Coolant keeps getting dirty after being flushed/ "Fail-Safe" thermostats, 180*?

[j894]

I heard good things about the "fail safe" brand thermostats.. Im going to be
changing the coolant, flushing out the coolant system, & changing the
thermostat probably tomorrow. Anyway, I went to get get one at the auto part
store and they didnt have the 195* fail safe, and i didnt want to get really
really cheap **** so I just took the 180* one.

Does anyone know first hand whether this causes a big lose in fuel economy?
J/w cause I've heard mixed opinions on the matter. I drive about 300-400
miles a week mainly on the interstate to school. I average about 16 maybe
17mpg mixed with my current driving habbits.

Just looking for more info. Like I said ive heard all differnt opinions on getting
better or worse milage, engine running better or worse, etc.
Anyway, isnt 180* the temp at which the thermostat opens, not nessicarly
the coolant temp?

Also, is it possible for the Trans fluid cooling, or oil "cooling"
lines that run through the radiator to rupture or leak inside the radiator?
Cause I flushed my coolant from the rad and most of it from then engine
just last fall (when changing knock sensor) cause it it was all dirty.
And now it's dirty again, well it has been. I dont seem to be getting water
in my oil, and its not overheating or anything, so i assume its not a head
gasket or intake gasket. It does loose coolant, but very slowly but I thinks
its cause of the old rad. cap I dont know what else it can be coming from?
any ideas



thanks for any help

[bgs]

I hope it's just an old radiator cap. I was losing coolant too. Had been for a long
time but just a tiny bit. Enough where one could see the core. It would take about
3 or 4 days for it to leak. I used the pressure tester on the rad and could never
find. Last week I decided to upgrade the battery cables to 4 gage. In order to get
to the one on the starter I had to remove it. While I was taking the cable off the
starter motor, I got hit on the face with a med size drop of coolant..

WTH ? I just happen to look up at the block and could see where coolant had slowly
been leaking out for some time. It was at the r/r freeze plug at the bottom !
I took a small screwdriver and tapped on the plug and sure enough it started to leak
more coolant. I let it drain some then took a 90* drill and bit, just barely touched
the bottom of the plug and there it went. I had enough sense to have a 5 gallon
bucket close and caught most of the coolant. It took me close to 3.5 hrs to get
the old freeze plug out and a new one put in. A REAL PITA.

If you are losing coolant and can't find the leak, take a look at both the right
and left freeze plugs. The left you can see, the right you will more than likely
have to drop the starter to get a real good look at it. It was a pain to do, but
could you imagine how much of a hassle it would have been out on the street
somewhere, away from the tools and jack stands ? I know it would = BIG BUCKS to fix.

[T Man]

Im running a 180 and havent noticed any loss in mileage, nor did I notice a gain in hp though. it is nice though having the motor run a little cooler, gets the heater on quicker in the winter too!

[jharrison]

When you say the coolant is "dirty" do you mean there is a dark sludge in the overflow tank, and a little elsewhere in the system? The problem I found with my truck was the overflow tube for the overflow tank was picking up dust and dirt and allowing it to enter the cooling system. I cut about a silver dollar size circle out of an old t-shirt and put it over the nipple on the overflow tank then simply pushed the hose back over it. Kind of a make-shift filter. Haven't had much if any dirt re-enter the system. As long as the coolant isn't milky like chocolate milk, your contamination should be dirt. If it is milky it's oil.