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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 07:24 AM
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sludge

akswck my cool and after a trip and it's sledg. What does that mean? I'm using the red colored coolant and I saw a couple of white beads on the cab. I don't seem to have any leaks but it was low in the bottle.
 
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 07:25 AM
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dang voice recognition. The first sentence should have read that I checked my coolant after a long trip and it was sludgy.
 
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 09:34 AM
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your poor truck. i don't know how many posts ive seen of yours.

Have you previously had a oil cooler job? possible oil residue in the cooling system.

Blown oil cooler? Is it chocolate milk in the tank or no?

For it being low obviously look for external leaks before thinking internal consumption
 
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 04:06 PM
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Can you get any pics?
 
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 05:03 PM
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Is it grey paste or more orangeish like marmalade
 
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 07:14 PM
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Here's some pics. Just took them and it's not as sludgy now since I topped it off with distilled water this morning.

It occurs to me that it may be tranny fluid. I took my radiator out a few weeks ago to have the top cap repaired. Couldn't get the passenger side tranny line to come off so I took the entire fitting out. It still had the oil ring/white gasket? around it, so I just screwed it right back in the repaired radiator. No fluid leaked so I assumed it was good.






I gotta take the gf out right now, but I'll check back in the morning for any advice.

If it's tranny, why would I be low on coolant? Would my tranny fluid be low? Haven't check it.
 
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Old Aug 14, 2015 | 08:36 PM
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I thought if coolant and tranny fluid mix it turns into a pink looking milk, not quite as separated like that.
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 08:16 AM
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Transfluid mix would look like peptobismol.
But easy to check, your trans would be over full.
It kind of looks like fuel to me.
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 08:32 AM
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Originally Posted by cheezit
Transfluid mix would look like peptobismol.
But easy to check, your trans would be over full.
It kind of looks like fuel to me.
How would fuel get in the coolant?

How would I confirm that?
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 09:15 AM
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OK, read up a little here and understand how fuel gets into coolant from a cracked head, but how can I confirm this is fuel? Also, I have a load on my truck that I'm supposed to deliver today. 400-mile round trip. So far, I haven't seen any symptoms of the truck running bad - doesn't overheat. What are the chances of it blowing up/breaking down if I made that trip before I pull it out of service?
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by IHateCommieCars
How would fuel get in the coolant?

How would I confirm that?
Fuel in the coolant come from a cracked head.

Fuel in the coolant will make ALL the rubber in the cooling system swell up and fail. Big big mess.
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by IHateCommieCars
OK, read up a little here and understand how fuel gets into coolant from a cracked head, but how can I confirm this is fuel? Also, I have a load on my truck that I'm supposed to deliver today. 400-mile round trip. So far, I haven't seen any symptoms of the truck running bad - doesn't overheat. What are the chances of it blowing up/breaking down if I made that trip before I pull it out of service?
My understanding is that if it was diesel you would be able to easily recognize the diesel smell when you open the degas bottle. Take a wiff from the bottle and if you smell diesel you know what it is. If there is no diesel odor then look elsewhere.

This is only what I have read, no experience with diesel in the coolant.
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 10:12 AM
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Well, took turns smelling the degas bottle and my gas cap, and it doesn't seem to smell like diesel at all. What would oil in the coolant look like? Since I took that pic yesterday, and without driving the truck, the orangish gunk on the degas cap now has a whitish film, like the white beads I saw yesterday.
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 10:36 AM
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I would look into what was used and how your radiator was repaired. Adhesives/solvents?
 
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Old Aug 15, 2015 | 10:37 AM
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I was a quart low on oil. But the oil's color looks fine, and there was no signs of coolant on the stick or oil fill cap. It's been right at 5000 miles since my last oil change.

So, losing oil and coolant??? Where could they be going?

I'm going to deliver this load and see how much oil I lose. Wish me luck, damn hot here in Texas to be broke down on the road.
 
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