#1: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: Scooter_uk, Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 12:43 pm ---- Hi all..
New owner of an old Peugeot 206, 1.4 petrol, 1999
Had it a few weeks and today was looking around at the engine and noticed a lot of sludge in the coolant tank.
I flushed the old crap out and added new mix (antifreeze & water) but was under the impression that lots of gunk in the coolant means my head gasket is going and thats the oil getting in?
its driving great, no problems starting and heats to around 90 on my dash thermometer and gets no hotter so it doesnt seem to overheat.
Could anyone with experience let me know if there could be any other possible reason for this sludge (light brown chicken korma colour!)
Thanks!
#2: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: Steve206, Location: UKPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:09 pm ---- Could be the radiator rusting.
#3: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:19 pm ---- Is there water in the oil? It shows up as a mayonnaise like substance in the oil filler cap. If you have that then it is likely (though still not definitely) the head gasket.
See how your flush and coolant change go. Keep an eye on things before jumping to conclusions.
#4: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: tlsjk, Location: NorwichPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:24 pm ---- sounds more like rusting to me, head gasket is more of a white/cream froth/foam
and is it losing any oil/coolant?
#5: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: Scooter_uk, Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:42 pm ----
kandlbarrett wrote:
Is there water in the oil? It shows up as a mayonnaise like substance in the oil filler cap. If you have that then it is likely (though still not definitely) the head gasket.
See how your flush and coolant change go. Keep an eye on things before jumping to conclusions.
Oil filler cap is clean, oil looks good too.. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
When I did the coolant flush I was getting a lot of thick goo coming out the coolant bleed hole, it would be clear for a while then some goo and etc..
#6: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: Scooter_uk, Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:44 pm ----
tlsjk wrote:
sounds more like rusting to me, head gasket is more of a white/cream froth/foam
and is it losing any oil/coolant?
I don't know if its loosing coolant yet as I only just topped it today, guess ill be keeping an eye on it..
Looks like it was run low in the past thigh, the person that owned this car before didn't even know how to open the bonnet!
#7: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: tlsjk, Location: NorwichPosted: Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:53 pm ----
Scooter_uk wrote:
Looks like it was run low in the past thigh, the person that owned this car before didn't even know how to open the bonnet!
then its a very good idea to keep an eye on it, running a car low is a good way to cook the head & head gasket but sounds like you have been lucky so far
#8: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: Scooter_uk, Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:48 pm ---- Been one day since I flushed the coolant and when I looked today it looks like someone has poured a bucket of milk coffee in my coolant tank. (It also started to bubble over when I took lid off after short drive)
The car still drove great, temperature stayed just below 90, heater works, basically nothing wrong with it..... But I know it's a matter of time until something bad happens so I will be taking it to a garage next week when we have some spare cash.
What I was hoping some of you could answer is could there be a problem elsewhere? As I mentioned there's nothing wrong with car, the oil looks clean plus no gunk on my oil filler cap.
I guess I'm just hoping its anything else but the head gasket, I live in Finland and this costs a fortune I'm sure.
#9: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: kandlbarrett, Location: SwindonPosted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 4:26 pm ---- It does sound like head gasket but because of the unknown history of your car I would flush it again making sure you flush both the radiator and block and again keep an eye on it. If the problem repeats then get a "sniff" test done - this tests the coolant for combustion gases and is a very good test for a failed head gasket.
With regards to bubbling over that can be normal. The coolant system is pressurised and that can raise the boiling point to 120 deg or more. When you release the cap and reduce the pressure the boiling point reverts to 100 degrees so the coolant instantly boils and bubbles over. It is quite dangerous to remove the filler cap on a hot engine!
#10: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: rlees85, Location: DaventryPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 2:37 pm ---- hmm I was reading this and thought maybe the goo could be a build up from someone mixing OAT coolant with standard coolant (especially if you don't know the history and it is very commonly done even my "competent" garages) and that forms goo. It caused my heater matrix to totally not work on my old 306
But after reading the bit about bubbling that does sound like the headgasket. Sometimes you get coolant rushing through the expansion tank return hose back into the tank causing agitation (as mentioned above, is pressurised and is very normal) but proper bubbling is almost 100% headgasket! Especially if it increases when you blip the throttle.
#11: Re: Is sludge in coolant always head gasket going? Author: Steve206, Location: UKPosted: Mon Sep 23, 2013 2:54 pm ---- Run it with plain water and no coolant for a week, and drain and check the water. I'd put my money on a rusting radiator.
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