wow, thanks man, never occurred to me. but unfortunately that's not the problem, filter's fairly new and clean.

 

Ethylene and Propylene based coolants are colored different colors. We ran Toyota lift trucks at work for years but their coolant was red but Ethylene based like the green stuff. It turned a muddy brown when you top it off with the green stuff, even though it's only the color that's different.

 

thanks man, i'll look in to it, not ruling anything out!

 

I would drain the system and flush it out using distilled water and a pump, flush out the radiator, heater core, engine, and hoses. Then I wold start with some brand new correct for your engine coolant. If the radiator was used prior and not a "brand new" radiator I would consider replacing it. I myself always run a lower temp T-Stat than the factory whether it's a 180 or 160 T-Stat.

 

thanks, gonna do that. i really appreciate your and everyone's advice and comments. thanks again