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Coolant and water turning brownish

Old Nov 6, 2018 | 12:24 AM
  #1  
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Coolant and water turning brownish

I drained what I thought was some orange coolant and in a jug it looks very brown. It doesn't seem oily.

I flushed the system about 7-8 times and the water still won't become clear.



Do I have a coolant seal failure? There is no smoke from exhaust. Only some vapor on start up.

Car starts with no issues hot or cold. I had some ignition issues I fixed, but I think another one came back because my Long term fuel trims are off again. The trims seemed to change after I flushed the system and let the car idle to come up to temp. Prior to flushing, I don't think the car was using coolant, since the reservoir was full.

My 8 lurches sometimes in second gear in higher rpms, like 7k maybe 6k and above. Do I need to clean the SSV? Or is it the new coil that I put in not good. I bought one from O'Reilly's.

My car's vaccum is also around 14 sometimes it hits 15 and dips into 13in/mg

Car has 106k miles.
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 06:39 AM
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Its time to flush the cooling system. Seems as though its been quite some time since it was done if ever. I have been replacing the coolant in my rotaries every two years or so to ensure that the coolant does not get contaminated or lose its ability to protect against freezing. you are more than likely just seeing rust deposits from the irons collecting in the coolant. This is a sure sign that you need to flush the cooling system.
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 06:43 AM
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Originally Posted by mazdaverx7
Its time to flush the cooling system. Seems as though its been quite some time since it was done if ever. I have been replacing the coolant in my rotaries every two years or so to ensure that the coolant does not get contaminated or lose its ability to protect against freezing. you are more than likely just seeing rust deposits from the irons collecting in the coolant. This is a sure sign that you need to flush the cooling system.
7 or 8 times not enough ?
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 06:58 AM
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If you want to know if you've got a coolant/combustion chamber seal failure, get a block tester. It's basically a turkey baster and some fluid that will check for combustion gases in the coolant. You've got to use it pretty soon after turning the engine off (otherwise the dissolved exhaust gases will evolve out of solution and the test won't work).

What are you using to flush the cooling system and what is your procedure?
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by NotAPreppie
If you want to know if you've got a coolant/combustion chamber seal failure, get a block tester. It's basically a turkey baster and some fluid that will check for combustion gases in the coolant. You've got to use it pretty soon after turning the engine off (otherwise the dissolved exhaust gases will evolve out of solution and the test won't work).

What are you using to flush the cooling system and what is your procedure?
I drained the radiator, then the engine block. Replace the bolt and screw. Fill with distilled water until it stops gurgling air. Turn on car with the radiator cap off. Add more distilled water until full. I watch the coolant temperature on my phone. I put the cap on before it hits 180. Turn on heater on full blast. I let it come up to 202, because I remember reading that the thermostat opens fully at that temp. Let it idle to until 208, then turn off engine. Then i wait for about 1.5 hours before I drain it. If the water still feels really warm when I drained it, then I will wait a bit more before repeating the process.

On the third flush I added prestone flush and cleaner.

I have ran 20 gallons of distilled water so far.


I noticed these little bits on the flush I did last night.

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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 10:13 AM
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That looks like rust and scale... I don't have a sense of scale (hah, get it?) but I wonder how much restriction you have in your radiator. You may want to pull the radiator and flush it in reverse direction of normal flow. The radiator is aluminum so you should be able to use a garden hose without worrying about corrosion. Though, if you're pulling the radiator, you might as well replace/upgrade it.

Next time you drain it, pull your water pump and see what the impeller looks like as well as the channel going into the front cover. Might also be worthwhile to pull the thermostat housing and have a look there.
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 03:02 PM
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I will rent a block tester after work.

I don't think I am overheating. The highest temp I have seen was about 212. Normally it seems to like about 200.

Does anybody know of a good radiator cleaner/flush that is safe for the 8 that I can pick up at O'Reilly's or AutoZone?
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 03:57 PM
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What coolant do you use ?
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Sydo
What coolant do you use ?
I just bought this car, it had this orange coolant in it. I was flushing it to put fl-22 in it.


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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 06:03 PM
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Looks like someone ran straight water.. for a while. I would definitely check the impeller. Nothing much you can do except keep flushing it until it runs clear. You may want to drive a day or so on each flush to make the best of them. If you jist bought thr car, I'd be looking at your local hidden defect laws.
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 06:10 PM
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Get some of this....https://www.rmi25.com/
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 11:36 PM
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I performed a block test and it passed. No combustion gases in system. I guess it is really all just rust. It contaminates the water so fast.

Originally Posted by Sydo
Get some of this....https://www.rmi25.com/
Do you know if it is safe for the 8's seals? I read that they are silicone. I don't want something that will eat them up and then have to rebuild, or try a stop leak lol.
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Old Nov 6, 2018 | 11:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Loki
Looks like someone ran straight water.. for a while. I would definitely check the impeller. Nothing much you can do except keep flushing it until it runs clear. You may want to drive a day or so on each flush to make the best of them. If you jist bought thr car, I'd be looking at your local hidden defect laws.
It definitely had coolant in it, it smelled sweet for the first few flushes. I'll look up how to remove the water pump so I can check that. Thanks.
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