MaximaGirl

Last week I had the coolant change my my Max. I was looking at the fluid resevoir and there seems to be a layer of some kind of brown fluid on top of the "coolant". The coolant itself doesn't seem to be the usual green color. Its kind of green with a hint of red. I dipped a stick in and pulled it out and the brown fluid coats the stick. I think it smells like oil. Is that normal? I'd never seen that in the coolant tank before. Is that some kind of new cooling fluid or did someone mess up?

Thanks! Any assistance would be most appreciated.

JUICED

I'd like to say it's sealant they used when performing the fluid change, but it could also be rust from the cooling system, but that only appears on much, much older vehicles that haven't had their coolant changed in years. Oil can also be an option, but there's no connection from coolant to oil. The only way I see it being oil is if someone accidently somehow put oil in the reservoir tank. Also, oil might have been in the tank where they put the new coolant in. I would take it back to the place that performed the service.

nailz420

I had that after I put a bottle of Water Wetter in the coolant fluid reservoir. The fluid turned reddish, and if i looked inside the tank, i saw oily spots. After a while the fluid got its normal green color again.

MaximaGirl

Thanks for the replies. Nailz420, I see the oily spots you are talking about. I'm bringing it in again for a brake check and will ask them to look at the fluid.

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

If it is oil, than it's probably a blown head gasket. Check the oil and see if it looks like chocolate milk. If it looks like chocolate milk, it's new engine time.

Some idiot probably put some oil in it instead of the crankcase. I've never heard of adding sealant to the coolant unless there was a leak.

MaximaGirl

Hmm, wouldn't the vehicle exhibit other symptoms if there were a blown gasket head? I was just hoping that some idiot "accidentally" put some oil in there.

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

Depends on where the head gasket fails. If it fails in between the cylinders, you will have terrible power loss. If coolant is being dumped into the cylinders, then you will be loosing coolant and have to be constantly refilling it.

The oil will basically tell you if you have a blown head gasket or not. If it looks normal, then someone probably dumped oil in it. If it looks like chocolate milk, coolant is mixing with oil and vice versa.

MaximaGirl

Wonder if its covered under the warranty.

00Max00

Blown head gasket or cracked engine block.

P. Samson

Let's work backwards here and not jump to conclusions. Did you have any problems or notice anything in the coolant, funny looking engine oil or after warmup "sweet steam" in the exhaust BEFORE you took the car in for the so-called coolant flush?? Is your car an auto? Were the people doing the work experienced with Maxis or other imports?

00Max00

If the situation was stated correctly by the original poster then the conclusion should well within the scope.

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

what does the oil look like?? If you want help, you need to answer critical questions such as this.....

maxgangsta02

drop the oil on the exhaust if it sizzles, water in oil = new headgasket

MaximaGirl

It looks like...chocolate milk, but not as "milky". Its floating on top of the coolant, not mixed in. I checked the engine oil cap to see if there were any signs of the coolant mixed in and I didn't see anything that's why I thought I would ask you folks.

Also, there isn't anything leaking, no smell, no fumes, nothing coming out of the exhaust, nothing billowing from under the hood. I noticed it was driving a little sluggish yesterday but I contributed that to the heat (99 degrees yesterday) and that I had the a/c on pretty high. This morning, I remembered the sluggishness from yesterday so I decided to check under the hood, not that I know what the hell I'm looking for, but I guess I was looking for anything overtly obvious or out of order and what I thought I saw at first, was dark brown/red stuff mixed in the coolant. Upon closer inspection, the stuff is floating on top...its like a thin blanket right on top. Also, the coolant cap has the brown stuff on it. Its oily but not a thick oily.

I didn't take it to the dealer to get the coolant flushed, I took it to another place, they have ASE certified people, I don't know how much that is worth (no offense to ASE certified folks reading this). Anyway, does this help with the diagnosis? I've really been fretting about this ALL day. I'm taking it in to the dealer on Tuesday and until then, I won't drive it, I miss it already.

Yes, my car is an auto.

MaximaGirl

No, coolant wasn't looking funny. Car has 33k miles on it so I decided it was time to change the coolant, t'is all. I didn't have problems at all with my car, I was just going along with the preventative maintenance schedule.

No sweet steam at all, not even now. I don't think the people I took it to were "experts" on Maximas and/or imports but they've been in business for a good long time. They're kind of like...Tire Kingdom.

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

When I said "what does the oil look like?" I meant the crankcase oil, the oil on the dipstick. If the oil inside the engine looks like chocolate milk, you're screwed.

