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Radiator is empty, gunk on cap ...?
I realized that my radiator is empty today. There is gunk on the underside of the radiator cap and I think it's oil :( The engine temperature has been high and the cabin heater blows air but it's never hot. Obviously I need to refill the radiator. But ...
Is the gunk (maybe oil) because I cracked the head or something? The engine has full power and runs fine.
And should I refill the radiator, get a coolant flush, or just take it as is (being careful not to further overheat the engine - it's ok for driving 10 mins) and get the coolant flush so I save the cost of refilling the radiator?
What does a coolant flush help with? Making it easy for the coolant to be pumped through the coolant system?
It's obvious I don't know much about this stuff ...
Vehicle: 1997 GMC S1500, 4.3L V6
I only had time to watch the first 0:30 of the video but it already sounds applicable. Thanks so much for the link!
2 Answers
- Michael SLv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
Here's the thing. Proper maintenance and checking all the fluids periodically would have told you that the coolant was getting low. Coolant getting low ALWAYS means you have a leak. Where it was leaking from originally is anybody's guess. Running the coolant low could have also overheated the engine enough to blow the head gasket. A coolant flush isn't going to take care of the leak, and if it's still leaking, the coolant flush will be wasted money because the coolant will leak out.
For now put water in and take it to a radiator shop for a complete diagnosis and repair of the cooling system.
- ?Lv 78 years ago
If you do have oil in your radiator it's likely from either a blown head gasket or a cracked transmission cooling line (if it's an automatic).
A cooling system flush is a good idea and will help to remove the build up of crud inside your cooling system.
Fill your radiator with water to get to the shop that will flush and refill your cooling system with fresh coolant.
The flush will help allow coolant to flow more easily through the radiator and will result in improved cooling.
For a tutorial on how to diagnose and repair a cooling system problem, please view the below video.