OTC 6043 Blast-Vac Multipurpose Cleaning Gun

The quality of the tools is poor.   I used it at 50 psi for about an hour on just my heater core to unclog it, which saved me a lot of money and time. I connected the tool to the heater core's outlet to force water out the inlet, as I'd read that reversing the flow makes flushing the heater core easier. Because of the tool's quality, I gave it three stars, but I would definitely give it five stars if I had to do it all over again. br>br>Below is a far too long review, but it details the issues I encountered and why I made the decisions I did. If you don't have time to do all of that, simply watch the video I've attached. br>br>Like other reviewers, I received a tool that looks identical to Private Brand Tools' model 70801A coolant flush gun. No brass. Everything is OTC branded, and the manual and box were printed professionally. The pictures in the manual corresponded to what I got. The vacuum mode attachment was mentioned in the manual but was not included. My assumption is that OTC and PBT are one and the same company, or that one manufactures for the other. br>br>A 1/4" NPT air fitting will be required. Type V (hi-tech) fittings were used. flow) to a Husky 4 via a 3/8" air hose I have a 5 gallon air compressor with a 4 SCFM at 40 psi rating, but I'm not sure if any of that is required. br>br>According to the manual, don't exceed 100 pounds per square inch. I put the tool through its paces at 80 psi without using water or the car to see how it would perform. The gun would occasionally turn itself back on full throttle as the compressor tank was refilled, even when the trigger was not pressed. When this happened, the trigger had no effect in stopping it. I'd have to disconnect and reconnect at a lower psi, such as 60, before pressing the trigger for a brief moment. It would also turn on at random if the psi was too low (say, 20), but not at full throttle. It leaked very slightly, almost inaudibly, at pressures in the middle of the range, such as 30 to 60. I believe it has a faulty diaphragm or other internal component. It also leaked around the threads of the air plug. br>br> Not the threads themselves, but the point at which the 1/4" NPT plug is threaded into the plastic female threaded piece. I twist it back and forth a little until it comes to a halt. It makes no difference if you rotate it all the way around. It's a problem that keeps coming up again and again. br>br>As another reviewer pointed out, the threads on the quick connect are too tight. When I first connected the water, it began to leak through the threads. I had to tighten it down with two channel lock pliers, a little at a time, until it stopped leaking. I was afraid I'd break the plastic or deform the garden hose threads because I needed a lot of torque. Fortunately, the quick connect did not come undone as other reviewers had predicted, and I didn't use much water pressure. I agree with the other reviewers that buying a brass quick connect is the best option. br>br>The water switch on the tool also leaked when I turned it all the way off, but it was a minor leak. br>br>I drained a little coolant from the car and then used a hose removal tool to disconnect the heater core hoses, which looks like a metal hook with a barb on the end. I used a 3/4" ID hose from the tool outlet to the outlet of my clogged heater core (NOT the inlet, as I read somewhere to reverse core flow direction) and an exhaust hose from the core inlet to a bucket to break the bond. Because I knew the heater core was the issue, I decided to go after it directly rather than flushing the entire system, which might not have been as effective and also seemed complicated because the manual said to remove the thermostat first. br>br>I only used the tool for a couple of minutes at a time. I only used a small amount of water pressure, but I'm not sure how much it was. The core took a few seconds to refill with water after each burst, as you can see in the video. I chose 50 psi air because it provided the best bursts with the least amount of air leaking during my dry testing of the tool. I had read of some successful reports on Passats using 60 psi coolant pressure, but I had also read that this was far too much psi and that the normal coolant pressure of 20 psi should be used instead. I'm not sure who is correct. I could see the gauge drop to 40 psi when I depressed the trigger, indicating that there were probably 40 to 50 psi bursts going through the core. As a result of the pressure bursts, the exhaust hose had to be held in place in the bucket. Video is not available: Towards the end, I did some faster bursts, where instead of waiting for the water to refill the core after each burst, I simply waited until some water entered the hose leading into the core. br>br>The first bucket had a small amount of coolant in it, so I bottled it to reuse as coolant. Following that, each bucket contained clear water that was poured down the drain. After a few buckets, I switched to a larger tub and emptied the bucket into it before draining the water. I used clear hoses, and I never saw anything but clear water come out of them. When I was finished, I wiped up what appeared to be sand at the bottom of the tub after draining the remaining water. It looked like a half-handful of beach sand, but it wasn't; it came from the heater core. Because everything settled at the bottom, I had no idea what came out until I was finished. br>br>After removing the tap water from the heater core, I topped off and burped the coolant system with distilled water. I used a laser thermometer to measure the temperature inside my car vents, which are now 160 degrees after the vehicle has warmed up. I went from no heat to full heat in a short period of time. It'll be nice if it lasts all winter.

Chaim Page

| Nov 16, 2021

This tool is ideal for flushing automotive cooling systems after a couple of modifications. br>br>First, discard the plastic quick connect fittings that came with it and replace them with new ones from Home Depot. One with an automatic shut-off would be ideal. off valve, so that if you accidentally disconnect it, water does not spray everywhere. Second, you must connect a regulator to the air supply. Something will break if shop air pressure (90 psi) is used in a cooling system. I bought a cheapo unit from Harbor Freight and attached quick connects to it so that I can use it with other tools. br>br>With those two items, you have a tool that is every bit as good as the Gates Powerflush tool (but costs a quarter of the price. ).

Paige Good

| Jul 20, 2021

Because of this, I was hesitant to purchase it. I, on the other hand, got the genuine OTC version. br>It's a good solution. Obviously, the Gates pulsating cooling system flush gun isn't as cool and high-tech. It appears to work by simply pouring water out of the nozzle and vigorously pushing it out with air; I didn't notice the advertised "vortex" effect. I'm not sure how long it will last because it appears to be entirely made of plastic, but it did the job. br>An air pressure regulator, as recommended by another reviewer, was also purchased from Harbor Freight for this. It was only $5, or something close to that. br>I took a star off because it's a pain to deal with; I got soaked, and the entire engine bay did as well. With the trigger's function set to only supply air, the water continues to flow out, effectively "shooting" the water out. Plus, it didn't fit into the heater hose on the 2007 Chevy Malibu I was working on, so I had to manually hold a tight grip between the hose and nozzle to get it to seal. br>br>Like I said, it did the job well, and I'm glad I got the genuine article; it far exceeded my expectations.

Makayla McKinney

| Oct 20, 2021