Brown stuff in my header cooling tank

[jbourgui]

Hi Elan-people,

The contents of my cooling system is looking like this when I open my header tank cap. 1 cm under the stuff there is the normal fluid (with a brown colour) at the right level. It's been for 3 years sofar en there has been no trouble besides this stuff. Cooling fluid is yearly changed. Cooling system is cleaned before refilling. Stuff and colour returns after some time. Drove about 30.000 km's the last 3 years. Everything is OK. Oil is looking good at the dipstick, and the fillercap. Oilpressure is OK. Performance is still amazing and also the consumption is normal. No black, white or blue smoke at the exhaust. Engine fires up at all circumstances with no hesitation. In really wet weather conditions engine stops sometimes when at traffic-lights.

The last weeks the pressure in de cooling header tank is higher (I think) en there is pressure even after a day (!)

What could be the problem? "Head gasket" most people told me. Are there any other opinions or some words of advice?

Thanks for your time!

Jan-Paul
The Netherlands

[Nige]

Your photos have not posted correctly but the brown stuff is most likely rust and general corrosion within the cooling system not a sign of a head gasket problem. The increase in pressure in the system is however more of a concern and the last one I know of with this problem had a head gasket problem.

[markv]

Regarding pressure in the tank after a day, I think it be mine that Nige is referring too. I had a thick, creamy coating just like yours on the inside of the header tank cap, pressure in the tank after almost a week and (the giveaway I think) if I dipped my finger in the header tank water, there was a strong, unpleasant smell of hydrocarbons. Head gasket problem: up to £1k Sorry!

[nitroman]

That looks like more than just brown "disolved" rust floating around in your coolant. That looks frothy, like air has been forced into it.

Rust = acid = corrosion. The head gasket is easier to dissolve than the engine block so it is gradually compromised until coolant can finally force its way through.

I'd start checking the coolant & changing it more often, at the first sign of rust (which has obviously already taken root in the engine).

I don't know if there is some kind of flushing product which CLAIMS to neutralize the rust?

[nitroman]

Upon further reflection:

Poo? Dude, someone took a dump in your coolant!

[GeoffSmith]

Regarding pressure in the tank after a day, I think it be mine that Nige is referring too. I had a thick, creamy coating just like yours on the inside of the header tank cap, pressure in the tank after almost a week and (the giveaway I think) if I dipped my finger in the header tank water, there was a strong, unpleasant smell of hydrocarbons. Head gasket problem: up to £1k Sorry!

Unfortunately

It looks like mayonnaise (oil/water emulsion + air) due to head gasket problem but it could be catshit.

[Specky]

emulsified oil in the coolant tank

Don't forget oil floats on water too...

TTFN

[HJ2]

Godverkaatje!
Dat lijkt verdacht veel op mijn coolant header tank inhoud...

(in plain english: Bloody *** this looks like my coolant header tank....)

Perhaps we can make a deal for 2 gasket swaps....

[Nige]

Now I can see the photos then sorry to say, head gasket problem most likely. You certainly have oil getting into the water and this is the most likely route.

[tweetdriver63]

Looks like the inside of a used diaper. I wouldn't want that circulating in my engine. Best get it to the hospital before it dies.

[ovi]

Yep,
head gasket problem !

[Andy_J]

Looks Like Head gasket to me. You could try flushing your cooling system completely, refilling and seeing if the brown mush comes back. If it is HGF then it will come back.

[jbourgui]

An update:

I changed the cooling fluid and cleaned the system several times with H2O. Brown stuff is not returning. The H2O stays slightly brown. When warming up the engine the cooling tank boiles over at a certain level of degrees Celsius. It doesn't come with violence (syringes).

Could it be a gasket (if there is one) near the thermostat? Air/pressure seems to come from that hose (also).

Thanks for your time!

Jan-Paul

[rip]

Have you smelled the coolant? As mentioned earlier, if you do have HGF, it should smell of petrol fumes.
Another thing to try is to take out each spark plug & shine a light onto the piston crowns. If you find that one of them looks black & the other silver(ish), then your gasket will have failed around this cylinder.

When you have changed the coolant, how strong have you made it? I have been recommended to use 40-50% anti-freeze to keep corrosion at bay. Any stronger & you'll impair cooling efficiency.
I would avoid the pink 5-year anti-freeze too - it does not like copper or brass.

[Monty]

I was wondering the same thing and if your using the correct Coolant/antifreeze and that you are mixing the correct amount.

You don`t always get fumes in the coolant when a HG fails, that all depends on were the gasket fails, but if your getting alot of pressure in the coolant system then more than likely its the HG. Best thing is take the care to a garage and get a Block test (sniffer test) done and or a compression test.

[lotuska]

You could try my technique for checking your head gasket, see the video in the following link.

[jbourgui]

Hi Members,

A few months later and about 2000 km on the road the problem seems to be solved by a new thermostat. I drove about 500 km without a thermostat because the new one had to be found in GB and the garage had already removed the old one. They told me to drive without one and to check the cooling tank form time to time. I got the right temperature (by gauche) in the engine by partly covering the radiator. The brown stuff didn't return sofar

They also tested the compression and found no failures or problemms

But i'll keep you posted. I'm not fully set at ease.

Included some pictures of the old thermostat.

Jan-Paul

NB. there's also other good news. Soon there will arrive a Hi-spec front brake DIY conversion form GB

[HJ2]

Dat ziet er goed uit!

Let's hope the brown goo doesn't return. However.... I cannot imagine why a new thermostate would solve your problem?