al2ride

So I was heading out to work yesterday morning and kept hearing the belt squeak. It was getting pretty bad so I turned around to get my other car. When I parked it, I noticed smoke and the smell of antifreeze. It was dark and I was in a hurry so I left it alone. I figured the water pump went out and was causing the belt to squeak. When I got home I removed the belt, but everything was free turning normally. I couldn't figure it out, but then I took the cap of the radiator and noticed that it was brown...I stuck my finger on the elbow and there was sludge. I also checked the reservoir, and also sludge. I checked the oil, and everything is fine...so I know I didn't blow a head gasket. It appears as if somehow, mud or I don't know what got in the cooling system. It doesn't appear to be oil, it's like mud and its all over the place. I have never seen this before. Of course I'm going to flush the system, but just can't figure out how that junk got in there. I remember when I bought the car about a month ago, the cooland was clean and green...

MrJCRod

Check your transmission fluid. Could possibly be a blown transmission cooler in the radiator causing them to mix...

al2ride

It's a stick, not auto. I'm thinking that the sludge could have come from the heater core. I turned the heater on the other day to clear the windshield and I wonder if it was full of corrosion. We don't use the heat much here in Florida...not sure how much the previous owner used it. It's amazing how much sludge is in there though. I'm going to buy a flush kit and clean everything out. Hopefully, my radiator flushes out good so I don't have to replace it.