Cooling System Success Story

[bob in CT]

My '74 mowing Cub was belching and steaming so it was time for some attention. We have an old school radiator shop I use, so I called and asked what elixir they recommend for the Cub. "Lestoil. Drain it, put in a quart, fill with water and run it for a week."
Yesterday I drained the Lestoil and pulled the water neck by the starter. I wish I pulled it before because what I could see inside the block was pristine. I shoved the pressure washer nozzle up in the block and moved it around as much as space allowed to blast the crud from the top of the cylinders where it impedes heat transfer and makes hot spots. Mowed today at 90+ and brutal humidity (bad for operator) an not a gurgle, hiss or overflow belch. The procedure is in the manual, but the Lestoil trick was new to me.

Make sure you use Lestoil. Pine Sol has no pine oil and no Stoddard solvent so it is a different animal and it may not work as well.

[Don McCombs]

Good tip, Bob. I didn’t know they still made the stuff.

[bob in CT]

It was not easy to find. I think Covid has spiked their demand.

[Jim Becker]

. . . Pine Sol has no pine oil and no Stoddard solvent so it is a different animal and it may not work as well.

I don't know chemistry, but a brief look at the MSDS for each leads me to think Pine Sol may be the more potent of the two.

[tst]

good to see you on here again Bob, been a while

[bob in CT]

. . . Pine Sol has no pine oil and no Stoddard solvent so it is a different animal and it may not work as well.

I don't know chemistry, but a brief look at the MSDS for each leads me to think Pine Sol may be the more potent of the two.

He did not recommend an acidic cleaner and Pine Sol has a fairly low ph. Lestoil has a high one. That could be the difference.

[inairam]

Bob

good to hear from you. It has been a while since i have see you post.

[liebervj]

Lestoil is difficult to find. Big box store out of stock. Localed few bottles at a local ACE Hardware.

[BigBill]

We used coke a cola for eons. It eats rust too. Cleans batteries too. Think what it does to our insides.

For stop leak american motors amc Jeep had that large pellet stop leak we fixed cracked heads with it.

[ajhbike]

Does that water neck by the starter have a gasket or use a gasket compound? Is it really necessary to pull it if trying the lestoil treatment? I have the exact same problem as Bob had

[Gary Dotson]

Yes, it has a gasket and yes it's necessary to remove it to flush the block.

[ajhbike]

can you tell me the name of the gasket? I can't find it in the parts book or on TM site.

[Dale Finch]

http://www.tmtractor.com/new/en/244fp.htm

[ajhbike]

Thanks, Dale...now I have to figure out how I missed that.

[Stanton]

If it were me, I’d make a new gasket out of cork. Can find rolls of cork and oil-resistant fiber material at your auto parts store or TSC. A cheap set of hole punches and an X-acto knife will save you big bucks for years to come.

#25 above

#25 above

I see Dale beat me to it...