BIG!! Problem
#11
09-30-2009 | 07:42 PM
4th Gear Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,646
From: Knoxville, Tn
I have a radiator that has the same stuff in it. It was from a previous motor that was in the car. I flushed it 2 times with radiator flush and it still has crap in it, you can take your finger and run around the inside of the radiator and it is like melted chocolate inside. I'm not sure if it is from leaking head gasket from the other engine or if they used something to try and stop a leak. The block has the same stuff in it.
#13
10-01-2009 | 11:01 AM
1st Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 126
You might not have a leak - I would suspect that either 1) the previous owner neglected the cooling system and left the Dex-cool in there too long, which has a habit of congealing, or 2) the previous owner mixed regular coolant with the Dex-cool, which causes "mud" to form like you describe.
It's an easy mistake to make if you aren't familar with GM's coolant requirements. It would make your car have low cooling capacity so you would probably overheat somewhat sitting in traffic, like you describe.
I would get some of that "radiator super cleaner" (the Zerex stuff that has a red label, Prestone also makes a version) which you add to your car with regular water after draining the antifreeze. You have to drive the car some with the stuff in there then drain your coolant. It should pull a lot of the mud out of there. It's probably a good idea to change your thermostat and water pump (and will let you see how much mud is really still in your system) and in extreme cases you may have to get a new radiator.
I had the exact same condition on my Camaro when I bought it. I flushed it twice with the super cleaner and also ran the regular "flush" stuff through it like 3 times and most of the mud is gone, and I don't ever have overheating anymore. I went ahead and changed my thermostat, water pump, and hoses too.
It's an easy mistake to make if you aren't familar with GM's coolant requirements. It would make your car have low cooling capacity so you would probably overheat somewhat sitting in traffic, like you describe.
I would get some of that "radiator super cleaner" (the Zerex stuff that has a red label, Prestone also makes a version) which you add to your car with regular water after draining the antifreeze. You have to drive the car some with the stuff in there then drain your coolant. It should pull a lot of the mud out of there. It's probably a good idea to change your thermostat and water pump (and will let you see how much mud is really still in your system) and in extreme cases you may have to get a new radiator.
I had the exact same condition on my Camaro when I bought it. I flushed it twice with the super cleaner and also ran the regular "flush" stuff through it like 3 times and most of the mud is gone, and I don't ever have overheating anymore. I went ahead and changed my thermostat, water pump, and hoses too.
#15
10-01-2009 | 11:28 AM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 10,489
From: Eastern PA,
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You might not have a leak - I would suspect that either 1) the previous owner neglected the cooling system and left the Dex-cool in there too long, which has a habit of congealing, or 2) the previous owner mixed regular coolant with the Dex-cool, which causes "mud" to form like you describe.
It's an easy mistake to make if you aren't familar with GM's coolant requirements. It would make your car have low cooling capacity so you would probably overheat somewhat sitting in traffic, like you describe.
I would get some of that "radiator super cleaner" (the Zerex stuff that has a red label, Prestone also makes a version) which you add to your car with regular water after draining the antifreeze. You have to drive the car some with the stuff in there then drain your coolant. It should pull a lot of the mud out of there. It's probably a good idea to change your thermostat and water pump (and will let you see how much mud is really still in your system) and in extreme cases you may have to get a new radiator.
I had the exact same condition on my Camaro when I bought it. I flushed it twice with the super cleaner and also ran the regular "flush" stuff through it like 3 times and most of the mud is gone, and I don't ever have overheating anymore. I went ahead and changed my thermostat, water pump, and hoses too.
It's an easy mistake to make if you aren't familar with GM's coolant requirements. It would make your car have low cooling capacity so you would probably overheat somewhat sitting in traffic, like you describe.
I would get some of that "radiator super cleaner" (the Zerex stuff that has a red label, Prestone also makes a version) which you add to your car with regular water after draining the antifreeze. You have to drive the car some with the stuff in there then drain your coolant. It should pull a lot of the mud out of there. It's probably a good idea to change your thermostat and water pump (and will let you see how much mud is really still in your system) and in extreme cases you may have to get a new radiator.
I had the exact same condition on my Camaro when I bought it. I flushed it twice with the super cleaner and also ran the regular "flush" stuff through it like 3 times and most of the mud is gone, and I don't ever have overheating anymore. I went ahead and changed my thermostat, water pump, and hoses too.
This should be a sticky. When I was searching for a V6 most of the cars I looked out had this issue. Many of the owners assumed a blown head gasket. even with no other symptoms. The car I bought had the same condition to a lesser extent. When I pulled the motor apart there was no sign of a blown head gasket but when I back flushed the rad I got way more "mud" then I thought I would. Had I not back flushed the rad I could see my new motor having overheating issues. I do think this is a comon issue with these mid to late 90's cars.
Edit:
Oh I am not saying the OP does not have a blown headgasket but it is very likely the mud is the cause for the headgasket not the effect.
Last edited by Gorn; 10-01-2009 at 11:33 AM.
#16
10-01-2009 | 12:08 PM
Thread Starter
|
1st Gear Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 286
From:
I did at one point have a blown head gasket... the guy who i bought the car from screwed me over.. 3 months after i bought it i had to put in a replacement motor.. i was young and dumb and im pretty sure i got screwed with all of that.. i supposedly got a engine with about 60k miles on it.. my car had 120k at the time.. i didnt really know jack sh*t about cars and i just wanted it fixed..
im going to check the vin numbers on the engine to see if it was really swapped out or not..
when i noticed the blown headgasket i saw a little bit of this mud.. but not clunks of it.. i flushed it all down and the coolant stayed pretty clean. it has been about 6 or 7 months that i check it though =(..
so this stuff could be what the previous owner used to stop the headgasket from leaking??
how do i check for a bad headgasket?
im going to check the vin numbers on the engine to see if it was really swapped out or not..
when i noticed the blown headgasket i saw a little bit of this mud.. but not clunks of it.. i flushed it all down and the coolant stayed pretty clean. it has been about 6 or 7 months that i check it though =(..
so this stuff could be what the previous owner used to stop the headgasket from leaking??
how do i check for a bad headgasket?
#17
10-01-2009 | 12:15 PM
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 20
From: Ottawa, Canada
As mentioned by Z28Pete the auto trans cooler and engine oil pressure both operate at higher pressures that the coolant. To check the reverse way, leave the engine shut off, get a coolant pressure tester, (a pump that will pressurize the coolant system, normally around 14psi) and watch for a pressure drop. If the pressure drops, re-presurize a couple of times and see if the coolant has dropped. If the coolant has dropped it will now be in either the transmission or engine oiling system. Be carefull to not run the engine until the final resting place for the coolant has been found.
Best to do this test after the car has been sitting overnight and not warmed up.
Best to do this test after the car has been sitting overnight and not warmed up.
