grey black sludge in my radiator???

-
7

75gold.uster

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
103
Reaction score
0
Location
california
today was the first day that my duster has been driven in a long time.. and after driving it i checked the raidator for fluid and i found blackish grey sludge just laying on top? before i drove it was full of water coolant. what causes this? and how can i fix it? thanks for the help!
 
that's usually an indication that there is oil in the cooling system. Check your trans oil, sometimes when the oil cooler in the radiator fails it'll allow cross contamination. Also check your engine oil, closely check under the filler cap is there sludge milkshake lookin crap under there? That could possibly be cross contamination within the crankcase head, head gasket something along those lines. Good Luck
 
I think radiator stop leak can cause something similar to what you are describing. If you have oil/trans fluid in you coolant your radiator and heater hoses will become very very spongy. Sometimes the oil damages the hoses enough that the outside of the hoses start to get kinda slimy from oil breaking down the rubber.

While a white frothy substance on the oil cap can be an indication of oil and coolant mixing it isn't a guaranteed indicator of it. Some cars build up white froth in winter months on the bottom of the oil fill, the chrysler 4.7 comes to mind as a engine that is especially bad about it. But they make the froth without mixing oil and water, it is just condensation from not getting the engine hot enough to burn it off.

If your engine oil or trans fluid is milky and cloudy then you prolly have some mixing going on. Water in the engine oil is very very bad on bearings. Water in the trans will cause the clutch plates in an auto to break down.
 
this happened to me wen I mixed two different antifreeze RED & GREEN wont mix it will look as you are saying.but I also think they have changed that.....Artie:coffee2:
 
When mixing chrysler red with chrylser green you get icky brown, but they don't seperate out.
 
i checked my oil and trans oil levels and looked for sludge under the oil cap, nothing it all seems fine. could this because water has mixed with the coolant in the radiator? how can i fix this? thanks guys!
 
Drain some antifreeze out of the drainvalve at the bottom of the radiator and check its condition. I would still be leaning towards stop leak or some other foreign substance other than oil intrusion. I have never see antifreeze turn gray/black from oil, always a nasty brown/tan milkshake.
 
Drive it. It'll probably burn off.
 
When my Dodge 2.2L K-car had a head gasket leak (common problem), I would get a frothy brown "mousse" at the top of radiator. It would also over-heat after ~20 miles hwy. Drove it that way for a few months, changing the coolant regularly (straight water), then junked it due to many problems. There is a chemical kit to check for combustion gases bubbling out of the radiator cap. I had one, and recall using it, but not seeing the color change (blue to yellow), so don't know how conclusive those tests are. I have a separate trans cooler in my three 60's Mopar's, bypassing the radiator. Some don't advise that, but the oil stays cool and I don't have to worry about water ruining my transmissions.
 
I saw lots of 2.2 head gaskets but I don't remember ever seeing one mix coolant and oil. They loved to burn out between cylinder 1 and the coolant passage at the end of the block.
 
You have a couple of possiblities then

Atf= you need a radiator

engine oil= cracked block, cracked head, or blown head gasket

If you have access to an engine leakdown tester you could pressurize the cylinders with the radiator full of coolant and look for air bubbles in the radiator. Or if you have a cooling system pressure tester you could pressurize the radiator with the spark plugs out and listen for air escaping into the cylinder. A compression test would also give some information.
 
thanks everyone for the help! im going to take my engine apart to the head to check and change the head gasket. is there any special tools i will be needing?
 
Basic hand tools. Socket set, screwdriver for hose clamps, torque wrench for head bolts at installation. Nothing odd or strange like torx or triple square to deal with just good old fashion 6 point fasteners on everything. The head is heavy so be careful when lifting it.
 
It really sounds like you have a blown head gasket. Pop the head off, it should be obvious. After you put it all back together use new oil, run it for a day or two then change it again along with a new filter. You'll also want to flush out the engine and radiator to be sure all the oil is out of there too. Good luck.
 
Check the gasket again, especially between water jackets and combustion chamber. You may also want to check the head for cracks. It's got to be coming from somewhere. On my 318 water was getting in from a pinhole at the back of the water pump but that cannot be on the six-banger. Keep looking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top