This brownish or rust-colored liquid substance is often seen on top of your engine and running down the sides.
It can be difficult to figure out whether you have a leak or something else, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are 9 reasons your coolant could be brown!
Why Is My Coolant Brown?
Your coolant is brown due to several important reasons. First, it could be a result of a radiator leak or a clogged cooling system. In addition to that, metal particles in the oil, a low fluid level, poor oil quality, and pitted cylinders, valves, or heads can all lead to a brownish coolant.
So, learn more about why your coolant is brown. Here are nine reasons to discover. Continue reading for further details!
1. Radiator Leak
Your radiator has been leaking for a while. It can take a while for this type of problem to show up—you may not even notice until you’ve already gone through several tanks of coolant.
So, if you’re seeing browning on top of your engine, there’s a very good chance that your radiator has been leaking for some time and only recently started causing problems with the rest of your car.
2. Clogged Cooling System
Your cooling system is clogged with debris from debris in the radiator, causing it to lose efficiency at removing heat from the engine compartment.
In addition, this might also result in lower water levels in your reservoir or overflow tank if it isn’t being replenished enough due to blockage from other components within the system itself.
These are such as dirty hoses and filters that aren’t being cleaned regularly enough by technicians working on them regularly enough.
3. Metal Particles In Oil
The reason why your coolant is brown is because of metal particles in the oil. If you have metal particles in your oil, then it will cause the coolant to turn brown.
Further, the reason why this happens is because of the way that catalytic converters break down carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water.
When these metals are present in the air, they will be deposited onto surfaces around you because they are attracted to iron, nickel, and cobalt, which are all commonly used in cars today.
Eventually, these metals will also be deposited along with other pollutants like sulfuric acid and soot.
4. Low Fluid Level
The level in the reservoir of your car is important for a number of reasons.
When the coolant level drops, it causes corrosion in your radiator, which can lead to leaks and even damage to the engine itself.
Additionally, it also increases the risk of a fire if there is an accumulation of water or other debris inside the engine compartment.
There are several reasons why you might notice your coolant has turned brown.
So, if you’ve recently had any work done on your car, or have just changed out older parts with new ones that are larger in size, this may be one reason why your coolant has turned brown.
5. Poor Oil Quality
If you’ve ever noticed that your coolant is brown, it could be because of poor oil quality.
The oil in your car is meant to transfer heat away from the engine and keep it running smoothly.
When the oil becomes old or gets contaminated, it may not be able to function as well as it should. This can cause overheating issues and ultimately lead to brownish-colored coolant.
6. Failing Heater Core
Heater cores are the mechanisms that allow your engine to maintain a consistent temperature and pressure.
The heater core is located in front of the radiator, and it houses a fan and pump to move coolant through the system.
Over time, as the fluid gets dirty or clogged, it can become less efficient at moving heat away from the engine, causing coolant to be sent back into your cooling system instead of being expelled out into the air.
And when this happens too often, you may notice that your coolant is browning or smelling bad.
If you have a failing heater core, you will need to replace it with a new one before any other work can be done on your vehicle.
7. Bad Radiator Cap
The radiator cap is a plastic disc that sits on top of the engine, where it keeps the coolant from escaping into the environment.
In addition, it also prevents sudden expansion or contraction of coolant as it expands or contracts with changes in pressure.
If you remove the radiator cap, this can cause an increase in pressure inside your vehicle’s engine, which causes your coolant to boil and turn brown (this is called “boiling over”).
Also, if you’ve recently replaced your radiator cap and noticed that your coolant is brown, it’s possible that there was still some air trapped within the cap when you replaced it.
The trapped air creates a vacuum effect that draws more air into your cooling system and makes more bubbles form.
As a result, this can cause water to boil over at any time, so be sure to check your cooling system regularly.
8. Pitted Cylinders/Heads/Valves
Pitting occurs when coolant comes into contact with metal, and the metal reacts with the acid in the coolant, forming a protective layer on top of the metal.
Coolant can’t get through that layer, so it pools in pools of water under your car’s hood. This causes rust and corrosion, which cause air bubbles to form in your coolant.
Though it doesn’t affect performance, it does make your coolant brownish, and your car looks bad and can be dangerous if you have no idea how to fix it.
9. Air Bubble In The System
Your coolant is a little brown. That’s because air bubbles are getting in there, and they’re messing with the water’s ability to transfer heat.
Therefore. if you see brown or black spots on your car’s radiator cap, it means there’s an air bubble in your system that’s not letting the water do its job of transferring heat properly.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this post answers some of your questions about brown coolant and its origins. It is important to understand that no coolant contains anything besides water and coloring.
So, if you feel that your coolant is contaminated, then it is best to take action now so you can avoid engine failure in the near future.
Always remember that it is always better to spend money for maintenance than spending your money for damages that need to be fixed in your car.