Australian Politics Forum - Any Mechanically Minded People Here?

Annie Anthrax

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Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 7:45pm

My husband and I just bought a second car for him to drive to and from work in from an auction. It seems to run well and doesn't overheat, but the radiator water feels a bit oily. It's clear and water soluble - the oiliness washes away with regular tap water. Would that be coolant?

We have a mechanic coming to look at it on Wednesday, but I'm worried it could be the head gasket. There's no frothy residue anywhere and the oil is nice and dark.

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freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 49439 At my desk.	Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here? Reply #1 - Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 7:52pm What does it taste like?
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Life_goes_on

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Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Reply #2 - Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 8:00pm

Quote:

There's no frothy residue anywhere and the oil is nice and dark.

The oil should be a nice golden colour. Dark oil indicates it needs a change.

If it was a blown headgasket you'd have creamy brown oil and frothy oily gunk floating around under your radiator cap.

I'd be suspecting coolant that's gone way beyond it's use by date and when combined with the dark oil, a car that's skipped a service interval or four.

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Annie Anthrax

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Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Reply #3 - Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 8:15pm

Life_goes_on wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 8:00pm:

Quote:

There's no frothy residue anywhere and the oil is nice and dark.

The oil should be a nice golden colour. Dark oil indicates it needs a change.

If it was a blown headgasket you'd have creamy brown oil and frothy oily gunk floating around under your radiator cap.

I'd be suspecting coolant that's gone way beyond it's use by date and when combined with the dark oil, a car that's skipped a service interval or four.

Thanks, Life. There's no gunk and the water appears to be clear. I hope it's coolant - I guess we'll find out Wednesday!

FD, I didn't taste it.

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Life_goes_on Gold Member Offline Posts: 4772 400kms south of Yobsville, Qld Gender:	Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here? Reply #4 - Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 8:22pm When you buy a second hand vehicle it's always best to assume that its never been serviced (even with full service history) and get a major service done on it - all oils, filter, plugs, air filter, grease, radiator fluid change, brake check/fluid change etc.
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Annie Anthrax Gold Member Offline Take the plan, spin it sideways Posts: 7057 Gender:	Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here? Reply #5 - Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 8:31pm The mechanic that's coming on Wednesday is doing a RWC and giving it a quick look over - if it passes, I'll take it into the shop for a major service. Thanks again
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Life_goes_on Gold Member Offline Posts: 4772 400kms south of Yobsville, Qld Gender:	Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here? Reply #6 - Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 8:42pm You're welcome. Let us know how the look over goes.
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muso

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Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Reply #7 - Jan 25^th, 2012 at 8:12am

freediver wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 7:52pm:

What does it taste like?

That reminds me of a First Aid course I went to. The instructor was talking about cerebro-spinal fluid coming from the ears in the case of skull fracture. A voice piped up, "What does it taste like?" We then had a collective grossed-out moment.

Coolant is typically greenish in colour and feels slimy to the touch. It's mainly ethylene glycol, and it can give you a severe stomache ache even by tasting it. A few years ago, there was a case where Spanish bulk wine was contaminated with ethylene glycol. Several people ended up in hospital.

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Dnarever

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Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Reply #8 - Jan 25^th, 2012 at 8:23am

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 7:45pm:

My husband and I just bought a second car for him to drive to and from work in from an auction. It seems to run well and doesn't overheat, but the radiator water feels a bit oily. It's clear and water soluble - the oiliness washes away with regular tap water. Would that be coolant?

We have a mechanic coming to look at it on Wednesday, but I'm worried it could be the head gasket. There's no frothy residue anywhere and the oil is nice and dark.

Sorry a bit late: of concern is that you seem to be saying that there is water in the coolant reservoir and not coolant.

That would explain what you are saying as there would still be traces of coolant in there as well. the problem is the water - only coolant goes into this reservoir. Water will cause damage eventually.

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Life_goes_on

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Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Reply #9 - Jan 25^th, 2012 at 10:13am

Dnarever wrote on Jan 25^th, 2012 at 8:23am:

Annie Anthrax wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2012 at 7:45pm:

My husband and I just bought a second car for him to drive to and from work in from an auction. It seems to run well and doesn't overheat, but the radiator water feels a bit oily. It's clear and water soluble - the oiliness washes away with regular tap water. Would that be coolant?

We have a mechanic coming to look at it on Wednesday, but I'm worried it could be the head gasket. There's no frothy residue anywhere and the oil is nice and dark.

Sorry a bit late: of concern is that you seem to be saying that there is water in the coolant reservoir and not coolant.

That would explain what you are saying as there would still be traces of coolant in there as well. the problem is the water - only coolant goes into this reservoir. Water will cause damage eventually.

No, no, no. The reservoir is just an overflow from the radiator. The cooling system can be run using either a mix of water and coolant (basically a corrosion inhibiter) or just water (ideally distilled water to inhibit shale and corrosion).

While you are meant to add coolant to the reservoir, it's still shared with the radiator itself and will contain a mix of water and coolant. The cooling system runs under pressure so as to raise the boiling point of the coolant (radiator caps have different pressure ratings - a faulty radiator cap can cause overheating) with the reservoir being attached to, but outside the pressurised system (flow to it regulated by the radiator cap - think of the radiator cap as a switch or flow regulator).

As an engine goes through its heat cycles coolant is moved between the radiator and the reservoir (governed by the radiator cap). Engine heats up - reservoir level rises. Engine cools down - reservoir level decreases. The fluid level in the reservoir should always be at a minimum level to stop air getting into the cooling system.

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« Last Edit: Jan 25^th, 2012 at 12:36pm by Life_goes_on »

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Annie Anthrax Gold Member Offline Take the plan, spin it sideways Posts: 7057 Gender:	Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here? Reply #10 - Jan 25^th, 2012 at 10:13am Thanks DNA. The mechanic has cancelled because we have some minor flooding in the area, so it'll probably be next week til we know.
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Life_goes_on

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Re: Any Mechanically Minded People Here?
Reply #11 - Jan 25^th, 2012 at 12:31pm

When coolant exceeds its service life it begins to break down and will result in a slimey sludge floating on top of both the radiator header and the reservoir.

This is very noticable on higher mileage vehicles who have had a lot of water put into the system at one time (radiator repair/replacement) without a full system flush being performed.

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