W

wantaquad

Active Member
Has anyone had a black silicon type sticky stuff appear in the radiator water - its definitly not a head gasket problem - it appears to be the hoses breaking up as it doesn't quite mix with the water and the hoses are soft and spongy as they would be if they were being eaten away by something corrosive.
There is some water contamination of the gear box oil so - could the gear oil be eating away the hoses due to the oil cooler leaking into the radiator - and the black goo is the hoses rotting from the inside?

any ideas would be greatfully received
 
wantaquad said:
Has anyone had a black silicon type sticky stuff appear in the radiator water - its definitly not a head gasket problem - it appears to be the hoses breaking up as it doesn't quite mix with the water and the hoses are soft and spongy as they would be if they were being eaten away by something corrosive.
There is some water contamination of the gear box oil so - could the gear oil be eating away the hoses due to the oil cooler leaking into the radiator - and the black goo is the hoses rotting from the inside?

any ideas would be greatfully received
Click to expand...

It's more likely that the black goo is oil from your oil cooler leaking into your coolant.
 
Thanks ratty that was my first thought but the oil cooler on this one (manual) is air cooled and doesn't go through the rad - the one in the rad does the gerbox oil
 
wantaquad said:
Thanks ratty that was my first thought but the oil cooler on this one (manual) is air cooled and doesn't go through the rad - the one in the rad does the gerbox oil
Click to expand...

Are you sure that the engine oil cooler isn't a seperate unit bolted to the side of the engine rather than a radiator type unit?

What model and engine type have you got?
 
Its a p38 2.5 dse manual -
The oil cooler pipes run from below the oil filter housing out to a radiator mounted in front of the main radiator.
 
wantaquad said:
Its a p38 2.5 dse manual -
The oil cooler pipes run from below the oil filter housing out to a radiator mounted in front of the main radiator.
Click to expand...

yep yer right, it's the square shaped air cooled rad type one in that case.

I recently had issues with my TD5 and I was getting oil into my coolant. Just like your Rangie it stayed as black gunge rather than mixing and forming an emulsion. The bad news is mine turned out to be due to a cracked head. It was cracked on the inlet side so was being pressurised by the turbo.

Do your hoses get hard after a quick drive?
 
Nope - they are all soft and sticky both inside and out - the coolant is even beginning to seep through making them look like they are sweating
 
wantaquad said:
Nope - they are all soft and sticky both inside and out - the coolant is even beginning to seep through making them look like they are sweating
Click to expand...

I've come across sticky pipes before but never ones that have gone so bad that they are able to allow the coolant to wick through. I would usually say that no it's not your hoses at fault but from what you're saying I'm thinking that yes it is. If they have gone porous I would change them and then flush the cooling. Then monitor the situation to see if it re-occurss.
 
This is a reacurrance of the problem last time it was apparent was 18 months ago when I changed the hoses and flushed the system - other than black stuff in the coolant and emulsified gearbox oil there are no apparent problems
 
ratty said:
I've come across sticky pipes before but never ones that have gone so bad that they are able to allow the coolant to wick through. I would usually say that no it's not your hoses at fault but from what you're saying I'm thinking that yes it is. If they have gone porous I would change them and then flush the cooling. Then monitor the situation to see if it re-occurss.
Click to expand...

OI YOU im gunna have to pay the cleaners to come in here again ya bastid :p:p:p
 
wantaquad said:
This is a reacurrance of the problem last time it was apparent was 18 months ago when I changed the hoses and flushed the system - other than black stuff in the coolant and emulsified gearbox oil there are no apparent problems
Click to expand...

what type of anti-freeze are you using?
 
ratty said:
It's more likely that the black goo is oil from your oil cooler leaking into your coolant.
Click to expand...
Unless someone's put something they shouldn't into the gearbox:doh: or added something like slick50, gearbox fluid should be either ATF red or MTF clear dependant on year (ATF early/MTF late), so it's less likely to be oil/fluid from gearbox. Do you know what's in yours, and if it's been treated with anything? Having dismantled one of these rads recently it's construction means it's more likely to leak fluid at one of the external unions than inside the rad.
How long have you had the car, could anyone have added any kind of leak sealent to the coolant?:confused: otherwise the only black substance I can think of would be as you thought - hose rubber, which I guess means draining it and checking them all. If it is the rubber do you know what coolant was used? if so let us all know so we can avoid it!:D
Having said all this... ATF is corrosive stuff and if it is getting into the coolant it could be causing the hoses to disintegrate.:eek:
 
Hi Gents - sorry for the delay in replying been away working.

Antifreeze is holts with anti corrosion additive - standard stuff really
I have known the history of this one for about 3 years and had the same symptoms 18 months ago - flushed it through and changed all the hoses at that time.

It has atf in the box but it is white and frothy like water has got it to the box...

I will be draining the box, changing the hoses, changing the oil cooler (full rad swap) in the next few days.

Cheers for the comments will let you know if I find anything else
 
Updated info. changed the rad and all the hoses today. Loads of Black Sludge has floated to the top of the system and built up in the heater,heater hoses, reservoir bottle and its hoses.
the engine block and main radiator was pretty clear really wierd.
Changed the gearbox oil - lots of water in it all white and frothy.
hopefully changing the oil cooler (in the rad) has cured it.
 
Had same prob in a Defender. that turned out to be the cyl head. It had been skimmed before I bought it. The repairers didnt flush the cooling system of engine oil.
I never got rid of it all. I flushed the system about 5 times with cleaner, never got to find if that worked. Some toe rag knicked the defender.

Hope it biled dry on him in the middle of a ram raid.
 
Personally I hope it got hot and the git undid the rad cap scarring himself with full thickness burns.
Car thieves should be flogged in public.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

MikeFl4
P38A Possible coolant in oil
Replies
9
Views
944
Datatek
Datatek
farriermatt
Water problems 300tdi in a 1985 110
Replies
10
Views
808
farriermatt
farriermatt
Graculus
L405 Engine oil leak / fumes in cabin
Replies
10
Views
2K
marjon
marjon
GEEZEER
Oil in the water
Replies
2
Views
801
Arctic2
Arctic2
rustynut
Draining coolant on a 2015 puma 2.2 no easy way?
Replies
1
Views
843
lynall
L