What cleaner for coolant recovery tank - 1973

[venn]

I am cleaning the coolant recovery tank. This is the original 73 tank, which looks like it is made from very thick, sturdy white plastic.
It is discolored with a bit of pink on some areas, black on others. it looks like the stain is inside.
I tried soapy water with a bit of bleach, that didn't work. Now it is currently soaking in a strong mix of CLR. But nothing seems to be working on the pink stains.
I also tried carb cleaner on a part of the tank that is mostly hidden, no change.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to what to clean it with? What chemicals?
Thanks

 

[Rruuff Day]

I am cleaning the coolant recovery tank. This is the original 73 tank, which looks like it is made from very thick, sturdy white plastic.
It is discolored with a bit of pink on some areas, black on others. it looks like the stain is inside.
I tried soapy water with a bit of bleach, that didn't work. Now it is currently soaking in a strong mix of CLR. But nothing seems to be working on the pink stains.
I also tried carb cleaner on a part of the tank that is mostly hidden, no change.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to what to clean it with? What chemicals?
Thanks

I think you're hooped. Plastics take on staining which imbeds right into the plastic itself. I have tried cleaning numerous plastics that have stained with no luck at all. If you do come up with an answer, please let us know.

 

[venn]

I think you're hooped. Plastics take on staining which imbeds right into the plastic itself. I have tried cleaning numerous plastics that have stained with no luck at all. If you do come up with an answer, please let us know.

I can rule out muriatic acid. I tried that on the rh end of it. The good news is that the CLR sitting in it for two days softened up the black stuff, turned it brown and then it was loose. a little scrubbing and the dark spots on the inside are gone. Still the pink color of stain on the tank in a couple of spots. overall its cleaner than when I started, so I think this will be good enough. I can definitely see the coolant level in the tank between the COLD - HOT words, so thats the main thing

 

[Vettenut]

I am cleaning the coolant recovery tank. This is the original 73 tank, which looks like it is made from very thick, sturdy white plastic.
It is discolored with a bit of pink on some areas, black on others. it looks like the stain is inside.
I tried soapy water with a bit of bleach, that didn't work. Now it is currently soaking in a strong mix of CLR. But nothing seems to be working on the pink stains.
I also tried carb cleaner on a part of the tank that is mostly hidden, no change.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to what to clean it with? What chemicals?
Thanks

Heres something you can try ... go to the dollar store and pick up some white vinegar and mix in some baking soda ... fill up the tank and let it sit for several days

We used this mixture on an old camaro and although it didnt come out pure white it was 1000 times better .... removed all the scale and whatever else was luring in there

If you want to spend an extra few bucks ... pick up pickling vinegar ... it has a higher acid content

Good Luck

 

[Rruuff Day]

Heres something you can try ... go to the dollar store and pick up some white vinegar and mix in some baking soda ... fill up the tank and let it sit for several days

We used this mixture on an old camaro and although it didnt come out pure white it was 1000 times better .... removed all the scale and whatever else was luring in there

If you want to spend an extra few bucks ... pick up pickling vinegar ... it has a higher acid content

Good Luck

We use Cleaning vinegar for our coffee maker. It is stronger again than the pickling vinegar...and also more expensive...

 

[Dave91TM]

If you can't get it clean enough Corvette Central has replacement tanks, $32 American.

 

[Vettenut]

If you can't get it clean enough Corvette Central has replacement tanks, $32 American.

Agree 100 % with that statement ... My brother is doing a frame off on an old Camaro ( Murray might be interested in that ) ... I should post some pics ... and thats exactly what I told him .... only problem is we cant find it ... the ww tank was easy to find but the coolant tank ... not so much

Not quite sure why our esteemed member said he ruled out muriatic acid ... I would think it works better than the vinegar method ... we never used it for one reason or another ... and although the vinegar method worked pretty good for us ... I dont think there is anything out there to restore it to that pristine white... youll always have that yellow haze ... at least thats been my experience .

 

[venn]

Agree 100 % with that statement ... My brother is doing a frame off on an old Camaro ( Murray might be interested in that ) ... I should post some pics ... and thats exactly what I told him .... only problem is we cant find it ... the ww tank was easy to find but the coolant tank ... not so much

Not quite sure why our esteemed member said he ruled out muriatic acid ... I would think it works better than the vinegar method ... we never used it for one reason or another ... and although the vinegar method worked pretty good for us ... I dont think there is anything out there to restore it to that pristine white... youll always have that yellow haze ... at least thats been my experience .

Thanks for all the helpful tips. I tried the vinegar/baking soda thing, let it soak for a couple of days. It did not seem to be much whiter. But I think overall, with all the fluids and scrubbing, the tank is probably a lot cleaner than when I started. As for muriatic acid, I had that left over from etching VIN# on my son's catalytic converter, it is strong, but didn't seem to change the pink stain/yellow haze. If I were to do this again, I would stick with CLR, that is the one that loosened the dark brown stuff inside when I was scrubbing with rag on a coat-hanger. Really the "most meaningful" part, is the space between the Cold and Hot words. I could reach that with a golf club brush, so I scrubbed as best I could for that spot. Most of the rest of the tank is hidden under the fender. All good, onto the next piece. I will be doing window slides, fuel suction side hose, radio, mufflers, exhaust tips and bezels, new tires before this tests out on the road. I will search this resource and post if I need guidance (again)