Take some photos of the dipstick and the brown stuff you're seeing in the coolant.

MaximaGirl

Ooooh! The oil on the dipstick looks normal...looks like regular oil.

NisMoN00B

iTrader: (2)

You didn't by any chance take your car to one of those shady out-of-the-way places did you? It seems like the "oily" substance you got in your coolant reservoir might be the rust from the radiator. Like everyone said, get it checked. Go to Jiffy Lube or Pep Boys on Capital.

MaximaGirl

I took it to Atlantic Tire. I'm bringing it to Southern States on Tuesday. I've never been there...have you taken your car to Southern States Nissan? Car isn't thaaat old, I am doubting it is rust.

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

I don't see how it could be rust from the radiator. The radiator is made from aluminium which does not rust. The engine block and heads are made of aluminium also. The waterpump may be made out of steel though.....

P. Samson

With the engine cold have a look in the top of the rad. Does the coolant look the same as that in the header tank? If there is no quick answer/resolve at the dealer on Tues. make sure that they pull samples of engine oil, tranny fluid and obviously coolant from the expansion tank and the top of the radiator in case this becomes a legal pissing match between you and the first shop. Right now pull the dipstick out of the tranny and check that the tranny fluid is red and "clear" and also "compare" the odor of the tranny fluid to that "oil" that is floating on the top of the coolant. At the best, this is the result of a simple screwup, but at the worst and my main concern is that the shop MAY have allowed the engine to badly overheat after they thought they had "refilled" the system. These systems have to be "backfilled" slowly (you can't "just fill" the rad.) to ensure that there is coolant in the engine block before starting. Air tends to get trapped and there is a bleeder screw in the coolant control valve (bypass blocker) that may have to be opened. Without coolant in the block the thermostat (which is in the cold or inlet side, not in the hot outflow side like a lot of cars) will not start to open normally.If not noticed soon enough this can result in a bad engine overheat and/or they quickly pour in cold coolant mix, possibly cracking the block.

MaximaGirl

Thanks for all the advice. I checked the radiator fluid and it is the same green color as the coolant. Its got a tiny bit of that brown stuff (same as the reservoir, floating on top, but not completely blanketed). I checked the engine oil (via dipstick) and its clear and brown. I checked the transmission oil also and its clear, it looks pink to me, not red. After I checked all the fluids again, I decided it was a good idea to take it for a short drive, just to monitor the temperature gauge, check for leaking, check for steam or fumes, any smells or loss of power...after a 20 minute drive (averaging 45mph)... its driving like normal. As it stands now, nothing appears to be wrong EXCEPT for that thin layer of Yoohoo floating on top of the coolant (and a small trace of it under the the radiator cap). I intend to let the dealer know that I had the coolant changed somewhere else and now there is a foreign substance in the tank. Hopefully, they'll just flush it and change out the coolant to some without Yoohoo.

Maybe someone dribbled a little bit of say...motor oil, in the coolant tank. Oil change was on the list of "to do" that day.

Well, thanks for all the info., I appreciate it! Maybe it will turn out to be nothing (sorry for the false alarm??). At least I learned something here...P. Sampson must be a mechanic at a Nissan dealer, j/k. Seriously, thanks!

NisMoN00B

iTrader: (2)

I've never been to SS Nissan to get the fluids checked. I usually take it to one of my friend's shop in Wake Forest.

P. Samson

Ah.........so that shop had done other work! With the car running well and it doesn't appear to be "making" anymore weird "oil" in the coolant, and like you suggested, I think some nimrod mistakenly put engine oil or tranny fluid in probably the expansion tank. Tranny fluid is also used in the power steering system and the power steering reservoir is behind the expansion tank. As part of your "service" some kid may have been told to top up the power steering reservoir, and I guess the oil filler in the camshaft cover isn't far away either! These "Tire Chains" tend to hire anybody they can get off the street and they probably have little experience and no real training. The dealer in addition to the complete redo on the coolant flush/change should still check ALL the other fluids for contamination and proper levels/quantities. On Tues. I hope that you contact that first shop's manager and let him know what was found with your car and that you expect full compensation for the costs incurred at the dealer. Your situation is not that uncommon but it is not acceptable when a person takes a perfectly good car in for routine work/servicing and the car is returned to them screwed up.

NisMoN00B

iTrader: (2)

agreed about tire chains hiring anyone. i was hired by one during my high school days.