i have a '94 camaro that's been overheating lately. i went to go check the coolant levels and discovered that there was orange clay-like stuff that bubbled up over the fillhole (?) and is all inside.
i made an appt with a mechanic to have the system flushed. the mechanic looked it over and told me that the system was way too blocked up and he couldn't flush it. he said the only way to fix all this would be to replace basically the whole system including pipes and engine!
is there anything at all i can do besides replace everything? should i get a second opinion? or should i just scrap the car?
thanks in advance!

 

Uhm I'm not completely sure but there might be an additive for stuff like that. Oreily's may have something of that nature. I'm sure there's a way to break down the junk in there. Some mechanics tell you the issue is worse than it is hoping that you will say "oh well fix it and charge me out the *** for something that doesn't need done". Not all are like that but some are. Might want to check out Oreily's and see if they have anything.

 

Sounds like you've got a blown head gasket. I think that every 3.4 Camaro I've seen in a junkyard had a cooling system that looked like rusty, crusty, orange nastiness. The 3.4 is a bored-out brother to the 2.8 and the big bores make the block deck look like Swiss cheese.
My 94 made it to 130k miles before the RH gasket blew. Cooling system maintenance is critical and if you wait until overheating begins you're pretty much screwed.
FWIW I cleaned my cooling system using 9 oz of oxalic acid powder followed by 3 oz of washing soda to neutraize the residue. This is what the old DuPont two-part cooling system cleaner was but it's not available anymore.

 

He could be right. Pressure test it to see if you have a blown head gasket. YOu might be able to swap the radiator but if you do, you will need to back flush the heater core and try to push water through the engine to clean out best you can before putting in the new radiator or you will just fill it full of the crud that will come out of the engine and the heater core.

 

so the guy didnt even try to flush it? sounds kinda like a line of bull to get mo money. are you losing coolant? if not id say a new radiator and if you can do it yourself, head gaskets and heads reconditioned. thats if you have not seen coolant in the oil.

 

Sorry but the mechanic you saw is a dufus. You can flush the system. You need to flush the heater core and block first. Disconnect the lower rad hose from below thw water pump. Disconnect the heater core line from the left side of the engine (passenger side). Disconnect the large hose from under the throttle body. Put a garden hose over each of those lines except the lower rad hose and give it a strong flow. Then, put the hose in the rad and let it drain from the lower rad hose. Reverse the flow with the hose by putting the garden hose where the water was draining out. Observe the flow and see how the system is flowing. It's not necessarily your head gasket. My system was clogged too and my head gasket is fine. The clay stuff is rotten coolant that's been in the system since factory. While you're at it, replace the thermostat and thermostat ring gasket.

 

It takes alot of crud to make an engine not servicable. I would honestly start with some heavy duty radiator flush with the OLD rad still installed. Follow the directions and if you can find it use the 2 part stuff it seems to have more ooomph in getting the caked stuff off. These newer aluminum rads cant handle the acid tank like the old brass ones could. I had a local radiator shop dip my 65 chevy PU rad in the tank and it was nasty going in and when it came out it was bright shiney brass and solder inside and out. He removed my tanks and the inside of my core was just as pretty as the outside. New rads will melt in the acid tanks they use for the brass rads.

After you use the cleaner make sure to follow the directions on neutralizing it and then recheck the system for leaks and pressure. If all is good carry on, if not replace the Rad, thermostat, and you may want to consider the waterpump and hoses at the same time. The heater core is not a critical replacement item your car could care less if it is there or not. (you may care in the winter tho). I would not use the DEXCOOL if you dont have to. Use a coolant that is designed for All Makes All models, it will condition your seals and hoses and will allow you to use any coolant the next time you need to change it out.

Also a note to everyone reading this... The block seal, radiator stop leak and other products like that are not perminate repairs! Continual use will glog up the radiator, the heater cores and even the heads of your engine. They will NOT fix blown head gaskets, they may make the simptoms better for a while but not forever. Make sure that if you do have to use one of these products you use it only once, and that is just to get you by till you can get your other stuff in order.

Massey

 

I agree with Massey. I used Bar's Leak to stop a coolant leak from my timing cover and it worked great. However I didn't trust it to last so I had the timing cover gasket, water pump, timing chain, sprockets, thermostat, plugs and plug wires all changed about two weeks after using it. Also did a serious coolant flush and oil change. The stuff WILL work for awhile but don't depend on it for a permanent fix. It's liable to do more damage than good in the end.

 

I have a simular problem in my 93 Z28 . I must have flushed my engine at least 4 times . It likes to overheat in traffic and slow speeds . The fans are operating the way they should at the correct temp . I replaced the radiator thermostat and temp switches , which did wonders for the car when on the freeway but It still runs hot stuck in traffic . Not sure where to go from here ... Any suggestions ?

 

when you replaced the radiator did you check to make sure the ac condencer fins are letting air though to get to the radiator? have you bleed the air out of the system more than twice? should probly start a thread with your problem.