Guys,

Looking at an '89 TBI 305 from a guy that didn't know the difference between a TPI and a Carb setup. He also had the car painted without having good body work done, and he also would rather drive his 85 Honda... but whatever.

The car has 120,000 miles on it, which doesn't bother me because honestly the engine compartment looks like it has half that many. I see the car daily and it's been sitting all winter, but the few times he had to drive it, it started right up and away he went.

The only thing that worried me is this thin, red fluid (tranny?) in the radiator resevoir... which was deathly low. Before I test drove it I asked him if he had any radiator fluid...and he did, and we filled it up with the GREEN fluid

Anyway the car didn't run hot or do anything funky... will a standard flush and fill take care of the problem?

I really want this car!

James

 

Yeah, that's tranny fluid, though it shouldn't be in there. Tranny fluid passes thru the radiator (I believe) so I'm not sure how it got in there.

 

check the fluid more carefully, it could be premixed radiator mix. Some of the premixed 50/50 solution you can purchase is red. The tranny cooler could be leaking into the radiator by highly unlikely.

John

 

Could be dexcool coolant. You shouldn't mix dexcool and regular green coolant. Dexcool is better stuff IMO, it lasts 100000 miles and transfers heat better.

 

Well, if the tranny cooler is leaking into the radiator (which can and does happen), the opposite is also likely happening, and the tranny should be considered dead.
Or it could just be rust, or dexcool, or something else funky going on.
I know, not much help, but we can't guess what it is based on the description of 'red in the radiator', so there are your options.

 

Guess I could've used an anti-freeze tester before we put extra coolant in there...but I dont carry one in my back pocket....

most of the time

the radiator looked brand-new... I guess I'll check all the lines. The car shifted fine. Maybe I'll just ask what kind of coolant he had in there before

Thanks for the input

James

 

Isn't dexcool and those other kinds orange though and not red?

 

I'm going to say its the dexacool... our 97 chevy truck takes it... its coolant just not the right kind for our cars... i would flush it and fill it up with the "Green Stuff"..... there has to be something different about the dexacool... it doesnt make sense for someone to put tranny fluid in there... when at the auto store the dexacool is right by the "green" coolant...

Flush It!

 

If you're afraid that it is transmission oil in the overflow reservoir, let the car sit for a couple of days and see if the oil separates from teh glycol (they aren't soluble in one another). If it IS transmission oil, there should be a distinct layer of red oil above the coolant mixture.

I'm guessing it's DexCool or an additive, or a really rusty cooling system. In either case, a thorough flush is a good idea on a used car purchase, along with a lot of other routine maintenance.

In my experience, many of these Honda drivers have the mentality that since the car will "run forever" as the advertisements and Consumer Reports propaganda imply, no maintenance is ever required, and therefore do no maintenance. So be ready to catch up a bit. And 120,000 miles may not be a lot if the car was maintained.

 

Not meaning to state the obvious, but have you checked your tranny fluid level? (Make sure you do it while motor is running)

 

i'm with vader. dexcool mixes with water as does glycol so if you put dexcool in glycol they'll mix and will be uniform in color, not seperated

 

I'm also with vader, I run dexcool and that stuff works great, I can go up to the Indan Springs airstrip wich is 45 min away (with me driving) and with my A/C at full blast, and my engine temp dosent go past 180 degrees on my digatal readout. but anyways it is red in my resovware(sp) and IT CAN NOT be mixed with the green stuff- it will soldify at high temps in narrow passages flush the sys immeaditly and by the way most dexcool is pre-mixed so look before you add water

 

I feel MUCH more confident about the used car situation now. After going over the rest of the vehicle again, if I decide to buy I'm confident that the cooling system will be in working order. The tranny fluid level looked alright, but it wasn't really sufficiently warmed up for the best reading.. I'll give that one another shot.

The car looks very well maintained, thus my interest in it... that "red stuff" just through me for a loop.

There does seem to be a little bit of conflict with regards to whether or not Dexcool is a suitable alternative to standard glycol... I've also seen people run "water wetter" with straight water during the summer... Any feelings on which of these options offers the best cooling performance?

If there's a general consensus I'd rather not waste too much time a/o money trying 'alternatives' that don't work..

Thanks a million

 

hey 84 Z-28 350,

work ever take you to area 51 lol? *insert eerie music here*

 

Water wetter and straight water is a race only item, IMO. Because of the corrosion that takes place. Dexcool is the standard stuff in GM vehicles from mid/late 90's to current. It works great and lasts a long time. No complaints here since I installed the stuff in my 82.

 

no, I havent been to groom lake, they dont even let the pilots fly over there, but I have been to allot of the other faciltys on base (which by the way is 300 million acers- it takes 10 hrs driving at 75 mph to reach the NE corner).

 

hey that "red" stuff is supposed to be the best and its not trans fluid.. (well could be, but i dont think so) that "red" stuff should last like 7 years or something.. and maybe when he filled it up he didnt have the expensive stuff and just had a bottle of "green stuff"

 

So dexcool it is... I'll definately have to try it in the other Camaro too... That one heats up to the GM standard 230

Woo that's scary

James

 

Nope.

WW and H2O is a "non freezing conditions only" item.

The cooling system needs some kind of anti-corrosive mixed w/ the water, and the WW (or 40 below, or RMI-25) fits the bill.

I have run WW or 40 Below w/ distilled during non freezing season here for 3 or 4 years. Many Buick guys swear by water & RMI-25 (some of whom are in Phoenix)

The worst corrosion I've seen was in my 87. Prior owners (in Kalifornia) used straight water. Nothing else. Not that it matters now that the engine, rad, water pump, and heater core and anything coolant related has been changed, but man was that thing full of rust.

Matthew

 

40-below shouldn't be mixed with coolant (dexcool et al), should only be mixed with water. Says so on the back.

 

The only really special things about dexcool is that it doesn't corrode aluminum parts as bad as glycol based anti-freaze. And insted of it lasting 3 years it last 5 years. It is a good coolant that is every bit as good (even better) as your standard "green" coolent that is normally used. It does have the down side of being about $8.50 a gallon.

 

Aluminum corroding?

 

what is up with GM running our cars at 230??? and 0* timing...damn emmissions my car runs 160 and yes it goes into closed loop. runs good and i feel better that my car is staying cool instead of running 220ish

 

Ever seen an intake rot around the coolant passages? I sure have.

Matthew