Rust in coolant

[chembrad]

Anyone had any problems with rust in their coolant?

[JParrott]

Rust in the coolant is a sign of the dexcool starting to deteriorate. I had quite a bit of rust in my overflow can when I finally had it flushed and filled @ 68,000 miles. It's considered somewhat "normal" from what I gather on these. What you really have to worry about is if you spot goop and solidification down in the radiator itself and in the filler neck. I had crusty white orange buildup underneath the cap but that's normal. A good flush and fill will clean most of the rust out and let you know if have any potential blockages anywhere. I had mine done for $50 bucks and refilled with the GM dexcool. It's a safe bet.

[swalt]

I had mine flushed at 75,000 km's. The dealer said it was not necessary as the Dexcrap is good for 150,000 km's. I had them do it anyways. There was so much sludge in the system when they did the flush that they clogged the heater core. I had to go back in and have the heater core backflushed and the dealer had the nerve to suggest they were going to charge me 1.5hrs for diagnosis and service after they failed to flush the system properly the first time.

[Mikado14]

The original poster did not say if he had Dexcool or the green. If you have the green and your getting rust, air is getting into the system and is causing this.

[chembrad]

I don't know if it is dexcool red. I just assumed it was ethylene glycol based. Did they use dexcool in '94??

The orange sludge oozes into the passenger and drivers floor through the heater vents.

[rustymac]

Originally Posted by chembrad

I don't know if it is dexcool red. I just assumed it was ethylene glycol based. Did they use dexcool in '94??

The orange sludge oozes into the passenger and drivers floor through the heater vents.

If coolant is coming through your vents and onto the floor, it means your heater core is leaking. You can find the hoses going to it and bypass the core until you can get it fixed.