Since the last flush, I'm not getting any heavy deposits. Instead I'm
getting lots of fine powered rust. I pulled the heater core hoses and the
bright orange rust that was built up on the heater core and inside the
hoses is completely gone! :-)
Looks like another flush similar to the last one should result in much
cleaner coolant.
On Sat, Jun 2, 2012 at 7:22 PM, Dan Penoff <lwb...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Most likely your heater core is copper, or possibly aluminum.
>
> I had a similar situation on a W126 (300SD) I once owned.
>
> When I bought it the owner had just put a radiator on it within the =
> year. When I inspected the coolant it was brown and rusty colored. =
> Figuring that it just needed a good flush and a return to MB coolant, I =
> removed it, flushed it and the cooling system, and installed the correct =
> coolant. I would add that I also replaced hoses, as the hoses had a =
> nasty accumulation of brown discoloration in them that I can only =
> suspect was rust.
>
> Within a matter of weeks I started having problems with the temperatures =
> rising if the car was moving more than about 40-50 mph. As soon as I =
> crossed that threshold, the temperature would climb a good 10-15 degrees =
> above the proper 82F or thereabouts.
>
> Anyway, I removed the radiator and took it to a trusted shop. The core =
> was plugged in the very center but what they said was rust. Where it =
> came from, I have no idea. When I flushed and refilled the system the =
> coolant remained the proper honey color that MB coolant is.
>
> Apparently the core was already clogged, but since I bought the car in =
> the winter (relatively speaking) the problem didn't manifest itself =
> until the ambient temps got up relatively high. I can only suspect that =
> they were running straight water in the system, and it caused the block =
> to rust, as it's the only part in the system that could do so.
>
> Point being, flush the system for sure. Whether or not you'll continue =
> to see the rust/crud in the system is questionable. I doubt it's your =
> heater core.
>
> Dan
>
>
> > From: "Brian Toscano" <brian.tosc...@gmail.com>
> >> Ernest,
> >> I have thought the same thing. After I replaced the thermostat/flushed
> the
> >> system I poured water in the upper radiator hose (connected to the
> >> radiator) until water came out the thermostat housing. What I'm not
> clear
> >> on is how does a heater core get rusty? Are they made of steel or iron
> and
> >> not copper? Or does the rust from elsewhere just collect in the heater
> >> core?
> >>
> >> I am somewhat concerned if the heater core is rusty and I try to clean
> it,
> >> that it may spring a leak!
> >>
> >> My current plan is to leave the system as is for now and see how dirty
> the
> >> coolant gets over the next 2-3 months. I suspect the hoses may
> continue to
> >> shed rust/discolor the coolant. What I don't want to do is spend money
> on
> >> something that will not solve the problem. If I'm going to get rust
> even
> >> with new hoses, I don't see any reason to replace hoses that are
> otherwise
> >> good.
> >>
> >> On Sat, Jun 2, 2012 at 5:32 PM, ernest breakfield <
> >> erne...@backyardengineering.org> wrote:
> >
> >>> since your observation is that most of the crap is in the heater hoses,
> >>> odds are that your cooling system isn't getting fully filled, and the
> air
> >>> in the system is rising to the highest point (the heater core) and
> causing
> >>> corrosion there.
> >>> replacing the heater core in an XJ isn't fun.
> >>>
> >>> i'd suggest rinsing the heater core thoroughly, but hooking up the
> >>> garden hose to the inlets on the heater core and letting is run 'til
> it's
> >>> clear, then hooking the hose up to the other side. repeat until fully
> clear.
> >>> then read up on how to get the system completely full ('burped') by
> >>> filling at the radiator hose, and see if you still have the same
> problem.
> >>> cheers!
> >>> e
> >>> '85 300D (200K+)
> >>> '94 XJ (240K+)
> >>>
> >>> On 02/Jun/12 10:51, Brian Toscano wrote:
> >>>> Last night I drained the coolant from the drain plug on the radiator.
> >>>> What
> >>>> came out first was bright green. After a little bit, it turns rusty
> >>>> brown,
> >>>> and then turned to dirty coolant. This was just draining. Likewise,
> what
> >>>> is in the expansion tank is typically rust colored and when I poured
> clean
> >>>> water into the heater core, what came out was rust colored. What I
> >>>> removed
> >>>> the water pump what I saw was dirty coolant, but the inside of the
> engine
> >>>> (outside of the cylinder wall for #1) looks perfectly fine and
> rust-free.
> >>>> It makes me think the coolant does separate as it cools.
> >>>>
> >>>> The water pump itself looks fine also. A gasket leak developed on
> the top
> >>>> of the pump after I did the first round of flushing.
> >>>>
> >>>> What has the most crap buildup are the heater hoses. The supply and
> >>>> return to the heater core have a rust buildup inside. The lower
> radiator
> >>>> hose has a large spring in it almost the entire length and that spring
> >>>> holds a ton of crap. It makes me wonder where all this rust comes
> from if
> >>>> the inside of the engine looks fine.
> >>>>
> >>>> On Mon, May 28, 2012 at 8:39 AM, Brian Toscano<brian.toscano@gmail.
> **com<brian.tosc...@gmail.com>
> >>>> >wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> I considered that the dark radiator has an effect on the coolant. The
> >>>>> bright green when in the radiator is almost clear in a coolant
> tester.
> >>>>> However, what's in the expansion tank is darker. The original
> problem
> >>>>> has
> >>>>> been fixed. The flushing I did definitely helped. I'm not expecting
> >>>>> 100%
> >>>>> perfectly new looking coolant in 11 year old engine with cast iron
> block
> >>>>> and head.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On Sun, May 27, 2012 at 9:26 PM, Max<meadedil...@bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Remove a sample from the radiator and another from expansion tank to
> >>>>>> compare side by side; it's awfully hard to judge color inside a
> dark
> >>>>>> radiator.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Did you fix the original problem?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> I think your flushing method failed.
> >>>>>> --
> >>>>>> Max Dillon
> >>>>>> Charleston SC
> >>>>>> '95 E300, '87 300TD
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________
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>
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