Checking the fluid levels today in the 98 Expedition 5.4. I noticed the engine coolant has turned from the nice bright green color to a dirty brown color.
The oil on the dipstick looked good, other than being low, and the transmission fluid levels and color still seemed to be good.
Any ideas on what turns the coolant color brown? What should I be looking for in the way of potential problems? I am thinking to drain off some fluid and let it sit to separate to see what settles (or floats).
The last problem I had was a broken radiator that leaked transmission fluid into coolant, but that seemed to be a different color, but then again, red and green makes brown.
Perhaps this is the early stages of that happening again. Ford no longer makes an OE replacement for that radiator, so I used AA lifetime radiator.
The last time I had the problem, I noticed my transmission fluid getting low and stalling out in reverse. Don't have that yet.
The oil on the dipstick looked good, other than being low, and the transmission fluid levels and color still seemed to be good.
Any ideas on what turns the coolant color brown? What should I be looking for in the way of potential problems? I am thinking to drain off some fluid and let it sit to separate to see what settles (or floats).
The last problem I had was a broken radiator that leaked transmission fluid into coolant, but that seemed to be a different color, but then again, red and green makes brown.
Perhaps this is the early stages of that happening again. Ford no longer makes an OE replacement for that radiator, so I used AA lifetime radiator.
The last time I had the problem, I noticed my transmission fluid getting low and stalling out in reverse. Don't have that yet.