Hello everyone. I usually hang out over on the 80-86 forum but thought I should ask this here to.

Anyway here's the problem. My son has a 2000 Ranger 3.0L V6 he left me when he had to move back up to Las Vegas. I was out checking it out today and pulled the radiator cap, man what a mess. It looks like reddish mud in there and the overflow tank. It's not milky like oil in there it's more like mud. It's caked up on the bottom of the cap and inside the filler neck and the coolant looks the same.

So the questions are, what's the best way to clean it all out and any ideas what would cause it?

 

How many miles, how many times has it been flushed and refilled, how many cans of stop leak have been poured in it. Pull the bottom hose off and flush with fresh water, that may clean the radiator, then back flush the engine, but don't be supprised when you fill it back up the thermostat sticks, and you have other leaks.

 

Not sure on the miles, will have to look. It's been flushed at least once 3-4 years ago when I got it but don't think my son has done it at all. Don't believe any stop leak has been added, at least sense we got it, sense it doesn't have any leaks.

 

Sounds like stop leak to me. Take the radiator out altogether to flush it out. Remove the thermostat and refill with just distilled water and run that way for awhile.
The problem with leak stop is that it's just a clay like product that settles wherever the cooling system lets it drop out of suspension. Sometimes that's at a leak, usually it's just a slow spot in the flow. Anyway it settles out and solidifies into a plug. I had a Bronco that the water pump quit pumping because the pump housing was half full of stop leak.
So check the flow in the radiator after refilling with distilled water and without the thermostat in.

 

Well Finally got the chance to work on the Ranger again.

Did a couple flushes with the over the counter stuff and didn't see any leaks.
So did a flush with Cascade dish washer detergent and if was looking good.
Then I filled it with distilled water and will run it for a week and see what happens.

Thanks for all the replies.
Keith