The Diesel Stop banner

Brown sludge in radiator and coolant bottle?

13K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  MichaelPatrick 
#1 ·
I have brown sludge in my radiator and coolant degass bottle. what could this be a indication of? i plan on doing a flush. i noticed this due to radiator change. Thank!
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
Is there any smell of diesel or indications of oil in the coolant?
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies, mostly the sludge was found in the lower radiator and lower hose. no smell of diesel in the coolant, is there any home natural remedies to use to flush the system? baking soda maybe??? Thanks!
 
#5 ·
Oil residue would point towards a leaking oil cooler. Diesel would indicate a cracked injector cup. If it's either of those issues, they need to be addressed before or immediately after the flush procedure.
 
#8 ·
Pull the radiator, turn it upside-down, and blast a garden hose into the outlet until it runs clear. Flip it back, repeat, and keep repeating until it runs clear both directions.

. .

I bought a bottle of the rust remover made for later diesels to put through that gasser when I get it running again.



I wouldn't add any other chemicals to the cooling system. Read this article.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Well, a cheap radiator is probably lower-quality than the original. But a Ford/MotorCraft radiator would be the same or better. I'd trust a Modine radiator to be as good, but not a 4 Seasons.

But no, I wouldn't replace a radiator that probably still works. Only after I'm sure it doesn't work.

This shows how to pressure-test the cooling system:



The NEXT few show the repairs for minor leaks. The article I linked before explains how to test a radiator for blockage.
 
#11 ·
Have you checked the oil to ensure that it doesn't have water/coolant in it? Because if your oil looks like pudding, you have a cracked block.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top