| Author |
Message |
TheOtherLeft
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 818 Location: Sydney
|
 Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 4:15 am |
|
|
I have a J20A engine and have found that fluid in the radiator overflow tank is a shade of brown, whilst the fluid in the radiator is still fluoro green. I've replaced the overflow fluid a few times and it still seems to go brown'ish after a week or so.
It's been suggested that rust in the system could be the cause. As the block is alloy and the radiator is aluminium/plastic I'm not sure where it could rust from.
Could it be algae growth in the overflow tank instead?
_________________
2002 SWB GV
Lifted and Locked
|
|
|
|
|
lump_a_charcoal
az supporter
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:30 pm Posts: 4454 Location: Botany, NSW
Vehicle: MY2019 Jimny
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:10 am |
|
|
|
|
TheOtherLeft
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 818 Location: Sydney
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:15 am |
|
lump_a_charcoal wrote: rust in the bottle?
Rust in the cooling system which is then pumped into the overflow bottle.
_________________
2002 SWB GV
Lifted and Locked
|
|
|
|
|
royce
omnipotent being
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 17216 Location: Pluto
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:28 am |
|
|
Sediment in teh block rises and goes out the overflow
for giggles get a 2l softdrink bottle and fill with clean water, stick it in the radiator filler with the engine warm and idling (dont burn yourself) and watch the crap that floats up
|
|
|
|
|
lump_a_charcoal
az supporter
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:30 pm Posts: 4454 Location: Botany, NSW
Vehicle: MY2019 Jimny
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:32 am |
|
TheOtherLeft wrote: lump_a_charcoal wrote: rust in the bottle? Rust in the cooling system which is then pumped into the overflow bottle. No I mean maybe there is rust powder in the bottle, which is turning the water brown.
|
|
|
|
|
TheOtherLeft
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 818 Location: Sydney
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:34 am |
|
|
Is the sediment worth worrying about?
I flushed the radiator fluid about 1 year ago and the problems only really started about 6 months ago.
_________________
2002 SWB GV
Lifted and Locked
|
|
|
|
|
TheOtherLeft
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 818 Location: Sydney
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:35 am |
|
lump_a_charcoal wrote: TheOtherLeft wrote: lump_a_charcoal wrote: rust in the bottle? Rust in the cooling system which is then pumped into the overflow bottle. No I mean maybe there is rust powder in the bottle, which is turning the water brown. Don't think so. I've cleaned out the overflow bottle a few times and put clean water back in just to check.
_________________
2002 SWB GV
Lifted and Locked
|
|
|
|
|
alien
Joined: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:30 pm Posts: 16343 Location: Perth
Vehicle: '92 Sierra, 1.6efi, SPOA, 31s.
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:10 am |
|
|
i got mud in mine once cos i was submerged and the lid came off the overflow... lol - it was a one off event but took a year or so to get the crap out!
_________________ 
|
|
|
|
|
dezook
az supporter
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:30 pm Posts: 324 Location: West Sydney
Vehicle: Suzuki Vitara SV620, 2.5turbo
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:50 am |
|
Just flush it and instead of just putting water in it, Put coolant in it so algae can't grow in there. If it turns brown again than you know something weird is going on. If the water in the radiator is green than your overflow should be green unless you got mud in it 
|
|
|
|
|
atari4x4
az supporter
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 10:30 pm Posts: 34843 Location: East Radelayed
Vehicle: SV420+SV620 Vitara's
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:12 am |
|
|
my J20a will discolour the coolant in radiator overflow bottle over a period of time also...
it's very weird, the coolant in the radiator is hyper colour green like proper coolant but after a while the coolant in the bottle will go brownish.
royce is onto something, the 2lt coke bottle full of water is a good way to pick up the gunk that floats in the system, i have a length of hose & coke bottle to assist in bleeding the air out when doing a coolant change & it will always have floaties in it even after fresh coolant.
_________________
You're just hating because you don't understand
|
|
|
|
|
whincup
az supporter
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 11:30 pm Posts: 1588 Location: Gracemere, QLD
Vehicle: '94 suzuki maruti
|
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:41 am |
|
|
same problem here. proper green colour coolant is meant to be (or red, as my case was before i changed over) yet overflow bottle full of brown-green (brown-red) coolant. i just assumed algae or something. never thought of rust... stupidly enough.
|
|
|
|
|
TheOtherLeft
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 818 Location: Sydney
|
Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:11 am |
|
dezook wrote: Just flush it and instead of just putting water in it, Put coolant in it so algae can't grow in there. If it turns brown again than you know something weird is going on. If the water in the radiator is green than your overflow should be green unless you got mud in it As what's been happening with the other replies, I have green coolant in the rad except it goes green/brown in the over flow.
Seems to be a common problem then.
_________________
2002 SWB GV
Lifted and Locked
|
|
|
|
|
TheOtherLeft
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 818 Location: Sydney
|
Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:12 am |
|
atari4x4 wrote: royce is onto something, the 2lt coke bottle full of water is a good way to pick up the gunk that floats in the system, i have a length of hose & coke bottle to assist in bleeding the air out when doing a coolant change & it will always have floaties in it even after fresh coolant.
So where do the floaties come from, and what the hell is it???
_________________
2002 SWB GV
Lifted and Locked
|
|
|
|
|
royce
omnipotent being
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:30 pm Posts: 17216 Location: Pluto
|
Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:21 am |
|
|
you still get corrosion, bits flake off the inside of hoses, minerals in the water
the block is cast using sand to form the water jackets, usually this sand is never 100% cleaned out and gradually breaks away from teh remaining clumps, some mid 80's falcons were that bad for it you could pull the welch plugs out and scoop it out and the radiators would be half full of it and so on
|
|
|
|
|
|
