What is this stuff in my coolant?

[Trapper77]

Ok, don't know why all of a sudden this stuff concerns me since it has been there since as long as I can remember but, any of you have a brown sludge in the bottom of your overflow? It looks just like the color of the anti freeze until you stick your finger in it and bring it out. Then it is brown. Is it casting stuff? What should I do about it? It covers the bottom of the reservoir about 1/4 inch deep.

Thanks in advance.

Trapper

 

[jvencius]

Ok, don't know why all of a sudden this stuff concerns me since it has been there since as long as I can remember but, any of you have a brown sludge in the bottom of your overflow? It looks just like the color of the anti freeze until you stick your finger in it and bring it out. Then it is brown. Is it casting stuff? What should I do about it? It covers the bottom of the reservoir about 1/4 inch deep.

Thanks in advance.

Trapper

It's probably casting sand that you can eliminate with a coolant filter kit from Dieselsite. The link is in my sig but since I have a 7.3, you'll have to poke around the site for their 6.0 kit.

 

[atk]

Ok, don't know why all of a sudden this stuff concerns me since it has been there since as long as I can remember but, any of you have a brown sludge in the bottom of your overflow? It looks just like the color of the anti freeze until you stick your finger in it and bring it out. Then it is brown. Is it casting stuff? What should I do about it? It covers the bottom of the reservoir about 1/4 inch deep.

Thanks in advance.

Trapper

when i changed my thermostat, i took the over flow bottle off and washed it out, you won`t get it all out, but most of it....i used 10 minute rad flush and flushed it with hot water...soon i will have a coolant filter on mine(from Diesel Lite) and that should help....

 

[powerboatr]

normal stuff and some sand, the brown stuff is the anti leak additive put in at the factory on the first fill. it gets pretty nasty and sticky
coolant filter will help but now when you aproach your regulary scheduled cooalnt flush and change you could remove the degass bottle and clean it out real good, before you put in new coolant

 

[FTG-05]

It's probably casting sand that you can eliminate with a coolant filter kit from Dieselsite. The link is in my sig but since I have a 7.3, you'll have to poke around the site for their 6.0 kit.

I installed my coolant filter kit from Dieselsite.com right at 40 miles on the odometer: http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=324

Good luck.

Al

 

[bushpilot]

its SAND...makes the level hard to read too...install a filter youll be
glad you did...get some extra filters too...the 1st one plugs up from
crud in no time (mine plugged in less than 1000 miles)...2nd one plugged
in about 3k or so...and the 3rd one has been on there nearly a year (just
changed it)

 

[Mike K]

bushpilot, how do you know when it is plugged/time to change the filter?

 

[DaveBen]

Feel the filter to see if it is hot. If it is hot, then you have water flowing through it. If it is cooler than the radiator, then there is a restriction in the flow and the filter needs to be changed. That is how I do it.

Dave

 

[bushpilot]

as dave says...cool to the touch = plugged (and trust me youll know
when the diff between cool & "NOT" cool

 

[Mike K]

ohh sweet.... i am going to try that out on one of our international dump trucks next time they come into the shop... i know they have the coolant filters.