Muddy Waters

[Keith L 2]

I just recently bought an '01 Sport Trac that obviously has been driven a lot off road. The underside was full of dirt and all the places the detailers missed are dirt stained. My question is this. The antifreeze has a lot of sediment almost like mud in the reservior and what I can see in the radiator. It needs a good flushing out. It doesn't run hot or anything like that, its just dirty. What is the most effective way to flush out the cooling system at home?

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

I use a cooling flush made by Dupont or Prestone. Add it to the antifreeze, run the engine as described on the label with the heater on. Drain the mixture. I refill with plain water and rerun. I repeat this. I drain the cooling system and observe that it is clear. The problem now is that all the water doesn't come out. Some still remains. I determine my total coolant capacity from the manual. I determine how much antifreeze is needed for a 50/50 solution and add it. I fill the remaining with distilled water. I start the engine and wait until it is as temperature (cap off) and top off the system to the indicated level.



Others may use a different technique.

 

[Robert Stanton]

I can't add to the topic, per se, but are you sure you didn't get a flood vehicle? There are going to be a ton of "great deals" out there after all the cars that were flooded from Katrina.

 

[Wes Davis]

I believe radiator flush kits are available at Walmart and any auto parts store that you hook up to the garden hose and just let the vehicle run for some time with the drain open until you have clean water flowing through the entire system.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Good catch Bahb. He is in Louisiana. I would have that vehicle checked thoroughly by a mechanic as soon as possible.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Check any and all other fluids. Looks to see if they are discolored as well.



Flooded vehicles normally have issues with module run components. So if all of your goodies work chances are it is not a flooded vehicle. No guarantee, but a good sign...

 

[Keith L 2]

Hey guys, I appreciate the concerns but the truck owner lived in Brookhaven, Mississippi which is about 3 hours north of New Orleans. I bought it at a Ford dealership there where it was traded in.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Lashk...Any used vehicles in Louisiana, Missipi, Fla, and the SE states could be from flood-damaged areas. Be cautious.

 

[Robert Stanton]

Yeah... they've been warning us up here in Memphis, even.

 

[Johnny O]

Old antifreeze will look like that regardless. On the other hand, from MS it could indeed be a flood victim. Mine gets muddy underneath from off-roading, but check under the floor mat. I would change the fluids in the axles, t-case, tranny, oil, steering, brakes, everything, just to be safe.

 

[Dale Carter]

ANY used vehicle should be carfaxed, regardless of location. We were seeing Katrina vehicles hit the market in SoCal as early as October. If an insurance claim was paid, it will be there. A thorough cleaning will prevent detection by visual inspection. Saltwater causes almost immediate rust on every piece of ferrous metal on the car and even causes aluminum to corrode. Freshwater, often in large numbers from hurricanes, is harder to detect and most numerous.



Also, if "Boodro" bought a few gallons of Simple Green and cleaned the truck thoroughly before he traded it in, no such luck with vehicle histories. Used car departments taking trades and dealers buying at auction get snookered all the time by unscrupulous people like this. They also can pass cars along with knowing it.

 

[Keith L 2]

Whoa!!! Alright guys, I ran a Carfax before I bought the truck. And, there are absolutly no signs whatsoever that this truck was flooded. No rust, no smell, no mechanical problems. I called a local Ford dealership and he told me that the muddy looking coolant is not abnormal for coolant when it has been left in a vehicle too long without changing it. He said to just flush it like you normally would and keep on truckin'

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

lashk, muddy looking coolant is not so unusual. If the same coolant has been in there since it was built, I'd say that is exactly what you would expect it to look like. I wouln't worry about it too much.

 

[Kelly Traylor]

My used ST came with muddy looking coolant. I flushed the system with one of the kits you add to the heater line, added new coolant and things have been fine.



PS - Mud under the carpet is not really an indication of flooding. I have gotten my ST stuck several times and when extracting you always end up with mud all over your boots. After getting the majority out, the only real way to clean it up is a careful hosing out. I try to use as little water as possible when doing mine, but I am sure that there is mud under my carpet now...



Hope this helps

KatManT