firedoug

I bought a used 2008 SCREW 4x4 with 86k on the clock a few months ago. I have been going thru all the systems since purchase. The truck previously lived in Salt Lake City, UT... Now in So Calif.

I am guessing my coolant had never been changed. I have never seen this much gunk in the coolant tank, it was like a coating of clay all inside the tank. I could put my finger in the tank and rub this gunk on to my finger.... looked and felt just like clay????

So here is was I did. Opened the petcock on the passenger side of radiator, drained the radiator and removed coolant tank and washed it out with water and pool acid and agitation to get all the gunk off the tank walls.... this took some time. After cleaned up I rinsed the tank several times with fresh water.

Reinstalled the tank and filled the system with 2 jugs of Prestone Flush and tap water. Ran the truck for about 20 mins with heater on and then drained. Then I filled the tank with tap water 3 times to rinse out the cleaner and all the gunk. Kept getting really nasty rusty looking fluid out of tank until last flush, which was looking better but still a bit rusty in my catch bucket.

Each flush was preformed after running truck up to temp with heater on high and then the petcock was opened on the radiator and allowed to drain. I then pressurized my coolant tank with air compressor to get as much fluid as possible out of the system.

I then refilled with Zerex G-05 coolant/distilled water 50/50. I am going to carry a spare of jug of 50/50 around with me for a couple of weeks and re-check the system.

Total cost was about $40.00 for supplies. Took about 2.5 hours total, but I did other projects around the house during warm up/rinse cycles.

I felt that I put a little more love in to a thorough flush then the dealer system would have done. Since it was so gunked up I think it need some serious TLC.

Is anyone have thoughts on how why the coolant system could have gotten so dirty? Is this normal?

Doug

j_blueridge

I can't speak for Utah or Ca, but here in central VA there is a ton of dissolved iron oxide/rust in the groundwater. This is present in our tap water. If I let a gallon of water sit, I will find a layer of crud on the bottom of the jug a week later. A Brita pitcher filter catches a lot of it but not all. I would suspect that or a pH level other than 7 that encouraged crud to fom. I swam in the the Great Salt Lake once and there were a lot of iridescent puddles on the beach there... strange salts.

Sounds like you did the right thing.