Brown crap in coolant keeps comin back!

[trombonedemon]

Hey guys and gals, I called my self cleaning the cooling system, you know lots of brown crap kept coming out, I used coolant cleaner, let it run in the engine for about 15 minutes and drained it out. Now I am still seeing brown deposits in the in the overflow. My question is, how effective would a overflow catch can be. I have one for each of the valve covers, does the same concept still apply to the cooling system?

 

[2002SN95MUSTANG]

It almost sounds like you have mixed Dexcool and regular green coolant together. Cuz it will turn to a brown gel type deposit. Very nasty stuff. Have you recently done a coolant exchange?

 

[bdcardinal]

have you ever used Water Wetter?

 

[trombonedemon]

Yea I did a coolant change. I have always used the right coolant, either 50/50 or added water to the coolant, it not a brown gel just grainy type stuff!

 

[bhuff30]

I used a kind of sealant in my 88 once, and that turned my coolant brown for a long while, even after several changes.

Another cause could be rust of the iron block, but that may look more orangish.

In short, I probably wouldn't worry about it unless you are having some sort of cooling problem. You can try running a hose through the coolant system to flush it out, but I doubt it would cause any problems.

 

[bdcardinal]

i have seen a powdery substance in a lot of reservoirs that is actually casting sand that was never properly cleaned out from the factory.

 

[trombonedemon]

Hmm, all great advice, would guys reccomend something like a catchcan to collect some of this crap, I'm like you, I want my engine clean from the inside out!!!

 

[trombonedemon]

Hmm, all great advice, would guys reccomend something like a catchcan to collect some of this crap, I'm like you, I want my engine clean from the inside out!!! "I used a kind of sealant in my 88 once, and that turned my coolant brown for a long while, even after several changes". Would gasket
maker do the same?

 

[Mstg05]

If it where my car here's what I would do...

Disconnect the rad. hoses. Remove the thermostat, reinstall the housing. Take your garden hose nozzle off, and stick it in the upper rad hose (going to the t-stat housing) and turn it on. Let the water run through the engine until it comes out the other end clear. Do the same thing for the radiator. Drain as much water out of the engine as possible, then put fresh coolant in after reinstalling the t-stat again. If it comes up brown again, I'd check your water pump. I know it sounds weird, but the 3.0 12v taurus has problems with the water pump blades rotting away. It turns the coolant a nasty brown color as well as making it smell like burnt poo.

 

[Rookie71]

No expert, but I did have a kind of foamy, rusty stuff in my radiator after having my new motor put in. I was told that it is not uncommon in a new motor because of all of the oily residue within the coolant passages. Also make sure you are running enough coolant in your mixture as it contains anti corrosive additives that minimize corrosion(rust). I have flushed my cooling system 2x in the 1500 miles since install and have no more of that junk in my radiator.

 

[trombonedemon]

But, again, would you guys think that some kind of coolant filter or catch can would help the problem if it came back, you know catch some of the brown stuff?

 

[2002SN95MUSTANG]

It might not help to get rid of the problem, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to have one to keep from recirculating it back through the motor.

 

[1992 2.3LX]

you just need to get it all cleaned out.
I had to flush my 96 10 times before I got all of it out.

 

[95Vert383AOD]

you just need to get it all cleaned out.
I had to flush my 96 10 times before I got all of it out.

Is that your bed pan?

 

[trombonedemon]

What the? Wow, so those solvents do nothing, as I call it, it looks it was due for clean'in, to say the least! Well looks like you guys solved my problem, thanks so much!!! This forum is awsome!Stangnet P.s. What do you guys think of those aftermarket overflow tanks? I'm thinking about replacing my "degas bottle" overflow tank, is worth it?

 

[snipercop]

I didn't see that anyone mentioned the possibility of a head gasket leak... Did that clear it up for good?

 

[trombonedemon]

It was a head gasket leak, wouldn't it burn coolant?

 

[snipercop]

You're probably right...

If you discover hydrocarbon gasses or carbon monoxide in your overflow, it could be a sign of a very slow leak. Some of the chemicals in antifreeze will "speed up" the process in the motor resulting in the brown sludge found in the coolant... Mostlikely if you don't have overheating, erratic idle, or strange odors this isn't the case, but my 99 just emitted a very small amount of odorous steam from the tailpipes.That was it.. The car lasted for over a year before it was obvious what the problem was. I didn't see any long-term damage from it but the coolant loss wasn't enough to notice in the radiator or overflow but it did turn my antifreeze brown. My oil looked fine for a car with 110K miles on it.. When I read your post, I hoped for your sake it was just caused from rust or a change to a different coolant. It's probably just debris deposit and nothing to worry about. I know my luck and I tend to jump to conclusions of the "worst case scenario". If it does happen to come back.... do a compression test on it, but you're probably fine.