Cooling system activities and some interesting findings (1 Viewer)

[concretejungle]

Replaced a few more hoses on the rig today. That brings the total of hoses i havne't replaced to 3. I'll get those when i put a new valve cover gasket on. Anyways here is the history and then what i found today:

1995 FZJ80, owned since 100,000 miles, currently sitting at 168,000. Toyota Red coolant in system when i purchased it but no known history before my purchase. I replaced the coolant with new OEM toy red soon after purchase. About 1.5 years ago my PHH blew, replaced it and during which time replaced all coolant (was almost like a flush since i continually ran water through it to pinpoint exact location of leak. 5 months ago i did the prestone flush kit and flushed entire system removing block plug and radiator plug. Replaced almost all the upper hoses around the heater valve. No sludge spotted during time of flush or in radiator. . . .

Today, i replaced the three large radiator hoses. During which i found sludge in one location pretty bad. Also noticed just a very small amount on lower hoses, but not much at all. Looking down in radiator, appeared to be very clean. No sign of sludge there.

I wonder why the sludge accumulated where it did? Why is it not located throughout the system and found only in specific locations?

 

[concretejungle]

These pics are what i found sitting at the top of the radiator. Looks like aluminum. Also pics of the lower hoses and barely a trace of sludge. Nothing like the other location.

 

[e9999]

won't comment on the exntended fingers......

isn't the sludge often found in the lower part of the rad? you wouldn't see that very easily.

I would assume for safety that you do have some sludge in rad issues and see what you can clean up.

why it's where it is probably has to do with zones of low flow speed due to elbows, constrictions etc or because of "low points". If the stuff that you show at the neck is a solid chunk, that's a bit disturbing.

 

[topend yobbo]

reverse flush rad, through heater hoses. Add coolant & water, check in 2 weeks.

 

[Truckasaurus]

Seeing as you've flushed the system a couple times here in the last couple years, I would guess at 160,000 miles, your water pump might be giving up the ghost...or at least small pieces of pump. Have you replaced that baby? That, the rad, and those tubes for the rear heater hoses are just about the only aluminum bits in the system, and personally, that chunk look like a bit of impeller. Also, some of that sludge could be bits of pump-to-engine gasket/packing dying off....

Good luck...keep doing what you're doing...you're on the right track to healthy cooling!

 

[concretejungle]

I have not replaced the water pump. Actually, that little piece of metal looked to me like a fin or something coming loose from within the radiator. It looked just like a little piece of aluminum foil. I just wonder why it's so concentrated just there at the pump and almost non-existant everywhere else?