my girlfriends ford explorer has diarrhea

**hamburger68** · 07-29-2009, 11:08 AM

i came back to the car yesterday after driving it for a while, and there was a big brown puddle under the car. it obviously came out under the radiator cap.
took it to the repair shop, he poured water in the radiator, we let the engine run and soon a lot of brown soup came gushing out of the (still open) radiator. lumps of brown goo in it, too. repeated that several times, same result.
checked back in today: he had run some tests, the emissions are normal, the oil looks like it should, so we don't think it's the head gasket. pulled out the water pump, doesn't look suspicious, but gonna throw in a new one just in case.

any ideas anybody?

it's a 93 model, 4.0l V6 auto

**wilsonls1** · 07-29-2009, 11:11 AM

**Smoky02** · 07-29-2009, 11:11 AM

If you run water in your motor instead of antifreeze it will create rust inside the block which cause your truck/suv to have diarrhea as you so eliquently referred to.

**snaggeltooth** · 07-29-2009, 11:13 AM

Rodding out a radiator is the process of removing the radiator tanks and pushing rods through the radiator core to clean it. After the core is clean the tanks are soldered back on. This can be a good repair but most of the time it makes more sense to just replace the radiator. New high quality radiators have become so inexpensive that it's getting hard to recommend repairing an old one. Most of the time the cost of a replacement radiator is only 30% more than a repair. A new radiator is almost always available the same day. A new radiator will usually carry a better warranty

**hamburger68** · 07-29-2009, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by wilsonls1

rather immodium... you're kidding, right?

**hamburger68** · 07-29-2009, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by snaggeltooth

Rodding out a radiator is the process of removing the radiator tanks and pushing rods through the radiator core to clean it. After the core is clean the tanks are soldered back on. This can be a good repair but most of the time it makes more sense to just replace the radiator. New high quality radiators have become so inexpensive that it's getting hard to recommend repairing an old one. Most of the time the cost of a replacement radiator is only 30% more than a repair. A new radiator is almost always available the same day. A new radiator will usually carry a better warranty

ok, first: i didn't know about rodding out a radiator, interesting!
2nd: i should have mentioned that the radiator got replaced last winter, so it's pretty new. the old one was leaking.

**Zapper2003** · 07-29-2009, 12:57 PM

there isn't a tranny cooler inside the radiator, is there? Old burnt tranny fluid would be brown.

**hamburger68** · 07-29-2009, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Zapper2003

there isn't a tranny cooler inside the radiator, is there? Old burnt tranny fluid would be brown.

hmmm, i think it does... good idea, i have to check that! that would mean an internal leak in the radiator. "$$&%$§"

**Zapper2003** · 07-29-2009, 01:59 PM

yes, which would also point to coolant in the trans (not good at all), and trans fluid in the engine.

**hamburger68** · 07-29-2009, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by Zapper2003

yes, which would also point to coolant in the trans (not good at all), and trans fluid in the engine.

yeah i was thinking about that, too.

but wouldn't that show in the oil? and emissions? also, the engine runs great!

why do i suddenly think of the guy who put brake fluid instead of engine oil in his motor, and then cleaned the engine (internally) with brake cleaner? it was posted on here, link to another forum. epic!

**Zapper2003** · 07-29-2009, 03:02 PM

I can't imagine it would be in the engine oil (unless you mean tranny fluid), as the coolant and engine oil have no 'access' to each other (separate systems).

**Zapper2003** · 07-29-2009, 03:02 PM

As for emissions, i don't see why it would, it does nothing to affect the way the engine runs (except maybe hot).

**67CamaroRSSS** · 07-29-2009, 03:05 PM

Pull the tranny dip stick. If it looks like a strawberry shake water got into the tranny.

Although it could just be tranny fluid leaking into the radiator through the cooler.

**bigrondownhiller** · 07-29-2009, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by hamburger68

yeah i was thinking about that, too.

but wouldn't that show in the oil? and emissions? also, the engine runs great!

why do i suddenly think of the guy who put brake fluid instead of engine oil in his motor, and then cleaned the engine (internally) with brake cleaner? it was posted on here, link to another forum. epic!

If the head gasket was leaking you could have coolant in the oil. Sticking the emissions test device in the radiator and see the hydrocarbons shoot up was a way to see if the head gasket was leaking also. It was for when coolant woud disappear but was not leaking. Sounds like Zapper has the right idea.

**hamburger68** · 07-30-2009, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by Zapper2003

I can't imagine it would be in the engine oil (unless you mean tranny fluid), as the coolant and engine oil have no 'access' to each other (separate systems).

Originally Posted by Zapper2003

As for emissions, i don't see why it would, it does nothing to affect the way the engine runs (except maybe hot).

my mistake, it was late yesterday and i my thinking was detetriorating rapidly.

**hamburger68** · 07-30-2009, 01:01 AM

Originally Posted by bigrondownhiller

If the head gasket was leaking you could have coolant in the oil. Sticking the emissions test device in the radiator and see the hydrocarbons shoot up was a way to see if the head gasket was leaking also. It was for when coolant woud disappear but was not leaking. Sounds like Zapper has the right idea.

as i said above, the head gasket seems to be fine.

i just got off the phone with the repair shop, they checked the tranny fluid, all good. mysterious. i suspect that somehow ancient gunk from all over the system got loose when the radiator was changed last winter and clogged up the radiator, thermostate etc.
they're gonna test drive it today, we'll see.

thanks for the input, guys!

**wheeliE-maxx** · 07-30-2009, 01:12 AM

The previous owner of my truck put in all new hoses and a radiator. It still has the leftover engine poop from before. Just needs to be flushed

**hamburger68** · 07-30-2009, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by wheeliE-maxx

The previous owner of my truck put in all new hoses and a radiator. It still has the leftover engine poop from before. Just needs to be flushed

yes, we hope that that's just it. they flushed the system yesterday several times before they took it apart. we bought the car from a ford dealership, found out later that their (huge) workshop was run by lying idiots and they didn't perform any of the maintenance routines or checks they claimed they did. oh well, you live, you learn. so i don't know if the cooling system has ever been flushed before.
the shop i take the cars to now is awesome and very honest.

**DIRTY JERZY** · 07-30-2009, 07:07 AM

You live and you learn........

not to buy a ford

**hamburger68** · 07-30-2009, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by DIRTY JERZY

You live and you learn........

not to buy a ford

she wanted it, she did, not me, honestly, it's not mine!

but it seems to be fixed, repair man test drove it twice and all is well. also, it passed inspection, that means it's street legal for another two years. yippie!