I'm driving a 1999 Buick Regal GS with the supercharger. I got it at 113k a couple years back, and have since done all kinds of maintenance and repairs to keep it in top shape.
However, I have done about 3 or 4 coolant changes since I got it, because the first time I did a coolant change, it came out with a lot of brownish-orange chunks. So I did a replacement the first time. Then the second time, I went a little more in-depth:
- Drain old coolant
- Run car with heat on max and engine up to temp, running a hose into the radiator to flush the engine and heater core
- Drain remaining water
- Replace with distilled water and prestone cooling system flush.
- Run car like this for a while
- Drain yet again
- Replace with 50 50 mix of Dex and Distilled Water.
By the end, everything was draining clear. But there still seems to be a bit of sludge built up on parts, especially the reservoir.
But not only that, there are black dots in the coolant that show up on things like funnels when inserted into the coolant. There is no oily or rainbow film on the surface of the coolant, so it doesn't appear to be oil. I was thinking it could be bits from hoses, or old, thickened coolant that was stuck inside parts (like from stop leak?).
Anyway, what are some things to look out for in Dex-Cool or any other coolant? What are they symptoms of? Things like rustiness (hard to see in orange dex cool), cloudiness, black dots, oil films, sludge, and anything else. (I also heard one about coolant voltage)
I would like to be able to diagnose and troubleshoot issues on my own in the future.
However, I have done about 3 or 4 coolant changes since I got it, because the first time I did a coolant change, it came out with a lot of brownish-orange chunks. So I did a replacement the first time. Then the second time, I went a little more in-depth:
- Drain old coolant
- Run car with heat on max and engine up to temp, running a hose into the radiator to flush the engine and heater core
- Drain remaining water
- Replace with distilled water and prestone cooling system flush.
- Run car like this for a while
- Drain yet again
- Replace with 50 50 mix of Dex and Distilled Water.
By the end, everything was draining clear. But there still seems to be a bit of sludge built up on parts, especially the reservoir.
But not only that, there are black dots in the coolant that show up on things like funnels when inserted into the coolant. There is no oily or rainbow film on the surface of the coolant, so it doesn't appear to be oil. I was thinking it could be bits from hoses, or old, thickened coolant that was stuck inside parts (like from stop leak?).
Anyway, what are some things to look out for in Dex-Cool or any other coolant? What are they symptoms of? Things like rustiness (hard to see in orange dex cool), cloudiness, black dots, oil films, sludge, and anything else. (I also heard one about coolant voltage)
I would like to be able to diagnose and troubleshoot issues on my own in the future.