Help! Sludge in coolant reservoir!?

Question

We have a 2001 Jeep Liberty. No issues. A week ago the heater didnt work right..It was hot for a sec then cooled down. No dummy lights have come on, the temp never got over normal. We checked the coolant and it was really low. Added some green and it seemed fine. The other day my gf noticed along the driver front wheelwell that it appeared to be some liquid sprayed around the inside and noticed the underneath was wet looking too. It has no odor, and seems oily, but there doesnt appear to be leaking on the ground...and we cant tell where its coming from. Watching that, but it seems to be not all the time its wet looking...Anyways, checked coolant again and it seemed low again. Filled it...drove it a couple days, coolant looked low again and when we looked in the reservoir there is a thicker creamy yellowish mustard looking substance. WTF. Checking oil, the oil was a bit low, but no signs of water, or creamy stuff in oil. No sign of anything different under oil cap either. MANY posts online say possible mix of antifreeze, but some say head gasket too. Would we blow a head gasket and see NO other signs???? Jeep is running fine, but now Im worried about flushing the system first, Any ideas?? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Do a pressure test on the cooling system, check hoses for cracks, bad coupling,..........Do a compression test for the head gasket

Answer 2

Yes a mustard colored sludge in the coolant reservoir is indeed frequently the first sign of a failed head gasket, often the first leakage happens when oil is squeezed past the gasket into the coolant passages, oil pressure is higher ( 35 - 60 psi) than coolant pressure ( 5 - 15 PSI ) so if the gasket seal is not perfect the oil will slowly seep into the coolant. Flushing the coolant system may help but the problem will return sooner than you like...

Heater not producing heat can be a result of low coolant or air trapped in the cooling system either as a result of failure to adequately purge the system or as a result of combustion gasses escaping from the cylinder(s) into the cooling system via the head gasket ( yet another possible head gasket failure!)



Wetness under the vehicle needs to be closely investigated as leakage of either coolant, oil or transmission fluid can cause serious problems if not monitored and repaired in a timely manner.

Answer 3

Mostly you should utilize subaru OEM coolant and subaru coolant conditioner to curb the possibility of leaks. No other coolant or coolant conditioner is recommended via Subaru the phase quantity for the coolant conditioner is SOA635071 the phase quantity for the coolant is SOA868V9210 i've obvious some cars where a coolant limitation (such as those leaks you constant) triggered abnormally excessive working temperatures, and as a result the headgasket expanded and leaked some oil. After the coolant obstacle was unravel, everything went back to common. Changing a head gaskets on the 2.5L SOHC are relatively highly-priced, earlier than you do that I endorse that you just clean the coolant reservoir fully, flush the coolant with subaru coolant, put within the subaru coolant conditioner, and then inspect the reservoir for shiny residue on a common foundation. When you see oil within the coolant or excessive oil and/or coolant consumption, most effective then must you progress ahead with looking to diagnose and repair the headgaskers

Answer 4

Your first mistake was dumping in a non-factory approved chemical type of antifreeze which will plug the cooling system. Green antifreeze hasn't been approved in anything since 1994.



The easiest way to find a cooling system leak is to have a trusted private mechanic do sn inexpensive *cooling system pressure test.

Answer 5

The "YELLOW MUSTARD" might just be telling you that you have a clogged up PCV Valve ot that the air is VERY humid where you live. ALSO it can tell you that the QUALITY of the oil you are using is just NOT good enough. The YELLOW stuff is probably just moisture that has NOT heated up enough to dissipate. Try driving the car LONGER to get engine EXTRA HOT before making a deetermination about this. Chances are that NOTHING is really wrong with it. GOO DLUCK!!

Answer 6

To me it sounds like a gasket issue. But I didn't read the whole post and my credentials arrent certified.