Cloudy coolant, now what?

[Winooski]

It was a great day in Vermont today, so I took the truck out for a spin. Parked the truck and came back outside to see a new puddle under the left front tire. Thinking it might be the brakes (pulling to the right, another story) I see the free end of the tube coming from the radiator expansion tank was wet (should it just drain to the ground?). I looked in the expansion tank and the coolant was almost to the top and cloudy (looks like green paint, not clear green fluid). Took the top off the radiator after the truck cooled down and the coolant in the radiator was obviously the same. Checking the dip stick shows only clean/clear oil.

Looking at some of the threads here and other places on the web, I could have a multitude of issues on my hands, not the least of which may include a blown head gasket. New changes to the truck include fresh oil change, Petronix ingnition, new spark plugs, set the timing. So, any advice where to start?

[LaneRover]

Are you sure that it isn't something that a coolant flush would take care of?

ie. . . some grunge shook itself loose and is now mixed in with everything or does it really look like there is oil in the mix?

Before jumping in to pulling the head I would definitely try draining the coolant, let a gardenhose run through the system to flush out other stuff, refill with water, run it for a bit and see what you get.

Brent

[Winooski]

I'll get started this evening and let you know how things look, thanks.

Patrick

[LaneRover]

I had an old Saab that had a head problem and after sitting for a bit the oil would rise to the top of the system so when you looked in the radiator it was oil and not coolant on the top. I am not sure how long it took for that to happen but if it is oil floating on top it would definitely tell you that it is a more serious problem than just dirty coolant.

Brent

[Winooski]

Didn't look like oil on top of the coolant, but I'll check again later today. It did run hot the other day when I put the new ingnition in, set the timing, then found the carb to be too lean. All those issues were resolved immediately, but this was the first time I noticed the coolant to be cloudy. Besides oil in the mix, anything else to look out for? Should I try a commercial radiator cleaner/flush (Prestone or similar)?

[SafeAirOne]

A pressure test would be fairly difinitive in determining the integrity of the coling system.

[Winooski]

Last compression test I performed was equal on all 4 cylinders, but it looks like another one is gonna happen tonight.

[SafeAirOne]

Last compression test I performed was equal on all 4 cylinders, but it looks like another one is gonna happen tonight.


Not a compression test--a pressure test of the cooling system. Where the rad cap is removed and a tester is installed, pumped up to a certain psi on the gauge then checked an hour later.

[Winooski]

My mistake, realized I read your post incorrectly shortly after I replied. Will look into it. Thanks.

[LaneRover]

If you haven't done a radiator flush in some time then it might be good to use one of the flushing products for the best results first off.

But you can give it a try with just water. Just make sure that you are catching the stuff coming out. Once it is pretty obvious that it is just clean water then I wouldn't worry about it too much though.

Brent

[Winooski]

Drained the radiator, flushed with water. Must have been some loose stuff in there; first it was green/brown, then ran clear. Ran the engine for a bit, flushed once more, mostly clear. Added some radiator flush to the radiator, topped it off with some water, willl drive for a few hours as is, then see what I get. I'm thinking its a big nothing-burger, but will know more soon.