Transmission fluid in the radiator!

[tnacntv]

About a month ago I had a tiny leak in my radiator. I bought some of the powder used as 'stop leak' and added it to my radiator. Then I filled the reservoir with what I thought was coolant I had just purchased. Evidently I had a gallon of transmission fluid someone had put in a coolant jug and I accidently pulled that jug and filled the reservoir with it. I remember thinking it looked a little strange but thought it was just a new brand. Since then I have driven my truck all over but have had no troubles until the hose came off the reservoir and the radiator today. With the 'coolant' leaking we noticed it did not smell like coolant. Now I am unsure what to do. The truck has had no engine light on nor has it overheated. I don't think a lot of the fluid has circulated because the reservoir has remained full since I've filled it. Should I just flush the radiator and reservoir and refill with the proper coolant or what? I need opinions quickly please because I don't want to drive it anymore until I'm sure of what to do. Thanks for your help!

 

[waskly]

you have a degas bottle not an over flow. if you did fill it with trans fluid. flush with water, then add dawn run the car with it, and flush it again. best to get like a flush kit.... but i would definetly add dawn to clean water to eat the oil out of the engine, rad. heater core etc.

also best bet to replace all hoses, transmission fluid will swell them.

 

[tnacntv]

How much dawn

 

[waskly]

How much dawn

a bottle or two. then drive the vehicle for 20-30 min so it circulates it through the system. the fun part is getting the dawn out

but dawn will break the oil down.

i would like i said recommend a flush kit you install, so it removes all the dawn.

 

[buckwill]

bottle or two???!!!, cupfull would be plenty,, most any detergent would work fine but dawn is good,, joy is good,,

 

[spaceengine1821]

milkey stuff in radiator

This is in response to the milkey stuff in the radiator. It may be one of a few things, It may be an internal crack inside the radiator that is allowing the tansmission cooling lines to mix tranny fluid with radiator coolant. That would be remedied by a new radiator. It might be among the easiest to fix among the possible problems. If this is the problem you may notice that the automatic transmission fluid may be low and/or milkey. Sometimes such a break may allow the tranny fluid to pump one way into the radiator without also pumping water into the tranny. Check the tranny thoughrally. It may also need flush,filter, new fluid.
The next possibilities are blown head gasket, or cracked block or head. This might also be accompanied with low oil in the oilpan and/or milkey oil in the oilpan and dipstick. Replacement of a headgasket is a large job, professionally costing between $1,000 to $2,000, and comes with a high risk that the head has further damage that may be unsalvagable in mid course. After the motor has been disassembled; It requires the head be cleaned and shaved in a professional machine shop. Usually for about $200 more a complete valve job can be done. If the shop finds cracks or serious defects, a new or a rebuilt head may need to be purchased. Most garages prefer not to gamble on the outcome, and price the job to discourage the risk.

respectfully
JPF

 

[kakolastar]

it happened to me too

Opened the hood of my '00 Explorer on the weekend and was dismayed to see a strawberry milkshake sort of goo in the radiator overflow tank. Without the time or the inclination to fix this myself, I took the ailing little truck to a mechanic in town, who replaced the radiator, and while he had things apart, he replaced the thermostat too. He also flushed out the cooling system with various substances he didn't go into, and refilled everything with new antifreeze. Everything is running sweetly again, and there does not seem to be any contaminants in the transmission, which means that either I am very lucky or there is a pressure differential that ensures the oil can enter the water but not the other way around.

All the new parts, labor and the inevitable taxes came to a total of $700.

I'm good for another 200 000 kilometers.

 

[sonnied3]

A bottle or two????!!!! Ur engine would probably explode from all the suds!!! I would probably say 3-5 caps of dawn, but I'd wait, and put it in after u get the car nice and warmed up!! About 15-20 mins of driving should be sufficient!!