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Coolant Recovery Tank Help

That doesn't exactly look like dex sludge. It kinda does but it almost looks like oil. Check you transmission fluid, make sure there's no coolant in it.
 


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This isn't the best picture but it should do. It doesn't look orange at all though it is red. Thanks
 
That looks good. I'm assuming that was checked with the vehicle off given how high it reads. If there was water in the oil, it would be at the bottom. Did you check inside the radiator for the sludge? That's where it really matters.
 
It was checked with it off. The radiator cap had some brown sludge that looked
like mud on it but I haven't looked at the rest of the radiator. I almost can't because it is filled to the top. Thanks
 
If it's just on the cap, but not on the walls of the filler neck, you're good. It can get so bad that it cakes up and you can't even pour anything in the radiator.

This is what I've found before:

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That was from pouring about a quart of conventional green into a factory dex cool system. This system is going to take some serious cleaning to get to a safe point. It didn't overheat in the summertime luckily, but that crap lines the walls of everything in the system.

I'd say for you, if there was no coating of anything in the filler neck, yours is fine and the overflow may have just got sludge from being exposed to air. You can just clean the tank and hose or get a new one. The only way to clean the walls of the tank is to powerwash it, no brush I've got can get in there. My powerwasher wand will go in there and clean that crap right out.
 
I don't have a power washer but I think a car wash will do. I'm in a little better shape than whosever's radiator that is.

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That looks really strange. How about some other people stop by and give your opinions? I men Dex-cool is pink, or orange depending on how you look at it. Most universal coolants are a lime green, like mountain dew. And conventional is a real noticeable light-ish green. What I'm looking at there is like caramel... I'd do a flush, and cooling system cleaner too for a week before flushing again and adding your final 50/50. Where in the US are you at? If you live in a warmer place you could do that soon.
This was my old death-cool
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I live in Iowa. There must be a little bit of sludgy stuff on the top in the radiator because I sucked some out and this is what it looks like.

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Konner27 said:
I don't have a power washer but I think a car wash will do. I'm in a little better shape than whosever's radiator that is.

IMG_20131108_204351_zpsca9ac682.jpg
Click to expand...
imo the brown sludge that occurs in the dexcool systems when old coolant mixes with air trapped in the system. dexcool left in to long becomes an acid factory that "plasticizes" gaskets. I do complete dexcool fluid exchanges when its due and never had a problem with dexcool.

if you had coolant in your trans fluid it would be a flamingo pink foamy mess. Your ok but you do need to change that old brown trans fluid.
 
Konner27 said:
I live in Iowa. There must be a little bit of sludgy stuff on the top in the radiator because I sucked some out and this is what it looks like.

IMG_20131108_213928_zps8e76c12f.jpg
Click to expand...
You know what? That may just be water, and the color is from the cast iron rusting. We've got a few people on the forums just running pure water(better not let it go til winter), that really looks like it. Does it...smell like water? Coolant has it's own unique smell
 


Primem, the tranny fluid is red not brown. The picture is not the best. I just got this car in March and the previous owner changed the tranny fluid just before I bought it. 02NavyBlue, I have an antifreeze tester and it read that the coolant in my car is good up to around
-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Well I don't know what to say about what exactly we're looking at, but if you advice it's probably to flush it and put some green stuff in there. It is quite light looking anyway, I'm surprised it read as low as that. Anything on the smell? When dex sludge's with green mixed, it smells horrible.
 
I wouldn't say it smells horrible but it doesn't smell like water. Would the coolant be runnier on top if I haven't drive my car in a couple days?
 
get that sludge out of there. flush the system with cleaner, drain it....do your lim gaskets if needed (ever seen any that didn't?) and refill.
 
How can you tell if the lim gaskets need to be replaced? I thought when I had someone look over things he said they looked okay. Can't remember for sure. Thanks
 


Well just pulling the lower rad hose wont drain it all, just doing that will be about a gallon and a half. Empty it into a larger container, and start the flush and capture it until it becomes clear. Probably should have 2 drain pans handy.
 
Could I just put a garden hose to flush water into upper radiator hose and capture out of the lower hose until it's clear?
 
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