dime1622

well, i found the source and cause of my gigantic oil leak. i figure that the coolant is SO old (you should see it, its awful, way to go mr. previous owner) that all the corrosion with it started piling up in the oil cooler. after a while, there got to be so much that it started pushing the cooler housing away from the engine block. you really gotta see how much is in the housing, i wish i had a digital camera, its awful.

anyway, just a reminder to check your coolant and flush if need be, this has ended up being a LOT of work for me.

MTM

I think I'll go ahead and flush the whole cooling system soon, since I just bought the car and who knows how long it's been in there. Should I also do the brake fluid?

dime1622

dunno about that one, hmmmmm i wonder how old mine is....... can anyone expand on the brake fluid idea?

Jay W

Many people suggest replacing the brake fluid every 2-3 years. Helps get the moisture and contaminants like broken down rubber seal goo and metal particles out of the system.

Tom

If you do track events, you will be changing brake fluid somewhere between every year and every event. Brake fluid is cheap and it really is an easy job. Anti freeze is cheap too and changing it is good prevention.

Randy_J

both are easy to do - add some Redline Water Wetter to the coolant, really works!

dime1622

whoa, tom, youre from iowa!!!!! sweet!!!! what do you drive? my mom grew up in fort dodge, havent been there for like ever though, her parents moved to Cedar Falls once they couldnt live on their own anymore.

MHT

if you don't know when the brake fluid was last flushed, do it now. Pull the small strainer out of the resevior and see if there is any grunge at the bottom, if there is, then its probably time to flush.

Chris_924s

And dont forget to backflush the entire coolant system! Get rid of old crud!

Hans

Brake fluid is hygroscopic: Absorbing moisture from ambient air (yes, through the vent hole in the reservoir cap).
Should be replaced every 3 years as minimum.
Be sure to get the correct DOT class stuff (I think DOT 4 but better check this). The newer and higher rated stuff is eating the cylinder seals.

TakeCare