Brown coolant from my radiator

[civic-dream]

Hey guys..

I replaced my coolant recently and noticed that the colour from my old coolant was brown and my radiator overfill tank(the white plastic container) has brown grime all inside..

is this rust? and how bad is it if i don't get rid of it?
is this why my car overheats at idle?

cheeeerrs

[sam]

yes....get you system flushed out, then refill the coolant.

[civic-dream]

can i do this myself? can i buy some sort of radiator flush or should i get it done at the mechanic?

[bennjamin]

just get a mechanic to do it.

OR search for our DIY on this topic...CLICK HERE (http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/search.php?)

[JasonGilholme]

I think there are some chemicals that you can buy that are designed to help in the flushing of your radiator. Just pour it in and then use a hose to push it through your system. My old man and I did this to his car once and we got a whole heap of junk out of there. Definately fixed his cooling problem.

[mj3610]

just get a mechanic to do it and let him know of the situation, last time i had mine done it cost me $30.

[Limbo]

Yes there are some radiator stubstances goto Supercheap you can get some but...
I'd flush it like this, remove the plug under then radiator, then fill up with water full. Turn on car for 5mins or till it warms up (Not till it gets hot!),Then flush, refill again...
Keep doing this until you see the colour stay clear.

Then get good quality Honda coolant and fill it up.

Note: the Coolant will kill grass for months, so dun do it on a patch of grass your parents like ;)

[civic-dream]

just get a mechanic to do it and let him know of the situation, last time i had mine done it cost me $30.

$30?

i askd a mechanic and he said it will cost $150 to get the radiator cleaned!
is he trying to rip me off or is there more to 'cleaning' the radiator as opposed to 'flushing' it will some chemicals?

:confused:

[kayot1k]

get some corrosion inhibtor fluid.

[[[d a n n y]]]

$30?

i askd a mechanic and he said it will cost $150 to get the radiator cleaned!
is he trying to rip me off or is there more to 'cleaning' the radiator as opposed to 'flushing' it will some chemicals?

:confused:

he was probably talking about a recondition..

recondition normally cost aeround 120

[Nuttz]

is the brown grime in your raidator slimy?? if yes, that means you mixed 2 different brand radiator fluids. Make sure when toping up only use the same stuff or distilled water.

[Limbo]

No slimy usually means that your water seals may be going and your mixing oil from the engine, not a good sign.

If its like a dusty brown than its just corrosion.
OEM Honda coolant has a corrosion inhibitor so just flush out the bad stupp and add new stuff. Its not hard to do so i wouldn't bother a mechanic. He's jsut charge more cos he has to wait for water to go around your car! (rem you themostat won't open fully until it gets warmer)

Actually i use Toyota coolant in my honda ;P
An Ex-Honda mechanic friend of mine told me toyota has a better additive to stop corrosion.

[bigjo5]

$30?

i askd a mechanic and he said it will cost $150 to get the radiator cleaned!
is he trying to rip me off or is there more to 'cleaning' the radiator as opposed to 'flushing' it will some chemicals?

:confused:

nah hes not trying to rip u off most places do it for about $100 to $130.. varies i guess.. they usually send it away to get the radiator serviced, adn they change the top bit of the radiator ... id say the coolant was brown cause maybe it didnt have acual coolant in it and only water..? then it started to form rust over time.. corect me anyone if im wrong

edit: mod. plz delete RMN15N's post i used the wrong account..

[Nuttz]

hey i heard that honda engines and radiators were aliminium and aliminium doesnt rust.. is that true???:)

[destrukshn]

No slimy usually means that your water seals may be going and your mixing oil from the engine, not a good sign.

If its like a dusty brown than its just corrosion.
OEM Honda coolant has a corrosion inhibitor so just flush out the bad stupp and add new stuff. Its not hard to do so i wouldn't bother a mechanic. He's jsut charge more cos he has to wait for water to go around your car! (rem you themostat won't open fully until it gets warmer)

Actually i use Toyota coolant in my honda ;P
An Ex-Honda mechanic friend of mine told me toyota has a better additive to stop corrosion.
i actually don't trust anything but honda coolant with my honda, i've seen many instances that it corrodes things, like water pumps, thermostat housing, by pass hose outlet etc, but have never had a problem with honda coolant.