Rusty Coolant?

[firstE30]

I took apart my intake system to do the mess under the intake mod and i think I found the cause of my brown coolant! The stub on the back of the head which feeds coolant to the heater core is very rusty and there is rust streaming all down the side of the block.





What the hell is this stuff and how can i fix it?

[jalopi]

Looks like rust :P

Try flushing or something. I've heard of people emptying their cooling system, filling it with water, running the car for a few minutes, then repeat a few times. Good for getting gunk out. Whatever you decide to do though, replace the old stuff with new coolant. It's supposed to have rust inhibitors in it.

[jlevie]

Rust in an engine's cooling system is always from using plain water or from a failure to change the coolant on schedule. The corrosion protection package in anti-freeze has a limited life and when exhausted rusting will occur.

[firstE30]

Yea at first i was concerned about a blown head gasket, but there was no coolant in the oil and when i rubbed it between my fingers the liquid didnt feel oily at all. i wl=ill give it a flush and refill and hope for the best.

[F34R]

Clean the fitting with a wire brush, replace the hose and clamp. Then when the engine is all back together, bring it to temp and then wait for it to cool down a bit and drain the block and entire cooling system.