i am trading a car 1994 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.2l, it has 177,000kms on it(110,000miles) runs really smooth tranny seems fine, no white smoke out of the exaust, but i noticed the coolant in the resevoir looks brown, and he said he blew a lower rad hose a couple months ago and he replaced it, should i worry about this brown coolant? just worry about a bad head gasket, any help would be appriciated

 

Just dump it out and clean the bottle. Mine had gotten all crappy over the years and I feared head gasket but it just need cleaning.

 

Once you clean out the cooling system, you MIGHT be in a world of hurt. All the crap in the system COULD be plugging some unforeseen leaks. I'd tell him to flush the system and if the leaks are minimal, if any, then I'd take it. Your call though.

 

That's a sign of how well he maintains it. That should be reflected in the price.

 

+1 be cautious with radiator cleaning... usually ends up with more issues once you do it. If you keep up on flushes... you won't need to use those cleaners.

If it looks like a chocolate milkshake, it is most likely a leaky head gasket.

Cartman

 

i wouldn't worry about what color the coolant is. i'm not clear on whether you're talking about the overflow tank or the radiator itself. if its the radiator just flush radiator and heater core, including block drain plugs.

the overflow tank can get really nasty, but doesn't really hurt anything i took mine off and cleaned it out with clorox. it was brown and black and scummy in all kinds of ways including mud in the bottom. they need cleaning every once in a while.

 

Pull the cap and look inside the radiator (When the engine is cool). My overflow bottle looks like brown fluid, but in the radiator is bright green.

 

it is from using non-distilled water in the cooling system. sludge will start to form in a short amount of time. years back I used tap water after a rad flush "to hold me over" until I could get back to it and finish it up and found sludge forming on the previously new rad cap & filler neck.

 

Hell, I'd be worried the dude used Dexcool.