Weird coolant color

Hey guys

I have a 96 escort lx auto

Right after driving home from work, i noticed the coolants color has changed to a sandy tan color. Is it supposed to be like that?..i remember it being green the last time i checked a couple weeks ago.

Thanks,

chris

Compression test ? You can perform a non-chemical straight-flush using a tee and see if it changes color again. (chemicals wash away the sealants used at the factory -- which would then need to be replaced) Color could also be picked up from deteriorating components (such as thermostat) or hoses. Nothing you can do about them.

Compression test ? You can perform a non-chemical straight-flush using a tee and see if it changes color again. (chemicals wash away the sealants used at the factory -- which would then need to be replaced) Color could also be picked up from deteriorating components (such as thermostat) or hoses. Nothing you can do about them.

Hey I still got that syphon pump, can I just pump out the old coolant from the reservoir and pour new coolant back in?..Would that be a good idea?

Have you ever put 'stop-leak' in it? That will change the color.

AZ is right of course.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2297142_install-coolant-flush-kit.html

The part of the instructions that they're missing though, is whether to install the tee before or after the heater-core hose. You will need to know the direction of the coolant flow to determine which path will get the most out of your coolant flush.

Also, if you first thoroughly drain all the coolant using the valve at the bottom of the radiator then refill with water, you can attach a garden hose to the tee and do a continuous flush until the engine heats up and exiting fluid turns clear with no debris for a while.

OIl mixing and deteriorating gasket material can also cause a color change. Avoid using DexCool.

Have you ever put 'stop-leak' in it? That will change the color.

I don’t use any additives in my coolant system.
So the syphon is not a good idea?..the flush would be a better bet rite..

would this be a good guide as well?

http://www.partsource.ca/doityourself/How-To-Replace-Coolant-and-Water-Pump.asp

Don't know anything about using your syphon pump. I have a hand operated one and know that would be insufficient.

Excellent guide. I was going to suggest doing your final refill with distilled water. It's the minerals in tap water that are largely responsible for the gradual build-up in cooling systems. (which then require chemicals to reduce)

Don't know anything about using your syphon pump. I have a hand operated one and know that would be insufficient.

Excellent guide. I was going to suggest doing your final refill with distilled water. It's the minerals in tap water that are largely responsible for the gradual build-up in cooling systems. (which then require chemicals to reduce)


yea I have the syphon hand pump to..I'll follow the part source guide and do the flush..and is it easy to find the radiator drain plug?

Check the color of your motor oil and report back as well.

the motor oil is fine

I'm currently doing the flush as we speak, but i'm wondering why when the radiator is drained the reservoir is still full. I also poured in taped water started the engine, drained it again and its still the same dirty coolant in the reservoir..
Would the dirty reservoir coolant drain out after putting in bottle of flush cleaner?..

I've always removed the reservoir for cleaning. Noticed the same thing when draining the radiator; that it wouldn't empty. The system works as I've noticed the level dropping and raising with engine temperature. My guess is that the system finds it easier to suck in air from the opened drain valve than suck in water from the reservoir. Since water is denser than air...

You can have oil tested for coolant content. You wouldn't necessarily notice any changes in the oil unless the gasket was just completely blown between a coolant and oil passage. But that's not a usual failure point for these vehicles. (although a crack in the head can lead to the same dumping coolant into oil) If the coolant passages are dripping into the cylinder then most of it is being burned-off instead of ending up in the oil. When you stop the engine the liquid may be allowed to sit long enough to get past the rings dependent upon their condition.

so are you talking about the head gasket cover?..i'm not to sure where the coolant can contact the oil.

I just finished off with the flush. I took out the reservior and cleaned it because there was brown stuff stuck in the bottom. After flushing the system with the cleaner and distal water, i still see brown water coming out the drain plug. After 3 hrs i just said forget it and tighten everything back up.

Nah, internal fracture... within the head itself. There are oil and coolant passages that run inside the block and head. These passages can only intermix if the head gasket is blown, or if there is a crack in block or head alloy. Mixture is also possible if the coolant is allowed to leak into the cylinder which is the most common failure point.

