What is the method for cleaning engine scale?
3 Answers
Cleaning engine scale involves the following steps: 1. Turn off the engine; 2. Drain the coolant and add cleaning agent to the engine; 3. Start the engine and let it run at medium speed for five to ten minutes; 4. Add clean water to flush out deposits in the engine; 5. Turn off the engine and let it sit for fifteen minutes, then replace with clean water and rinse two to three times. The benefits of cleaning engine scale include: 1. Enhancing the performance of engine oil; 2. Improving engine efficiency and reducing noise; 3. Optimizing the engine's lubrication system, lowering engine temperature, and improving oil flow; 4. Extending the engine's service life.
Last time I cleaned the scale deposits, I used a white vinegar solution—simple and cost-effective. First, let the car cool down; working on a hot engine is too dangerous. Open the drain valve to completely empty the old coolant, then pour in a mixture of white vinegar and purified water at a 1:3 ratio. Start the engine and let it idle for about fifteen minutes to soften and dissolve the deposits. Afterward, drain the solution and flush the radiator with a continuous flow of tap water four or five times until the water runs completely clear. Finally, refill with dedicated coolant, making sure to bleed the air out. Wearing gloves is crucial—while white vinegar is mild, it still has slight corrosiveness, and getting it on your skin isn’t pleasant. DIY saved me over 300 bucks in labor costs, though the downside was the strong smell.
The repair shop uses a circulation machine to clean scale deposits, which is much more stable than manual flushing. I watched the entire process: first, a bidirectional water valve is connected to the coolant drain pipe, and the machine fills the system with a specialized descaling solution. The engine is then started and circulated for thirty minutes, allowing the solution to flow through the radiator and hoses, breaking down the scale. Next, a high-pressure spray gun is used to flush the circulation lines until the discharged water meets the standard test values. Finally, new antifreeze is added, and a seal test is performed. The entire process takes about an hour and a half. Although it's more expensive than traditional methods, the advantage is that it eliminates dead spots in the flushing process, and the treated cooling system can last two years longer.
