Brown Coolant
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Bethel Park, PA
Brown Coolant
Just checked my coolant level in my radiator and noticed I have a milky brown substance on top. When I see this, the first thing I worry about obviously is a blown head gasket or some kind of leak letting oil in. Well, I checked the oil and it looks perfectly fine. It's not foamy or anything. The truck runs just fine too. No large amounts of white smoke coming out. The second thing I think of is maybe the tranny fluid is leaking in through the cooler in the radiator. Well, I checked the tranny fluid, and it looks fine as. Looks like it should. Could one of those still be leaking into my coolant without the coolant leaking back into the oil or tranny fluid? Looking at the brown substance, it just has the look to me of some kind of oil just the way it floats to the top. Doesn't just look like dirty coolant to me. Anyway, any advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks.
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2012
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From: At the Beach
^^^ X2, could also be a break in the head gasket between an oil passage and a coolant passage.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Saratoga, NY
Yes thats also true and for a 3.0 more likely than a cracked head.
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Bethel Park, PA
It was a year old when I bought it so I've had it almost 11 years now. It has almost 163,000 miles on it now. One thing I noticed a couple of weeks ago was that the tranny fluid got really low and I had to refill it. It took almost a quart. Usually, the tranny fluid would never move. It hasn't moved since I filled it back up, but once I discovered this I wondered about that leaking into the radiator through the cooler. No coolant in the tranny fluid that I can notice though. Anyway, just something else I'm throwing out there that I noticed recently. I'll get it to a mechanic and see what they say.
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Cargo Master
Joined: May 2001
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You just answered your own question. could very easily be tranny fluid getting into the rad via the tranny cooler. You really hope it is only going that direction the other way and it will ruin the tranny
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Ford, WA
after reading this thread..now i've got some ideas why i'm finding the same type of stuff in the coolant on my 88..i wonder if one of the heads is cracked..2.9L engine..also the cooling system would over pressurize.. but now that problem went away..
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Bethel Park, PA
Just to update, I found out that I do have a leak in the tranny cooler inside the radiator. Now, I have two options. Either, replace the radiator, which I have done once before. Or, install a separate tranny cooler and just close up the holes left from the tranny cooler on the radiator. Now, if I go the route of installing a tranny cooler, how difficult a job is this? Will I have to get new lines or can I somehow use the current lines for it? I'm guessing I would have to install it in front of the radiator so it gets air flow. Anyway, any advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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If you went the aux cooler route it should have flex tubing/couplers to attach to your existing fittings at the radiator. One thought for consideration might be that the tranny fluid depends on some of that residual heat from the coolant to keep the fluid at proper temp in the winter months. Based on where you live that could be an issue.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Saratoga, NY
I would go with a new rad just because of what 03 MAZ B23 said and if the rad is original it prolly has some corrosion inside unless it has been ridiculously maintained. My Plymouth was flushed every 2 years since new by me and it still got scale built up inside and the fins rotted away over time. I replaced it with a aluminum rad, much better. I think an external cooler is meant more as an aux cooler to use in conjunction with the stock cooler.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: South west Idaho
Sounds like the radiator is about gone,i would replace it before it blows out in the middle of no where. As far as trany coolers they can be used alone if they are sized right and placed in a good air flow . I use them alone a lot and have never had any problems. I never did like the idea of water and trany fluid being that close together.
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2009
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Just to update, I found out that I do have a leak in the tranny cooler inside the radiator. Now, I have two options. Either, replace the radiator, which I have done once before. Or, install a separate tranny cooler and just close up the holes left from the tranny cooler on the radiator. Now, if I go the route of installing a tranny cooler, how difficult a job is this? Will I have to get new lines or can I somehow use the current lines for it? I'm guessing I would have to install it in front of the radiator so it gets air flow. Anyway, any advice on this would be appreciated. Thanks.
If you run a separate trans cooler, its a good idea to leave the stock one in place anyway. The stock one, even if its small, is very efficient, oil to water is a fairly efficient heat exchange. It also helps the trans get to operating temperature more quickly. The proper way to hook it up is to come off the return line of the stock cooler, run it to your new cooler, then connect the return on the new cooler to the line back to the trans.
You need to focus on your known existing problem. Good radiators are important, and I've found too many parts store radiators are of marginal quality, and do not provide that great of cooling. They get by, thats about it. Finding the good ones is sometimes tricky. A brand I do recommend, that is not available at most parts stores, is Performance Radiator. They have better cooling performance, often with slightly thicker cores, more fins, and more thermally conductive materials. Focus on brands that have better warranties, and that explain why they are better.