So I did a coolant flush on my mustang the other day because i noticed my temp gauge has been getting pretty high... and in the radiator was a significant buildup of white stuff in the radiator and in the coolant reserve tank in the bottom. I flushed the radiator and the block as much as I could, and then I also took off the reserve tank to get all the white crap out. Well I thought i got most of it out, and I put in fresh coolant and well the fresh coolant turned milky clear again.

What is this white build up, where is it from?

I heard it could be oil from a blown head gasket?

 

Is the oil milky looking? If its like white crusty stuff it could just be corrosion, I remember reading something about if theres an electric current in the cooling system it will form stuff like you said.

 

I didnt touch it, but it seems like the white stuff is just crusty. But like its dulling out the color of coolant cuz I guess its soaking in?

Im gonna check the color of the coolant again tomorrow when its actually light outside, i just noticed it was dull colored tnight when i checked the level, i am alos bringing it in the shop too.

I am thinking of selling this car, I want a newer car.

 

but is the motor oil white and milky looking? The cooling system is one area on these cars that usually needs some maintenance. All I did to my car was a 180 t-stat, a good condition used fan and clutch from ebay, new water pump and radiator and I don't have any problems, so don't let it frustrate you.

 

3 weeks ago i changed the oil and it was clean, nothing out of the ordinary, so unless I blew a gasket in the past 3 weeks and didnt notice I guess its just a calcium buildup.

The reason why i say i want a newer car is just that i would love an 03-04 Cobra i have been hooked on them since they came out. Lower miles on it this way i know when stuff was changed and how it was maintained for the most part of the cars life.

I am just beginning to think my car was too good to be true and was some what neglected for the 45k miles the past owner had it. And I am frustrated cuz lately this car has just been a pain and a money pit.

Sorry to vent Valentino lol just kinda in an aggrivated mood lately.

 

mine was like that - rotten hoses and a lot of that white, crusty crap on the radiator/water pump inlets/outlets - was so bad, parts where the hoses attach actually corroded away (holes)! went to a shop that specializes in radiator/cooling systems and had the system flushed & pressure tested to make sure there were no internal leaks. probably just have to flush it again if the system checks out fine.

 

That is corrosion in the system....very common if the coolant isn't changed regularly. Really the best way to eliminate it is to replace the radiator....you can try the flush kits but they might only get part of it out and soften the rest causing what you are experiencing with the milky look. The other downside is that your heater core probably looks the same and we all know what a pain they are to change out. The rest of the system usually won't have the same problem, it's just a chemical reaction with the material of the radiator and heater core.

 

yes, we do

but glad its done

 

Yeah thats exactly where it all was, was the radiator. Wasnt in the hoses at all and not by the t-stat. The only place where it was other than the radiator was the resevoir tank (part of the radiator) on the bottom. I am replacing the radiator.

Thanks for the responses!

 

Cool. (no pun intended!) May as well go with an aluminum unit while you're at it.

 

Not trying to hijack the thread; but talking about a core. My buddys core went in his 90 hatch. He had a retired Ford mechanic put a new Ford unit in for him. The new replacement is nothing like the original that came out of it. The org is soldered very well at the base of the 2 tubes, plus they are connected via a small piece that is soldered well also. A very nice unit. Now I see what you meant SV about the Ford one vs. an aftermarket unit. No comparison/ BUT.....

The new unit had a Ford sticker on the box, but was made in Mexico. The 2 tubes are very poorly constructed with no support between them at all. The inlet hose looks like it is tapered quite a bit more than the org; I don't know why; there is a restrictor valve in the hose anyway. The both tubes look thin and weak. So weak in fact, that the mechanic shook his head in discuss, and put some bracing between the 2 tubes for flex support. Can you imagine ? Go figure!

We counted the fins on the new unit also. There was quite a few less compared to the old one. The org one was also quite a bit heavier. The mechanic said it looked like a cheap aftermarket unit, only with a ford sticker on it. He called it junk. I kept the old one that came out of his car just in case/ at least to have the 2 good ends for a recore. There's no way that piece of crap would go in my car. What gives SV ? Should people start saving the ends and having them recored ? That's what the mechanic suggested. Quality control my a** ?

 

Ford suppliers to change and sometimes the parts change over time. I have 2 Ford cores here and they are Valeo cores, made in mexico Ford part number E9LY-18476-A(these also fit thunderbirds and Lincoln Mark VII models as well as the Mustang). My cores were produced in 2004 and 2005. On my cores there is no support bracket but the tubes are not flimsy like the aftermarket ones I have seen from Autozone or Advance Auto parts.

Another thing to watch out for from any parts source is parts swapping...if the box looks like it has been opened before, check the parts!!! Sometimes people put the cheap part back in the Ford box and return it just like sometimes people put a damaged or bad part back in a box and return it to Autozone....I've run across quite a few of those!

But if it had a Valeo sticker on the core itself(unless someone was good at removing and swapping the sticker) then it is possible that the quality of the Ford units has gone downhill.

 

I will ask the mechanic when I see him again about the sticker. He mentioned the same thing about the core; possibly being swapped out, and a lesser grade one put in a ford box. Thanks.

 

If the white stuff is like milky goo it is probably oil. If it is like a flake or crust then it may be stuff dislodged during the flush. Keep an eye on your engine oil and make darn sure no milky stuff shows up there.