milky radiator core - how to remove?

[spyghost]

hi,

i drained my cooling system this morning and i noticed that i have a milky radiator core.

i don't experience overheating or any high temps even though its mid afternoon.

i just want to have it cleared sana... and not to wait for any overheating problems

thanks

[userfriendly]

I think the milky fluid is old coolant. I bet it stinks. You can do a drain and flush. You can use Prestone radiator flush.

Or if you have the budget, do a transtech for a deep clean. It cleans both radiator and engine water jackets. Not sure but I think it cost around 1800 pesos.

[v6dreamer]

Either a head gasket or if its an automatic it could be the cooler for the transmission leaking inside the radiator, If its a reddish color that would indicate the transmission cooler is leaking some on it, just a plain old milky look to it would probably indicate a blown head gasket, blowing oil in to the cooling system,good luck with it.

[spyghost]

mine is m/t so no tranny oil for sure.

the coolant that i drained didn't look oily... it was just the dry rad core that looks milky.

d*mn if it is blown head gasket... could it really be? are there other tests for this? i don't have white smoke for sure.

[4agze]

looks like you have a oil leaking on your coolant check your engine oil cap if you see milky substance or do a leak down test.

[spyghost]

looks like you have a oil leaking on your coolant check your engine oil cap if you see milky substance or do a leak down test.

the odd thing here is
- i don't emit white smoke under any circumstance (cold/hot start, am/pm, high, mid, low rpm)
- my valve train including valve cover does not have milky appearance
- the oil i drained a couple of weeks ago appears to be normal used oil

[v6dreamer]

When the coolant last replaced,did you check your coolant again?

However its possible that the car has a problem with the cylinder head gasket usually a sign of a dodgy head gasket, some times the oil from the engine or mixes with the radiator coolant. Other times the coolant mixes with the engine oil producing milky slime in the engine but yours is not.
Remove the oil filler cap to see if there is any white slime on the inside of the cap. If so, unfortunately you will need to have the cylinder head gasket replaced. Im not kidding.

[spyghost]

When the coolant last replaced,did you check your coolant again?

yes, coolant is still coolant, not gassy nor oily... also, i'm not loosing coolant nor oil. its really odd

Remove the oil filler cap to see if there is any white slime on the inside of the cap. If so, unfortunately you will need to have the cylinder head gasket replaced. Im not kidding.

there is no white slime nor milky, nor coffee w/ cream texture. its just plain oil. as for the texture of the oil in the filler cap and dip stick, its just at the right viscosity and color by eye

[v6dreamer]

Hmmmm!

On you engine there is a gasket seals passages between the engine block and the head, where the valves are. There are holes for engine oil and the cooling system.

If the gasket developes a flaw it can allow coolant into the oil passages, or oil into the coolant , and coolant or oil or both into the cylinders( but this is not your case).

Its drivable if its a small crack , but if it gets worse it can cause a lot of damage. I know it cost a lot of money to do this but it would cost you more if you dont keep up. Get a second opinion to a mechanic just dont say anything what I told you, from there, see what he has to say.

.

[spyghost]

is there a way to verify head gasket failure w/o removing the head?

[macsd]

is there a way to verify head gasket failure w/o removing the head?

well, you have already flush and drained your radiator. run it again for a few days and drain again to check if you still have the same result. check as well if your radiator has build up some muddy substance inside(you can view it upon opening the cap). if it has, then a radiator overhaul cleaning is already necessary. it's cost less than 1K.

[v6dreamer]

is there a way to verify head gasket failure w/o removing the head?

You can check each cylinders for compression test.
Or....
Take off the radiator cap and look for bubbles when you first start the car and the engine is cold. You can also buy a block checker kit from an auto parts store, they are about 20 dollars here, dont know in the Phils if available or how much. They are very simple to use, you put some of the fluid its a little bottle, take off the radiator cap and push is the bottle, start the car and watch to see if the fluid changes color.

[spyghost]

galing nun a... mukang wala nyan dito.

anyway, just an update, i had someone look at it personally. sabi nya, normal daw yung itsura ng rad core ko... malinis nga daw e, no cleaning nor flushing needed. tanso daw yun... is this true?

i don't bubble when starting with the rad cap off. i don't have a muddy substance inside the rad nor the cap... its just the color of the core.

since i noticed this, i've been draining my rad weekly... the drained fluid does not contain any contaminants of any sort... its all coolant

[v6dreamer]

galing nun a... mukang wala nyan dito.

anyway, just an update, i had someone look at it personally. sabi nya, normal daw yung itsura ng rad core ko... malinis nga daw e, no cleaning nor flushing needed. tanso daw yun... is this true?

i don't bubble when starting with the rad cap off. i don't have a muddy substance inside the rad nor the cap... its just the color of the core.

since i noticed this, i've been draining my rad weekly... the drained fluid does not contain any contaminants of any sort... its all coolant

If it is a rad core this is very harmful to radiator it could cause those small passage to block if gets harden. I would suggest to remove the radiator bring it to any radiator shop to clean it chemically.

Also the heater for your A/C under your dash ... it's all connected to the car radiator ... you must remove those contaminated water on the heather core. what's happened is, if you dont remove them and you used the heather it recirculate back to the radiator and it will contaminate the whole coolant. You need to get your local garage to check it out ... or a specialist Radiator/Heater Repair Agent.

Use 50/50 coolant and diluted water for maximum protection on your engine. Do not used plain water and change the coolant at least once a year. This problem is closed.