Radiator fluid is brown with substance!

[mwt47]

This is a very common problem on the Taurus.

Was it a 96-99?

It is called brown coolant syndrome.

Ford issued a recall kit for the 96-98 which included
A bypass hose kit to keep coolant circulating thru the heating system
a grounding strap to help stop the electrochemical reaction.
A new water pump

THis kit used to be available from ford but is no longer.

In 99 the bypass hoses and the grounding strap came from the factory.

to Eliminate it

You must chemically flush the cooling system
then flush the system thoroughly with water.
Replace the water pump
Ground the engine to the frame
add the bypass hoses.

This is a very common problem and happens to the Vulcan (3.0 OHV pushrod motor)


Mike

BTW
I am not a newb I used to be mwt878991 but I changed internet providers and lost my old email and i couldn't remember my password

[mwt47]

Originally Posted by Fordrepair07

isn't there a lemon law or something that is supposed to stop these transactions from happening?

Thanks for your input. It's more than appreciated!

This is america. It's pretty much buyer beware

Mike

[Fordrepair07]

Well, my sister is refusing to take this car into the darn garage for inspection. Instead, she has driven it about 1000 miles so far. The most that has happened is some chugging when she was at low idle. I pulled the EGR valve off, sprayed it with carb cleaner, put it back on and it ran better. Should probably replace it.

She sure is taking a big gamble not having that car checked. When she does I'll let you know.

[Colt Hero]

mwt47 is absolutely correct. I've got a '97 Vulcan with the cruddy coolant. I've flushed it multiple times completely with water, chemicals, the Ford-approved Iron-ph cleaner used in the recall, and it still turns cruddy after re-fill. At one point along the way the plastic recovery tank cracked and I replaced it. I remember the green coolant flowing beautifully through the new tank like a waterfall ... for about a month or two ... then the new tank became stained and cruddy just like the old (original) one - and I can't clean it because of all the baffles inside. Maybe I should fill it with brake cleaner, hot water, and small stones ... I did that once with a tank from an Impala and it worked pretty well.

I also have the "H" bypass hose on my car. All it does is prevent the heater core from blowing cruddy coolant all over the floorboard. See, the heater core continually gets blocked due to the cruddy coolant. Every year before winter arrives, I hook up my remnant hoses and blast the heater core both ways to clear its passages. Otherwise, I have little or no heat.

Never heard of the grounding strap. Maybe I should look into that (or maybe it's already there)

[mwt47]

The strap is just a braided strap that runs from the Water Pump to the heater core.

Mike