Hi everyone...long time caller, short time listener. I'm having a problem and I'm looking for ideas. My truck is super old. My coolant keeps getting contaminated, I installed a filter. Here is what happens to it after about a week. The material feels like sand, so my thoughts are rust flaking off, but it keeps building up so quickly, clogging the filter. I'm worried I have a head-gasket leak or something contaminating my coolant with oil or combustion products. Any thoughts?


https://drive.google.com/open?id=15o3SNwTD_ymN1prdjUP-xNf8CmxyGCsf

[Edited on February 12, 2020 at 3:28 PM. Reason : img]

2/12/2020 3:28:28 PM

get your coolant and oil analyzed:
https://www.blackstone-labs.com/tests/tests-price-list/

2/12/2020 3:36:57 PM

I would flush & replace with some cleaner, then continue to monitor the filter. if it tapers off, might just be years of shit buildup being knocked loose. At worst, you've spent some labor on it.

2/13/2020 10:37:24 AM

coolant flush time

2/13/2020 10:01:18 PM

If I remember correctly hes been fighting this problem for a long time despite coolant flushes, that's why I recommended getting fluids analyzed before wasting any time doing anything else

2/13/2020 10:39:21 PM

radiator is failing.

2/14/2020 7:05:49 AM

what is the vehicle?

2/14/2020 8:01:13 AM

1995 Ford Explorer Sport.

I've had the filter on there and cleaning it out for about 6 months now. Replacing the heater core is quite a chore, so I'd love not to have to do that. But bypassing it to see if the corrosion stops is a great plan :-)
If it doesn't, then I can take off the water pump and look at that. My heater core is the highest part of the system, so there is negative pressure in it. If it had developed a leak then that would be pulling air into the system continuously.

2/15/2020 12:03:21 PM

Quote :

"My heater core is the highest part of the system, so there is negative pressure in it. If it had developed a leak then that would be pulling air into the system continuously."

I have never heard of this

2/17/2020 9:04:21 AM

https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/heater-core-woes.215965/

lololol

2/18/2020 11:57:08 AM

Quote :

"If I remember correctly hes been fighting this problem for a long time despite coolant flushes, that's why I recommended getting fluids analyzed before wasting any time doing anything else"

repeatedly clogging and cleaning a filter is not the same as a coolant flush.

it's easier than pulling the water pump.

2/25/2020 10:55:35 PM

I know nothing about Explorers, but I had an early 00s Taurus and they were notorious for corrosion in the cooling system/heater core and just a terribly engineered system in general so I wouldn't be surprised if the same is true of explorers.

2/26/2020 3:54:51 PM