Substitute for Restore and Restore+

Operator · #1 (**permalink**) 11-28-2011, 04:49 PM

I just had a diesel mechanic just tell me they use dishwasher soap to flush coolant systems.

I bought the Restore anyway, but I was just kind of surprised. Has anyone else heard of this?

**Galaxie** · #2 (**permalink**) 11-28-2011, 05:04 PM

I heard that. Stick to your plan of restore! I look at it this way. Many mechanics know their stuff and what they are used to. I have a friend who builds Mountain Motors 800+ ci making sick power. He is so good. However, he doesn’t know a lick about certain things such as tuning a stock PCM on todays cars. Also, he doesn’t know what all the issues around a 6.0 oil cooler are either.

I would let him build me a long block 6.0 ANY day of the week. But servicing one, he doesn’t know whats up.

Sometimes people think tricks for other stuff works universal but it wont.

Do the restore and restore plus or VC9 flushes! I did them with GREAT results on a few 6l trucks in my shallow 3 years getting to know the 6.0!

nitrogen · #3 (**permalink**) 11-28-2011, 11:59 PM

dishwasher detergent will work great IF you have oil in the cooling system. however if you look in your dishwasher you will find mineral deposits, relative to hard your water is. If it does not remove mineral from your dishwasher it won't remove mineral from your cooling system either. the purpose of the cooling system purge is to try to break up stuff that was dissolved in the coolant and has become a solid substance.

***howell_jd*** · #4 (**permalink**) 11-29-2011, 06:53 AM

nitrogen is right on target here. These are three different products:

* Low suds dishwasher detergent is for oil removal from the cooling system in the event of a cross-system contamination such as when an oil cooler ruptures
* Restore Plus is an acid-based cleaning agent for removal of scale and similar deposits in the cooling system resulting from oxidation of iron (as nitrogen describes often found in dishwashing machines)
* Restore is an alkaline-based cleaning agent for removal of silicate gel and similar deposits in the cooling system resulting from oxidation of coolant chemicals

The PDF below indicates both work at removal of oil and fuel contamination too but the low-suds dishwasher detergent is better than either Restore or Restore Plus.

http://www.fleetguard.com/pdfs/produ...LI33024-GB.pdf

Use the right tool for the job. You wouldn't use a hammer to affix a nut to a bolt - dishwasher detergent has a role as do the other chemical treatments and they should be applied as needed based on system conditions...with copius quantities of distilled water to flush the chemicals from the system prior to refill with the proper amount and concentration of a suitable coolant. The EC-1 rated coolants are superior in chemical composition but there is no substitute for testing and monitoring coolant conditions such as pH, freeze point, and nitrite/carboxylate/molybdate concentrations.

Jonathan

**WarChild** · #5 (**permalink**) 11-29-2011, 06:57 AM

You just can't substitute anything for restore and restore+, except VC9 for the plus...lol.

Operator · #6 (**permalink**) 11-29-2011, 10:34 AM

The coolant is almost black! I am in the process of flushing out this coolant system then changing the oil cooler and egr delete. I took some pics of the nasty stuff that was in there. I bought the Restore and VC-9. No dishwasher soap. I'm getting steady white smoke while I do this btw. Guys, tell me not to freak out. I'll try to load a pic of the coolant and smoke.

The coolant that was in the truck is in the jug on the left. 1st rinse in the middle and 2nd rinse on the right.

**NYC F-350** · #7 (**permalink**) 11-29-2011, 10:56 AM

That's some nasty looking stuff.
You might not want to drive your truck during your flushes (if that is an egr cooler failure causing your white smoke).
Unplug your EGR valve (engine off) and use the high idle mod to set the engine RPM @ 1200 or so for the time when it is supposed to run. Doing this is (IMO) a little extra insurance against popping a head gasket during a flush if the egr cooler has failed.
I assume you will be splitting the turbo to clean it and will be cleaning the intake manifold as well.