Strange floating objects on top of Coolant

[fedoragent]

Hello Folks,

 

It's been quite some time since I've posted here.  Life, illness, work, illness have taken me away.  My P15 Coupe is running like a champ and even been running on the freeway.  I went to add some oil today and to check the coolant level.  I opened the cap and saw the following floating at the coolant.  My first thought is...yeah...this isn't good.  Looking for advise and some wise cracks about clovers.  I hope all is well with ALL of you during this holiday season.

 

All my best,

 

FG.

[40plyrod]

I see what you mean about clovers.  Looks to me just like a little of radiator scale. I'd probably put the cap back on and keep driving but I'm sometimes not the most energetic when it comes to maintenance.   

[greg g]

If you haven't been driving it much, it might be related to that.  If you want it wouldn't hurt to drain and replace with new. Or just take a dollar store turkey baster and skim that out and see if more reappears. But as long as there is no overheating, or has no visible leaks some where, I would probably follow the advice above, put the cap on and drive it.

 

Welcome back.

Edited November 30, 2015 by greg g

[Tatback]

All I see is a full coolant level , drive it and enjoy it.

Hopefully you're all better too, nothing worse than not being 100%

[fedoragent]

Thanks folks.  I was able to speak with another P15 owner and he suggested trying to fish out the 'floaters'.  I'm going to do that and run the car.  I don't think there is anything wrong with her...famous last words.

 

FG.

[desoto1939]

I would try to suck out the floaters with a meat baster and then put them is a small container and then pickup one of the floaters to see it is an oily substance or just rust flakes. If an oily substance that check the oil in the crankcase so see if you have a milky white  color in the oil pan.

 

If it is milky white then you have a water leak somewhere and possibly a head gasket.  Does the car run smooth or is there any  roughness to the engine?

 

rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[48ply1stcar]

How is the inside of the radiator cap.  Again, remove floaters and see if they come back.  Can they be removed with a magnet? That might give a hint.

[desoto1939]

_{How old is the antifreeze in the engine block. As antifreeze ages it starts to loos the antirusting agents. So what happens is that the Af still has the capacitiy to stop the freeze of the water but the rust inhibtors break down. So you have a cast iron block and now you develop rust and scale.  So every year I go to the local NAPA store and they sell a product made by GUNK it is a pint bollte that isa an additive for the radiator and is an anti rust inhibitor.  This then adds more chemical to the A.Ff to get the anti rusting agent back upto par. It is also a lubricant for the water pump.}

 

_{So you might be at the point where the A F is starting break down.  Also when changing the A F in your car only use the OLD Green style AF and not the extended versions.  It is still available.}

 

_{Let me know the answer to this question. This might be your issue with the specs.}

 

_{Rich Hartung}

_{Desoto1939@aol.com}

[fedoragent]

Folks, so I just got back from the fact finding mission at the radiator.  I was able to extract a couple of the globs of whatever the hell it is out of the radiator.  There were not many.  I am going to the 99 cent store to get a turkey baster to see if I can get it all out.  Attached are photos from the fact finding mission.  A couple of things...

 

• The antifreeze as far as I know is from 2010.  Could be from before, all I know is that it was there when I bought it from the old gent.  She's never been changed.
• Last year, I put water wetter in the antifreeze as she was getting a bit hot.  She's been cool ever since.
• My car leaks oil from the rear main seal, but I don't see how oil could have gotten under the radiator cap or in the radiator.  

Now about the globules:

 

• They come off as dark grey/green.  As you'll see in the photos that am posting, they are all over the cap as well.  
• Some of it got onto my finger, and I noticed that it was *not* oily at all.  Quite in fact that after it hit my finger, it evaporated.  I washed my fingers thoroughly with hot water and antibacterial soap to make sure it was of no danger to me.
• Although it looks like grease, it isn't.  It smears....like dirt on a paper towel.
• It floats to the top.  I tried an experiment where I tried with a wood stick to push it down.  It floated immediately to the top.
• Probably not the smartest gig, but I decided to sniff it.  It does not smell like grease, oil or rust.  It smells like antifreeze.
• I decided to take a bright light to see if I could see through the antifreeze.  I could.  So none of whatever this rubbish is at the bottom.  And I can't see any rust.
• Whatever it is, it is all over the cap as well.

Theory:

 

• Theory 1:  Perhaps I didn't have the cap on very well, and perhaps the rubber on the cap is dried rubbish.  Perhaps grease and dirt are getting under the cap and into the top of the anti freeze.  
• Theory 2:  The antifreeze is old and the interaction with the Water Wetter could have caused some kind of separation.
• Theory 3:  It could be gunk from the inside of the radiator wall debrided by the Water Wetter.
• Theory 4:  As posited by user MarkD in a phone conversation we had last night...maybe it could be head gasket bust time and oil is getting into the radiator.  (DEAR GOD I HOPE NOT.)

Please let me know what your thoughts are.  Again, the car runs like a top with no problems...

 

Thanks,

FG.

Edited December 1, 2015 by fedoragent

[mopar_earl]

Nothing a good flushing, thermostat, hoses, cap and new coolant wouldn't fix.

Earl

Edited December 1, 2015 by mopar_earl

[fedoragent]

I would try to suck out the floaters with a meat baster and then put them is a small container and then pickup one of the floaters to see it is an oily substance or just rust flakes. If an oily substance that check the oil in the crankcase so see if you have a milky white  color in the oil pan.

 

If it is milky white then you have a water leak somewhere and possibly a head gasket.  Does the car run smooth or is there any  roughness to the engine?

 

rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

BTW, it runs like a champ.  No roughness to the idle and it runs smoother than my old Mercedes.

 

FG.

[fedoragent]

How is the inside of the radiator cap.  Again, remove floaters and see if they come back.  Can they be removed with a magnet? That might give a hint.

 

How is the inside of the radiator cap.  Again, remove floaters and see if they come back.  Can they be removed with a magnet? That might give a hi

 

 

 

I removed some.  I still have to get the baster.  Also, I tried the magnet trick.  No magnetism.

FG.

[fedoragent]

Nothing a good flushing, thermostat, hoses, cap and new coolant wouldn't fix.

Earl

 

I am leaning more towards this, the flushing, new cap and new coolant.  The hoses are semi new, within the last 5-6 years and are not dry.  I've never done the flushing or new coolant so this will be a bit of a new area for me.  I've done it on other cars.  I wish years ago I had taken up Dezeldoc on his offer to come out to Palmdale to learn some things from him.

 

FG.

[T120]

Replacing the coolant with a 50/50 mix ,(water and antifreeze), is probably a good idea....Come to think of it, I guess we haven't heard from Dezeldoc on the forum for some time and I hope all is well .

[Dodgeb4ya]

I would just do a complete drain and refill (block and Rad). JMO!

If you try to flush with a hose you might stir up sediment and end up partially plugging the radiator and or heater core.

 

To flush the safe way on an old car system it's wise to pull the hoses off the radiator and flush just the radiator.

 

Then remove the block drain plug or petcock, remove the thermostat and housing and flush the block through the head.

 Best thorough way is to remove lower level core plugs to really clean block well...but a lot of extra work.

 

Bob