Attached are some interesting pictures.
1) The pic with the rust in the lower-right hand corner is of the block with the blown hgasket setting on top. Notice how pistons 2 & 3 are so clean you can eat off of them ? I'll explain that part later.
2) The pic with the rust in the top-right hand corner is the head. This is where the head-bolt was inserted. This passage was filled with coolant which basically ate the head bolt for breakfast. Needless to say coolant should not come into contact with any head bolt, let alone be soaked in it. Seeing how little space there are between the coolant passages and cylinder walls; and the fact that they're largely blocked in pic 1; it's a no wonder why this is a common failure point. Again, notice how cyls 2 & 3 exhuast valves are immaculately clean ? I'll explain that part next.
3) The pic with the flourescent green circles shows a close-up of that head's 2nd & 3rd cyls, cleaned. Circled are cracks, going from the exhuast valve all the way out to the coolant passage. The coolant was literally washing the 2nd and 3rd cylinders free of the normal carbon build-up. That's why they're so unusually clean.

So coolant was in three places it shouldn't have been. The head-bolt passage, cyl 2 and cyl 3; possibly 4 based appearances of the ring. Cracks in the head and/or hgasket failure were responsible for this. The discoloration in the coolant was picked up from deterioration, in this case a head-bolt.

1.9L SEFI Engine 190k from '94 LX model

http://img204.imageshack.us/g/img0102n.jpg/
Click the image again to get a FULL-SIZED picture.

thanks..this sounds like a big job..oh boy..how would i go abouts doing this?..do i have replace the header?

Please understand that this is just what was the case here. As mentioned by others, there can be several causes. You can run a cylinder compression test and have your oil tested for coolant content before deciding what further steps if any, may be necessary.

Just for the heck of it, if you have the cam cover (aka valve cover) off, check that all of the head bolts are still tight. Our family had one that ran for more than a year, slowly losing coolant - because one head bolt (the one in the lower right corner nearest the thermostat housing) had snapped in two.
And when flushing any cooling system, remember that there is always going to be some residual crud in the bottom of the radiator, as well as some in the bottom of the water jacket in the block, and in the bottom of the heater core. Once you have done a typical flush, the coolant may not stay nice and green afterward. It just shouldnt get as mucky as it was before.

I rebuilt the engine in my 91 LX where the machine shop had to mill .006" off the top of the block, in order to get past the rusty low places, down to where it was clean gray iron. This probably happened after a headgasket went bad when the prior owners had it, and they let it sit for many months before getting it fixed.

alright guys..i'll check the bolt headers and do a compression test..Is this what is used for testing the compression?..

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/AutoRepairAccessories/SpecialtyRepair/PRD~0290030P/Prestone%2BAntifreeze%252BCoolant%2BTester.jsp

The link you posted took me to a 'antifreeze/coolant tester. The tool you need for compression testing would have a fitting that threads into a spark plug hole, with a pressure gauge at the other end of a rubber hose.
Going to www.summitracing.com (http://www.summitracing.com) and doing a keyword search for 'compression tester' shows the kind of tester I have.
This URL shows the image too:

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/sum-900009_w.jpg


Just click on the link above, or select the line and paste it into your browser.

The coolant tester I believe only gives you an estimate for what temperature the liquid may freeze.

Coolant and Oil analysis if done at all, is normally done by techs who manage fleet vehicles. So area dealerships and other, may have some techs experienced with the task. Only problem is, it probably wouldn't be cheap.

Some Googling as an example...
Two places to get your oil analyzed are:

Lubricon Lubricant Consultants, Inc 350 E. Churchman Ave. Beech Grove, IN 46107 (317) 783-2968

Cleveland Technical Center 18419 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44112-1016 (800) 726-5400

I could not find web sites for either of these places.

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http://www.polarislabs1.com/coolant-analysis.php
http://www.polarislabs1.com/oil-analysis.php