Hey Wayne Petty

[Okiedokie]

Went to investigate "rusty" stain on garage floor and found this. Hope this picture shows. Do you have any idea as to why? Radiator was flushed and filled with fresh coolant proabaly 1000 miles ago. It is my 2000 F150 5.4 with 140,000 miles. Also, since I am stuck at home in 15 inches of snow without any flush, got a homemade mixture idea?

[wayne petty]

this thread really should be called....  unexplained radiator mud  


that looks like a mixture of motor oil and coolant...


a few questions...

do you have an engine oil cooler....   in the radiator...

have you overheated the motor in the last few months when it ran low on coolant?/

make model year.. as i don't recall what you are driving other than some kind of ford truck with a 5.4...

pull the engine oil dipstick..    got any muck on it..  

pull the transmission oil dipstick if its an automatic... and if it has a dipstick...   is the fluid nice and red...   not pink with coolant...

pull the engine oil filler cap.....

do you have a radiator pressure tester...  so you can find the drip??

hf does have one with a bunch of adaptors for 70 bucks..

http://www.harborfreight.com/radiator-pressure-tester-kit-65053.html

and most autozones keep one in the loan a tool section. but i don't know if they all have the proper adaptor to thread it into the overflow tank..





perhaps someone will change the title...

[enjenjo]

Looks like a blown gasket. On big trucks we used Calgon to clean that out.

[wayne petty]

at AZ CST/Pressure Tester Part Number: 9300

above is the pump and hose..

below is the threaded adaptors to adapt the above to the threaded ford and gm overflow tanks..

OEM/Radiator and Cap Adaptor Set
Part Number: 27118


both are in the loan a tool section behind the counter..


being thats probably got strange shaped spark plugs...

do you happen to have a compression tester hose that will fit?

do you also have compressed air.. and a remote starter switch...

if so.. you can take out one spark plug at a time...

take the valve core from the compression tester hose ( its special)

screw it into the spark plug hole..  use the remote starter switch to bump the engine around till you get to TDC on that cylinder..

hook the shop air hose to the compression tester hose...

watch the coolant level.. i normally have a rubber plug.. or a radiator pressure tester adaptor with the rubber hose swapped for vinyl hose.. hanging from the hood and with enough water or coolant to have the hose part way filled...  

when you hook up the air hose...    the engine might turn..  if you have gotten it right.. it may not.. if the coolant level rises...  you have found that cylinder is leaking in the combustion areas..  

move the hose to the next cylinder and repeat...

this test is a great one.. and you can show a customer that the head gasket or head is cracked.. in just a few minutes.. without more than pulling the spark plugs one at a time...

[Okiedokie]

I should have been clearer. The oil dipstick nor the trans dipstick show any sign of contamination. The residue is not at all oily. When dry it brushes away like powder. I do have a pressure tester, but not the correct adaptor. The truck has not overheated. Joe

[wayne petty]

if its powder...  i would bet that you are running orange coolant...

it will do that...

if you need the adaptors.. they are available for 30 bucks with the number i posted at AZ.. in the loan a tool ..

[Okiedokie]

The guy that flushed [long time trusted wrench] says he would have either used green [as Ford specs] or Peak. I sure miss living somewhere that allowed me to flush them myself. So surely you are not saying this is normal for the orange stuff. Really? Why would anyone use it?

[Arnold]

I took the rad cap off my 1994 5.7 1 ton van not long ago and found that the coolant had turned to "mud too". I flushed it..and flushed it..cleaned it out.. and it went away..and did not come back. I just used the green reg. a/f. YA..LOL..not until the w. pump(original pump yikes!) seal blew out..suddenly under a hot soak. My guess is that you have something rotten/rotting..rusting in there..as well as a miniscule air leak somewhere. I discussed this with a few others who guessed that something was bad in there too. Perhaps bad..acidic a/f has/had eaten into something and even if you do get it cleaned up like I did..the problem ain't gone. My problem appears to be gone.. but I am guessing that there are more problems to come..as my work van has a rear heater and the plumbing with it is pretty corroded on the outside. I am planning on re-doing that anyway. btw..there are enough companies around that do..and have been analysing samples for long enough now that I am pretty sure that a sample to them will tell you what you have in there/what is going on.

[Okiedokie]

Thanks for the replies all. I have flushed the system as well as I can with hot water pouring thru then running motor untill warm then draining. No that did not eliminate the orange color, but certainly lessen the accumuation in the reservoir. I have decided that I may have used a stop leak product, I don't remember doing that, but I do remember a sliight odor of coolant at times when turning on heat/air. I had considered that I most likely had some seepage in the heater core. I have noticed that seems to be gone, so maybe I did add some stop leak. Also, if the cap is  not holding well [ I don't have the proper adaptor to test it and not going out in 15" of snow to get one] it would explain [at least to my simple mind] the accumulation of the powedery sludge in the tank at the cap. I have now replaced the coolant with a 50/50 mix of Prestone. That will have to suffice untill I can flush with a good flushing compound. Thanks for all your input and I will post a followup with future results. That is if I can remember. LOL. Joe