Honda Car Forum

On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
there still seems to be a lot of it.

The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
caused it? Is it a bad sign?

did you use OEM coolant? Premix? or tap water?

bug67ph@gmail.com wrote:
>On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
>a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
>there still seems to be a lot of it.
>
>The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
>caused it? Is it a bad sign?

--
Message posted via http://www.carkb.com

bug67ph@gmail.com wrote:
> On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
> a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
> there still seems to be a lot of it.
>
> The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
> caused it? Is it a bad sign?
>
-------------------------------------

Now you know where your 10 mm combination wrench went missing :-)

Cheap coolant diluted with tap water sounds like the cause.

'Curly'

What kind of car are you talking about. A 67 Bug doesn't use coolant...

Earle

<bug67ph@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1161854445.110052.46740@m7g2000cwm.googlegrou ps.com...
> On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
> a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
> there still seems to be a lot of it.
>
> The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
> caused it? Is it a bad sign?
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Very sharp, Earle But I was asking about a 94 Civic 1.5 liter.

Curly, yes indeed, it was filled with cheap "Whiz" coolant (and
distilled water). But I was nervous because I read a post that said
that rust is a classic sign of past overheating. AFAIK this car has
never overheated on me, the temp needle never event went up halfway. So
it's definitely the Whiz, and not overheating?

bug67ph@gmail.com wrote:
> Very sharp, Earle But I was asking about a 94 Civic 1.5 liter.
>
> Curly, yes indeed, it was filled with cheap "Whiz" coolant (and
> distilled water). But I was nervous because I read a post that said
> that rust is a classic sign of past overheating. AFAIK this car has
> never overheated on me, the temp needle never event went up halfway. So
> it's definitely the Whiz, and not overheating?

---------------------------------------
In some countries, it's considered impolite to even mention that you put
Whiz in your cooling system . :-(

I'm repulsed ! !

'Curly'

bug67ph@gmail.com wrote in news:1161891164.082976.314170
@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com:

>
> Very sharp, Earle But I was asking about a 94 Civic 1.5 liter.
>
> Curly, yes indeed, it was filled with cheap "Whiz" coolant (and
> distilled water). But I was nervous because I read a post that said
> that rust is a classic sign of past overheating. AFAIK this car has
> never overheated on me, the temp needle never event went up halfway. So
> it's definitely the Whiz, and not overheating?
>



If it is in fact rust you see and not simply discoloration, you have a
giant problem with your engine. However...

If you switch colors of antifreeze and do not make certain every trace of
the old stuff is flushed out, the new stuff will be contaminated and may
look a rusty brown.

Did you remove the block drain and flush the entire system until the water
ran clear before refilling?

Is the rusty fluid clear or cloudy?

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

bug67ph@gmail.com wrote:
> On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
> a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
> there still seems to be a lot of it.
>
> The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
> caused it? Is it a bad sign?
>
rust? that's bizarre. the cylinder block is aluminum, the steel
cylinder liners are cast into aluminum and have no direct contact with
the coolant, the radiator and heater cores are not steel... the only
things that are steel and in contact with the coolant are the drain
plug, the expansion cores and the coolant pump impeller. and they're
all plated. if those are rusting sufficiently to discolor the coolant,
you may have a serious problem on your hands!

double check to see what this material is - a magnet should do it.
/definitely/ use a quality antifreeze and distilled water.

jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in
news:boqdner8tZbX_tzYnZ2dnUVZ_vWdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:

> bug67ph@gmail.com wrote:
>> On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
>> a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
>> there still seems to be a lot of it.
>>
>> The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
>> caused it? Is it a bad sign?
>>
> rust? that's bizarre. the cylinder block is aluminum, the steel
> cylinder liners are cast into aluminum and have no direct contact with
> the coolant,



I could have sworn the last Honda 4-cylinder I saw had the iron cylinders
sitting bare-naked in the coolant. They were cast as a siamesed block of
four, and were fully exposed all the way down until they got buried in the
aluminum at the bottom.



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

TeGGeR® wrote:
> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote in
> news:boqdner8tZbX_tzYnZ2dnUVZ_vWdnZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:
>
>> bug67ph@gmail.com wrote:
>>> On a routine coolant change, I noticed that the radiator is spewing out
>>> a lot of rust. I filled and drained the coolant a couple of times, but
>>> there still seems to be a lot of it.
>>>
>>> The rust wasn't there during the last coolant change. What could have
>>> caused it? Is it a bad sign?
>>>
>> rust? that's bizarre. the cylinder block is aluminum, the steel
>> cylinder liners are cast into aluminum and have no direct contact with
>> the coolant,
>
>
>
> I could have sworn the last Honda 4-cylinder I saw had the iron cylinders
> sitting bare-naked in the coolant. They were cast as a siamesed block of
> four, and were fully exposed all the way down until they got buried in the
> aluminum at the bottom.
>
nah, the actual steel liners are real thin - maybe 3mm - and the rest of
the siamese quintuplets are the alloy casting they sit in. it's an
unusual arrangement for sure. if you're doing a gasket scrape, it's
easy enough to test what's where because the soft alloy bit can be
scratched by the blade, the steel bit not. i'll see if i can take a pic
next time i'm in a junk yard.