Blown head gasket?

Alright guys, got home let it cool down and flushed my radiator (just my radiator) Again I ain’t no mechanic and didn’t drain the block etc....

I did not see the “pink” milkshake it was just really brown color and looked like used coolant.

since I didn’t flush the whole system I did see the fluid in my funnel turn slightly off brown color (probably from what was left inside)

I’m waiting as I type this for it to cool down to remove the funnel to take it on a test drive.

I tried to do my best at capturing the fluid in the pictures but not that great. Really can’t appreciate the “gunk” coming from the radiator.



It’s supposed to look pink but I’m not sure why with the flash it’s looking like Pepto lol

Hopefully this makes the situation a bit better. The oil looked good but this weekend it will probably get changed also.

Tomorrow should be the AC compressor repair and replace the belts.

 

Your transmission oil is done. I would do a drain and refill.

 

flush it with water....................this time o year antifreeze NOT necessary

flush several times

if its oil U will see

if its trans fluid U will see

either way U might flush some o that ' peanut butter '

pull spark plugs...................do compression check

dont jumble plugs

#1 plug labeled........... #2 so on etc so U will KNOW what plug what cylinder

 

If you flush it use distilled water. And yes you need antifreeze/coolant otherwise you will have more problems to deal with.

 

why put good antifreeze into a compromised system ?????

more than 1 flush will be necessary

NEVER said to run with NO antifreeze

in fact it ought to be PARKED until FIxed !!

he will need NEW trans fluid + NEW antifreeze once he is on a Positive fix

 

I didn’t see that my truck had previously had pink milkshake until I realized the previous owner forgot to clean it out of the radiator overflow tank. It was brownish red and smelled like atf and coolant, once it sits it doesn’t stay “milky”.
Again, I would highly suggest changing your radiator and trans fluid, if it is pink milkshake then you need to change the trans fluid ASAP and put in a new radiator.

Edit: did you measure how much coolant you took out? Because if you took out more than around 2gallons then that would probably mean pink milkshake. Also did you smell it? Taste it? Jk lol

 

i don't want to over simplify the problem here - but one thing nobody has mentioned is that you really do not want to mix different types of antifreeze/coolant (ie. toyota red and regular prestone green). this itself could cause the build up you are seeing and the brown coloring. if you are not having any other symptoms of a compromised transmission or cooling system, it may very well be the only problem here. in which case, drain, flush with distilled water a few times, then fill it back up

random internet link:
https://kernersvilleautocenter.com/the-dangers-of-mixing-green-and-orange-coolant/

 

I don’t recommend using distilled water to fill the system. Distilled water alone will result in higher rates of corrosion.

After repairs, drain and fill with regular water. Run until you get a good circulation rate. Stop, drain, and refill with water. Repeat until the system is clear. The drain and refill with anti freeze

 

Im not sure that’s quite right.
Distilled water has all minerals removed through distillation and is just H2O. The minerals in tap water are what can increase the corrosion and also mineral deposits from tap water will clog passage ways and cause corrosion. However, no one really should be running plain water as coolant anyways because it doesn’t have the same properties as glycols. As a flush, use distilled. That way, any excess water after a flush is easily diluted into the coolant and you won’t have a bunch of minerals in your coolant.

 

correct

 

“...And most tap water contains minerals that will leave deposits inside the radiator, causing corrosion, shortening its life and further diminishing its ability to cool.” From Napa website-question- can I put just water in my radiator.

If you have to flush, use distilled, if you have to use water in a pinch it’s best to find distilled water.

 

for flushing & testing Any clear water source will do

the engine with milkshake/peanut butter goo already thru the entire system ( might NOT ever get it ALL Out !!!)

having been heated ......run .....& cooled may have solidified to some extent

flushing might provide a level o clarity the actual source of the Trouble

replaced or repaired then filled with the CORRECT COOLANT

 

Spend 100 and just replace the radiator and all the crap in there if there’s any stuck gunk it will be out of the loop, if it’s got miles on it it probably could use a new one anyways

 

agree with this^^^

 

Yup! I agree also. I think a new radiator is coming up soon.

Checked the fluid after work and it’s not buttered up. At least not yet. It for sure is not pink anymore though.

I did notice my reservoir had some fluid sucked into the radiator. I’m unsure if it’s due to the system settling itself? What would cause the consumption?

I topped the reservoir back to full and will check to make sure it actually is consuming it or if I didn’t fill it completely last night.

 

Aside from a leak or not pouring it to full like you said, air in the system after draining can consume a bit of coolant. However that should only be temporary and shouldn't be a whole lot especially if you didn't drain the block like you said. The system should purge the air after getting to temp and circulating.

With that being said, if you continue to consume coolant day after day, that could be a bad sign and would lead me to believe your loosing coolant in through a bad head gasket. others can chime in if there are other ways to be consuming coolant other than those reasons.
*or the ATF loss like other said

 

how ???? a bad gunked up radiator is not a gunked up coolant passages inside the engine ???????

gunked up head passages ??

throwing away the radiator doesnt get gunk out o the engine.........

 

Of course a new radiator is not going to fix the problem,
The system has to be flushed and cleaned but because the radiator core is the smallest section for
coolant to pass and the 1st
place that would plug up with gunk.
Not being able to take the radiator apart to remove the gunk it’s best to replace it after the flush for 100.00

 

a good shop does what we call ' rodding ' ............very old school

same $100 dollars

still have to flush engine

old school shopz know how to do that too

i wont say what they use..........................

' BG ' used to make a good product

dont know if they are still around................or if U can find that stuff

look for the nxt greenish purple cloud...........

 

how????? well shit, I didn't think I had to spell it out. If you have a Gunked up coolant system, and you replace the radiator, one would assume that one would do a block flush while the radiator is off since you've had bad coolant in there. If you had bad coolant circulating, I don't care how many chemicals, or how harsh of chemicals you use, you're NOT going to get it all out of the old radiator while its installed, or ever.. Period. You will be dealing with perpetual gunk because there are too many nooks and crannies that the gunk will have settled in.

Just buy a new radiator, when the block is off you can easily flush the whole blocks cooling system passageways, since you can take out the thermostat and make your own loop between the thermostat and the bottom radiator hose. Now, maybe there are chemicals which will help in the flushing of the engine block while you have the radiator off, but the point is, you will always be dealing with gunk if your radiator has been gunked. Unless you get a new radiator and flush your block BEFORE you put the new radiator in.

Thats how.