottom. It will coagulate and look like sand.

 

[R.D.J.]

I think you might be correct. I examined some of what I found, and it does appear to be much finer than sand. Now I didnt take a microscope to it, but there might be some validity to this theory.

That said, would there be a suitable chemical removal procedure that would help flush/break down the deposits?

 

[HEMIMANN]

Based on what you guys are saying, I'd best get into a shop now with a flusher to see if I can save the heater core.

I don't have a pan big enough to flush a radiator. 1st change I just drained and refilled at home. Thanks to all for bringing this up!

 

[EdGs]

Here's what I found in the coolant reservoir of my Hemi:

 

[HEMIMANN]

Can that really be from coolant additives? That's incredible. I've never seen that from an engine cooling system before, and I'm 66 yrs old!

 

[ScubaSteve178]

My mechanic at work has an old Mopar tech buddy that was telling him he believes it to be coolant breakdown...particularly bad in trucks with EGR's as the cooler gets so hot from the exhaust gasses. I've long believed this to be the case, as the material never looked to be coarse enough to be casting sand.

The big thing would be getting it tested to find out exactly what its made of, and that would iron that out.