Coolant Color?

[busboy4]

Hi all,

The Dexcool I buy now is orange. Was the Dexcool that went in OEM in my '99 orange as well? Other than the occasional re-fill I am to my knowledge running on factory coolant.

I wanted to drain and refill today but the rad drain was broken off before my time. I did pull a rad hose and drain some fluid. Unfortunately it was red. Unfortunately it was tranny fluid red. I assume I have just confirmed a tranny cooler leak? And if so I just probably confirmed coolant in the tranny as well?

Yippee

Thanks for the input.

[Rolm]

Originally Posted by busboy4

Hi all,

The Dexcool I buy now is orange. Was the Dexcool that went in OEM in my '99 orange as well? Other than the occasional re-fill I am to my knowledge running on factory coolant.

I wanted to drain and refill today but the rad drain was broken off before my time. I did pull a rad hose and drain some fluid. Unfortunately it was red. Unfortunately it was tranny fluid red. I assume I have just confirmed a tranny cooler leak? And if so I just probably confirmed coolant in the tranny as well?

Yippee

Thanks for the input.

Very very strange, is the fluid oily as you know the tranny fluid is a light oil. If I were you. Get your self a 3/8" hose make sure it's clear and siphon the rad fluid from the bottom of the rad and also from the overflow tank and replace with new fluid make sure you buy the pink antifreeze and run the car for a week. Make sure you check your rad and overflow tank everyday for proper levels. Now look at the old stuff and see if there is tranny oil in it and let us know what you find.

[busboy4]

Hi
Thanks for the thoughts. I thought along the same lines and was "feeling" the fluid I had drained. It did not particularly feel slimy, and did not leave much of an oily residue. But I figured the coloring had to be from Mercon III. Perhaps I am wrong.

If there is a leak from the tranny cooler into the Rad, my first concern was the tranny. So I immediately sucked 5 1/2 qts. out of the dipstick line and replaced it with new ( I had dropped the pan and changed the filter about 25K ago). I kept a sample and will send it off to Blackstone labs for analysis (It's appearance is darker and not as clear as fresh fluid, but again it is not new). My OEM manual states that if coolant is found in the transmission fluid, you should disassemble the tranny and replace all rubber parts (I assume mostly seals). I hope to avoid that eventuality by keeping the fluid fresh, and possibly changing out the Rad to eliminate the leak.

Thanks for the input. I'll let you know what I find out.

[busboy4]

Originally Posted by Rolm

Very very strange, is the fluid oily as you know the tranny fluid is a light oil. If I were you. Get your self a 3/8" hose make sure it's clear and siphon the rad fluid from the bottom of the rad and also from the overflow tank and replace with new fluid make sure you buy the pink antifreeze and run the car for a week. Make sure you check your rad and overflow tank everyday for proper levels. Now look at the old stuff and see if there is tranny oil in it and let us know what you find.

Question: make sure and by the "Pink" antifreeze? Which do you mean? Again, the pre mix dexcool I buy is orange I think. I'll surely check again. Hence my original post. As in what color is dexcool?

Thanks

[aghopkins]

Originally Posted by busboy4

Question: make sure and by the "Pink" antifreeze? Which do you mean? Again, the pre mix dexcool I buy is orange I think. I'll surely check again. Hence my original post. As in what color is dexcool?

Thanks

When I replaced my coolant at the beginning of the summer I used Prestone 50/50 Dex-cool mix that was orange in color with no problems. It sounds like the same stuff you have.

[316atO]

If you happened to have mixed orange coolant with green coolant it could possibly turn a funny redish brown.

[Renegade2k]

Dex-Cool is orange, but over time will fade to pink and will usually look pink when looking through the tank.