My 2003 buick century needs a coolant change
I should have done this sooner
What’s your policy on this?
I was told I do not need to change the coolant every 2-3 years.
“It’s not necessary”.
So I didn’t do it.
So now I looked at the underneath side of my radiator cap and it has a build up of brown “mud”
I shudder to think of the dirty sticky mud being pumped through the engine
I should have changed the coolant sooner
It’s never been done before on this car and it’s 5-6 years old
Live and learn I guess
Replies
1. drain...
2. flush...
3. cleaner...
4. flush...
run clear water warmed up...
check to see if vanes are clear..
check to see is water
good to go...
flush for good measure...
install antifreeze...
not good to go...
repeat 1-4 till desired results are obtained...
often... but you'll find that you haven't a really clean system...
skip all that ####, do it right and take it to a real radiator shop and have the radiator rodded and system flushed....
accept no subsitutes...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Thanks to you and everyone for their inputLooking back what I should have done is every two years just open the radiator drain, empty it, and refill with fresh clean anti freezeI could do it at home in my driveway and if I do it on a reqular basis I would not need to have it flushed outBumping head against wallBump, Bump, Bump, Bump
Well if you are speaking about the 5 year stuff GM uses I've had great luck with changing it every 5 years as they direct..
Brown gunk probably means you've got a head gasket leaking not that the fluid is bad.. Pressure test it and don't be surprised if you need new gaskets.. Check the oil at the same time if it's milky white don't bother with the pressure test. you've got a blown head gasket..
Make sure when they replace the gasket that they check the heads for straightness.. any warpage or bow should be machined out and plan on replacing that vehicle sooner rather than later..
Thanks FrenchyI looked at the dip stick and the oil looks fine.Hope it's not a head gasket
Just in case - I assume most people know this now, but you aren't supposed to mix the DEX cool and old antifreeze. Something about how the mixture can corrode parts or something.
A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. [Theodore Roosevelt]
Good Point about the two different types of anti freezeI dropped off my car about an hour ago to have them pump out the old stuffIf they are successfully able to pressurize the system and pump the old stuff out, I would assume that is a sign the cooling system is holding pressure and there is NOT a leak in the head gasketI'll find out more when I talk to them.Thanks again to everyone for their input.
I agree on not mixing Dexcool with the green stuff but it can now be mixed with the red replacement that GM is using in all of their vehicles.
The Dexcool was always known for forming this brown sludge after a while. I wouldn't really worry about it being anything major. If I were going to venture a guess on a GM motor having a leak though it would be that the intake gasket was leaking... they are all notorious for that and you can expect a good one to last 70-80k miles.
When I saw the brown "mud" on the radiator cap I thought to myself "what is that stuff doing to the water pump?"Seems like it would be hard on the water pump.
Dexcool is known for becoming acidic in the system and eating the aluminum as well. Definitely not the greatest coolant ever designed.
I could do it at home in my driveway and if I do it on a reqular basis I would not need to have it flushed out
Just remember not to leave puddles around. Antifreeze tastes good to dogs and consumption is usually fatal. My daughter lost her dog who slurped up some auto antifreeze.
The shop drained the old coolant and flushed the systemThey replaced the DEX coolant with the green stuff.Does that sound like the way to go?
Yup.A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.
yup....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
It should be ok if it was completely flushed. The DEX with the green stuff turns into concrete in the a.) Water Pump and b.) Thermostat. Could also cause other problems, but...I have an Astro that had DEX in it. Replaced the water pump and added the gren stuff (what did I know?!?!). Luckily stopped at the NAPA store and the guy said: "Go home right now and flush it out! Make sure the water runs clear etc....". I have been driving it since (5+ years) and have had no residual issues. 230K on it as of yesterday...No Coffee No Workee!
3. cleaner...
I generally agree with your plan, except for the cleaner part. It's difficult to get all the cleaner out, and if you don't, it can cause corrosion over time. If you are willing to flush it 5 to 10 times, though, you should be OK.
A domestic car?
Flush it with a good solution of muratic acid. That'll clean 'er up! (G)
I'm Kidding!
careful...
somebody just may take you seriously....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
That hasn't happened since I got married...
you either...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
be sure to use the correct anti freeze,dex cool i believe. drain it run some water thru it,then fill it nad drive it for a ay and drain it again,your ready to go.
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
WTB that grunge the OP found is aluminium based....
serious cleaning is in order...
maybe the grunge is petroleum basd and there's bigge items on the agenda...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Yes that's right Larrythis car uses DEX which I had never even heard of It's apparently different from the green stuff like PrestoneAnyway, I'm paying a place to flush it with their machine.I'll see how that goes.I could kick myself for not doing this sooner.
Oddly enough, ar makes A) generally know what they're talking about, and B) often prove to be a far more reliable source of information that anyne else.
In general, it's not the coolant that 'goes bad' or 'wears out.' It's the additives. Automotive antifreeze solutions typically contain additives to increase heat transfer efficiency, reduce corrosion, lubricate the water pump, and seal pinholes.
It's the later that you're probably seeing. That 'brown mud' is likely the equivalent of "Bars Leaks" accumulating around the cap. It's possible that the cap wasn't sealing quite right. It can't hurt to replace the cap.
Another reason for the crud to accumulate there is the coolant overflow tank operation. That is, the sealer will see the opening of the valve to the coolant overflow tank as a leak, and try to seal it.
An ordinary flush and fill ought to be all you really need to do.
Thanks for your info !
IMERC'S reply with one caveat, do not use tap water to refill or mix with antifreeze. Go to the grocery and pick up two or three jugs of DISTILLED water and use that to mix. Reason?
Tap water has calcium and that will hasten the breakdown of the antifreeze and it leaves deposits inside the radiator. Same thing is true with adding water to lead acid storage batteries only it's a different deposit.
Edited 10/28/2008 4:24 pm by woodway
Thanks I appreciate your advice