Acura MDX radiator/tranny problem

[Boss302fan]

Got it back on Thursday after having the tranny and radiator replaced because the radiator cooler line failed due to corrosion and inturn mixed tranny fluid and coolant and the tranny then failed.

Drove it for a few hours Friday and everything seemed fine and then thought I would check everything out fluid wise Saturday morning. Noticed that the tranny fluid level looked good and was clean and right at the full level.

Then checked the radiator overflow bottle and saw that the coolant was very dark almost black/red-should be clean blue coolant... Oh nuts. Then took the radiator cap off and saw a very brown/red gunk thick fluid under the cap. Guessing that they obviously did not flush out the cooling system sufficiently when all the old radiator tranny/cooler let go that caused the original tranny to fail and got old tranny fluid and coolant mixed into the cooling system

I have a call in and hopefully they will take it in Monday and finally flush out ALL the crud and get it right... I am hoping they did not ruin anything by not flushing it enough. They stated on the invoice that it was flushed several times but I seem to doubt that... Can I drive this MDX without causing more damage?

Could anything get ruined by me driving this vehicle? Could the heater core and new radiator be ruined? Any engine/coolant seals/water pump, etc be messed up because of the tranny fluid in the coolant passages? Any way to make sure they clean this clean out right? Thanks...

Big question is can I drive this MDX without damaging anything else?

 

[Chris142]

The oil in the coolant will destroy all the hoses very quickly. Unfortunatly theres no way to get 100% of the oil out of the engine. We have had pretty good luck buy running Purple Power in the cooling system for a few hrs then flushing it for a few more hrs.

But you wont ever get it all out and you will always have oil on the bottom of the radiator cap.

 

[caravanmike]

you yourself might have to get involved in the cooling system flushes. why? most dealers don't have the patients to do 7-8 flushes and get it all out. mike

 

[Boss302fan]

Just do the radiator drain and fills? I do not want to mess with the block drain plug, etc... Can I still drive the vehicle until I get the dealer to do additional flushes?

 

[Boss302fan]

I just looked again and just under the cap area is crud, then it is all blue coolant. Maybe one more flush will get most of it out. I think I will pick up a few gallons or so of Honda coolant for additional radiator drain and fills if needed. Thanks guys...

 

[Chris142]

I'd still run some soap in it to break up the oil before adding new coolant.

 

[JHZR2]

Honda radiators are garbage to begin with. id be VERY careful not to introduce anything that shouldnt be there in there.

 

[Boss302fan]

At the Acura dealer getting another flush.

 

[Ursae_Majoris]

I remember reading a post a while back about using Cascade dish detergent to flush the cooling system. It was a GM-approved procedure. I'd search for that post...

 

[Ken2]

Had a Cat gen set with a leaking oil cooler one time. It was still under warranty, and the Cat service guy used some dishwash machine detergent to cut the oil. (Any brand, not just Cascade.) Cuts the oil great and doesn't foam. After that several flushes with clean water and the system was good. I don't recall how long he ran it with the detergent in it, not too long, then the flushes.

 

[mechtech2]

Hopefully everything is fixed properly.
If so, it just needs to be cleaned out a bit more.
It is really hard to get it perfect in a short time and give it back to the customer, esp the puke tank. Some residual gunk will show up for a while.
Harm? Naw... I wouldn't consider hoses going bad at all. Still, getting it cleaned right is a good idea.

 

[Boss302fan]

I'll just keep draining and clean out the "puke" tank. lol... Hopefully it will eventually clean up. Thanks...

 

[onion]

Originally Posted By: Ursae_Majoris
I remember reading a post a while back about using Cascade dish detergent to flush the cooling system. It was a GM-approved procedure. I'd search for that post...


I don't know about GM approval, but cascade is commonly used to remove oil or fuel from the cooling system in diesel trucks and heavy equipment. Matter of fact I used some yesterday at the Detroit Diesel dealership where I work.

We used the same stuff at a Cummins dealer where I worked over a decade ago and halfway across the country.

Cascade dissolves the oil, rinses out easily, and doesn't foam up like other detergents.