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  #1  
Old 09-01-2008, 10:44 PM
USSEnterprise USSEnterprise is offline
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Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

I just flushed the cooling system today, and found a load of a brown, diarrhea-like slurry in the auxiliary tank. Considering the heads and block are aluminum, and won't rust, what could this be from?
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  #2  
Old 09-01-2008, 11:30 PM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

i belive its the stop leak stuff it should come out just take the aux coolant tank off and blast it out with the hose
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Old 09-02-2008, 09:31 AM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

Quote:
Originally Posted by USSEnterprise View Post
I just flushed the cooling system today, and found a load of a brown, diarrhea-like slurry in the auxiliary tank. Considering the heads and block are aluminum, and won't rust, what could this be from?
You should look at your radiator and your water pump very closely. Stop Leak is a notorious "cheap fix" that never should have been invented. Check your water pump for hairline cracks or touch up paint, you have to clean it an look really close. On your radiator look for jagged dents, small dents happen, you're looking for something with a sharp edge that might have punctured it.

This stop leak stuff stops the leaks but it also seals off grills in your radiator. Eventually it destroys the effectiveness of your cooling system. All of the bottles say that they "Won't clot" but you should really give your cooling a good 1 over.
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  #4  
Old 09-03-2008, 12:08 AM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

Sounds a lot like the Subaru "Cooling System Conditioner", perhaps someone put it in thinking it was more than just stop leak. (That's all it is, it's not the "additive" that they play it off to be, it's just to keep the phase I 2.5L motors from leaking coolant... )
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Old 09-03-2008, 07:32 AM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

The "Stop-Leak" additives will usually not be like you described. They will be flaky, settle and plug the hose at the bottom of the tank like a 1 way valve.

I hate to say it but this sounds more like a head gasket failure and your exhaust is leaking into your coolant. Just not sure why it's brown.

With the engine running you will probably see bubbles in the tank and steam coming out of it.

Of course I may be wrong and if that's the case you should be happy.
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  #6  
Old 09-03-2008, 07:28 PM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

it happened to me with my first svx....was your engine overheating ? were u missing a littlebit of engine oil ? if so i would say headgasket. the oil was going into the cooling system wich made his effectiveness bad ,the oil is much lighter than coolant, so it was only at the surface of the coolant .sometimes it was sprewing everywhere from the expension tank where it looked like dirt when it was empty...i guess it was because the oil was burning. have a look
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Last edited by Francis; 09-03-2008 at 07:30 PM.
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  #7  
Old 09-03-2008, 07:38 PM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

Eh, I had the same. I just chocked it up to really old coolant and flushed it really well. (remove t-stat and rad hoses, put garden hose in upper water pipe thing on the engine, let-r-rip till good, clean water is coming out.) That was 2 months and a lot of miles ago, haven't seen a problem.
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  #8  
Old 09-04-2008, 05:49 AM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

I wouldn't leap to the head gasket conclusion absent other symptoms; that's your worst case scenario. Even if the stuff in the tank is stop-leak sludge, it could date back to something dumped-in years ago by a previous owner trying to limp around with a busted radiator. I'd just fill with fresh coolant and keep a keen eye on fluid levels and the temp gauge for awhile.

If you're having overheating troubles, coolant boiling in the overflow and such, that's a different story.

dcb
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  #9  
Old 09-04-2008, 05:50 AM
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Re: Brown slurry in coolant = me confused

Now would be a good time for a coolant flush.
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