Hi all sifus,

First noob post for this forum, hope to ask a question.

I tried the other day to refil the water Coolant tank, but I notice that the water is brownish in color, do I need to bring it in for checking? This has never happen to me before...

try to flush your coolant

The brownish water could be the rust. Get your radiator flushed and renew the coolant. Do this on a yearly basis to prolong your radiator lifespan.

OIC, thanks I thought ithe radiator needs to be replaced .

pretty normal to have brownish coolant after a few years without flushing.

when you flush out the coolant, just make sure it doesnt have oily substance.

u can also sent the radiator for servicing

flush + clean + new coolant : RM 60++ lidat

if ur car is old, dont simply flush the radiator as it will wash all the rust layer inside the radiator and ur radiator is prone to crack and leaking due to thinner body

I'd suggest you get your radiator serviced 1st.
This would include removing the radiator from the car, getting it's top removed & the innards cleaned thoroughly. If there's a crack or leak, it's better that it's discovered this way than while you're driving.
If things go well, the entire process would be done in a matter of hours & cost yo no more than RM100 (non-KL price though ).

Flushing alone might rid you of the problem for the time being, but it'll come back sooner than you think

Get it done once & get it done right

Brownish water means it's got rusty water... you didn't add coolant, or long time didn't flush and put in new coolant? Coolant has anti-rust properties, plain water doesn't.

I'd try flushing it a few times to get rid of most of the rust build-up and then refill with a cheap coolant + water. If no leaks occurs after a while, I'll continue using it for maybe 20k~40k km, and then drain and put in a good long life coolant like those from Caltex & Toyota. If it leaks, then I'd go get a coolant which seals leaks. Giant sells one such product, but I forgot the brand... maybe someone else can chip in here if they know the brand.

another reason for brownish water is blown head gasket

hello hello...
can explain what is blown head gasket?
thanks

Means your cylinder head gasket is leaking. Usually happens
as the engine ages.

Symptoms may be bubbles rising to the top of your radiator
cap, overheating, reduced engine power.

Try pulling out your spark plug cables in turn while engine
is running. If one (or two) of them drops RPM more than the
others, it either means the gasket is blown at the part where that cylinder is.

This post has been edited by Tham: Jun 12 2008, 05:56 PM

most of the ppl here already stated the reason
could be either ur radiator is dirty or the gasket leaking.

i did my flush few weeks back. hell.. the water is like SUPER THE BROWN MAN!!.. now after reflush, added new coolant.. so far so good.. gonna wait few more weeks to see if the water still turn brownish or not. IF yes.. i guess the gasket could be leaking

Gasket problem will be a frotty brown foam like a shaken coke can..rust would be brownish water with little particles floating in it..correct me if im wrong

I recently got my radiator serviced, which cost me RM100(damn expensive). After servicing the radiator, the mechanic filled in 300ml of coolant and the rest is water.

Logic tells me that I should fill my radiator with only radiator coolant and NO WATER! Doesn't water contribute to the rusting of the radiator?

This post has been edited by JuzJoe: Jan 17 2009, 07:12 PM

LOL no.. You need radiator coolant+water for the radiator..

A proper coolant has anti-rust properties.

By the way, I've read that newer cars (with aluminium radiators?) have a warning sticker on the radiator that no coolant is to be added. So, is water alone enough, as aluminium dissipates heat better? Do normal coolants corrode the material?

Then your logic is flawed by not reading the instructions for the coolant in the first place. Most instructions for coolant mixture around 50:50.

i never used coolant in any of my cars. my 4 year old kancil never faced any problems, yet. my 27 year old accord's water is also brownish due to the rust. that i feel is ok cuz of the age of the car.

my question here is, must i really use a coolant? what if i dont use? benefits in using them compared to 100% water?

A proper coolant inhibits rust, raises the boiling point, lubricates the water pump, etc.