brown stuff in radiator fluid

[Enjin]

I bought this car and noticed that the radiator overflow tank was very dingy with brown stuff all on the bottom.

I thought it couldn't be good, so I drained the radiator fluid. very brown. I open up the radiator cap to see brown in the radiator. so I flush it with about 10 gallons of water into the same container. the brown from the radiator disappears. I take off the hoses, to see brown residue in the top radiator port or whatever.

is this indicative of anything? best way to fix this is to just hook everything back up and run fresh water through it 5-10 times?

[CSil80]

Most likely just old rusty water in your system. Give it a good flush.
You're not having any over heating problems are you?

[Enjin]

no overheating problems.

I am having bad idle problems, so in true OCD fashion, I am taking everything apart and cleaning it.

I was really wondering (since probably just rust/corrosion), how extensive it is, and to where it reaches? is my entire engine like this?

edit: iron block... ka24de... thinking probably yes, so basically IS IT A PROBLEM? or is it allllllright

[SnakeKack]

Most of it I would think would be settled at the bottom of your radiator. A few months back I took my radiator out and stuck the hose in the lower hole while holding it upside down till all the brown stuff was done coming out.

But flush your whole system anyway. The Prestone kit at Autozone makes it easy.

[shade]

Just keep flushing and flushing, use the Prestone cooling system flush. Use use distilled water too.

[CSil80]

If you're not overheating then I don't think your cooling system is causing a bad idle.
The ONLY thing I can think of that might contribute to that is a bad Coolant Temp Sensor. They're only like $5 at Autozone.

[ill_concepts]

Ya most likely a temp sensor

[jackjack]

flush the hell out of it. get a temp sensor. you should be fine.

[nightkid86]

On OBDII cars there are 2 temp sensors (one for the gauge and one for the ECU) the one for the ECU is the one that has a say in idle and IIRC it is more than $5.

[Anto]

What kind of coolant was run before? It looks like it might have been Dex-Cool.

If a system running Dex-Cool isn't properly bled of air, then it can react with the coolant & create a snotlike gunk that will f up your passages & radiator. RMI-25 cleans that shit out like nothing. Google if it you need some. It's reallly popular with the guys in bobistheoilguy, a bunch of them have domestic blocks that used dexcool in the past & messed it all up, RMI-25 cleaned it completely out.

When it's time to fill up with coolant again, flush your system with some radiator cleaner & distilled water until it's clear, then fill with the OEM nissan (http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=128104&highlight=coolant#) stuff OR Zerex G-05 with some food coloring of your choice (due to the light color of G-05) & bleed your system well.



Your problem might not be like this, but here's a case of an iron block & Dex-cool:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1271/4359802/9202277/215077612.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l149/nocal123/snot1.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l149/nocal123/snot5.jpg

[silviaz]

yurk!! that's not good for the engine!

[Enjin]

wow looks like afterbirth placenta shards BIFF

thank you for the help, definately will do that :D

[mia1987]

I just bought a 91 nissan 240sx automatic. When it was taking for a test drive we found out that third was completed gone. The dude had been running straight water in his radiator and let it sit in there for a while now its all rusted out. Tried putting transmission fluid in it but when i tried to drive it home it wouldnt go above 30mph and then it overheated. The resevior is cracked and rusty water/transmission fluid got all over eveything. Got the car towed to a friends house. I am hoping that the engine is still good and that its just the trans. Does anyone have any other idea's or do you think the motor is beat?

[Tokona-x]

wow looks like afterbirth placenta shards BIFF

thank you for the help, definately will do that :D

LOL!! Seriously that looks super nasty man friken chunks ive never seen that before

[Def]

Previous owner of my SR put DexCool in it in Japan. It's nasty, and even after flushing it a ton it still coats everything. I might try that RMI-25 stuff and see what it does. The Prestone coolant flush stuff doesn't do anything.