mgwarrior350

So I went for a drive today and I noticed the temp gauge spike up to 260 in like 3 seconds. I checked the coolant and its a thick brown and it was bubbling. Also when I checked it the coolant was in between the two fill and empty lines but when I stopped it was at the top of the tank. Any ideas? Could it be the thermostat or the pump?

ITZNO50

I actually just went thru this problem, literally this week. I was told my local gas station mechanic incorrectly added a coolant water combination to the already long life coolant that was in there. This caused a chemical reaction and corosion that made the mud and brown fluid. After several flushes, my radiator finally burst. I had to replace it, and the shop I went to this time power flushed it 3 times. And they still reccommended I flush it again before winter. Good luck, I messed with it for a month like that.

mgwarrior350

so i should just keep flushing it? and can i just use water?

R Cannon

I used several radiator flush products with different instuctions for each. I got some hi temp gasket maker and took my T-Stat out just to open the system. Im going to replace it very soon with a 160 or 180. The last product required 8hrs of drive time. If you take that T stat out LET IT WARM UP before driving. Mine was an extreme case. My "new" radiator had so much crud in it from the "re-built" engine, that when I stuck my finger in the radiator fill it had more than I thought possible. Nasty! Good Luck.

mgwarrior350

Why would the coolant fill the overflow tank could the thermostat have not open from bad coolant? Also whats the best way to flush it

R Cannon

Mabey even Heater Core. Do a search on how to flush that. As far flushing the radiator just do like I said. Take T Stat ous temporarily to aid the flush. Use patience. You dont need a cracked head or block. You can drain it in between flushes quicker by letting it cool and taking the lower radiator hose off. Use some kind of flushing agent. Repeat and repeat again and again. Definately look at the heater core and radiator cap.

bubbajohn95

Flush will work, but it also seems like you have a leak in the system causing it to boil at a lower tempature

djb383

Sounds like a very lengthy period of neglect so the overheating situation may not have a simple solution. I'd start with trying to get the coolant from thick brown to clear green.....lots of flushing the rad, heater core and engine block/cyl. head with a garden hose, then re-filling with new coolant. If that doesn't cool it down, the easiest cooling system parts to change are the t-stat and housing along with the water pump and all of the hoses. Thick brown coolant easily plugs a rad to the point it can't be flushed. If that's the case, it can be "rodded out" by a shop or replaced.

rollz4kix

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a737mech

Sounds like to me your thermostat has stuck closed this happend to me not 3 weeks ago. running fine then bamm red line blow head core plug as well.I recomend you remove the stat. drain old fluid, put in radiator flush add water run 3 hrs. per instructions 10 min. with heater on to clean heater system as well let cool drain and refill water run about another 30min are per instructions drain water install new tstat and add coolent per instructions and you should be just fin.

mgwarrior350

i drained and flushed the rad twice seems to be fine for now and i swapped the tstat. Also anyone have an easier way to get to the engine plug.

a737mech

Did you pop the plug if not let it alone. If you did the only way to get to it is by lying over motor and doing it by fill and using something to held tap it into place and use make a gasket with it to help aid in a titer seal.

mgwarrior350

So all that happened was the thermostat jammed so I replaced it and flushed the radiator twice and I havnt seen a problem yet.

mgwarrior350

Also I found that draining it from the coolant hoses was 1000 times easier then getting to that drain plug.

mgwarrior350

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