1995 Chevy S-10 Radiator Rust

JMF1242

MEMBER
1995 CHEVROLET S-10
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
148,000 MILES

Just purchased the truck recently and have most of the records from previous service. Truck is in fair shape. One of the records indicated that the radiator, all hoses, thermostat and heater core were replaced at 100k/3yrs ago. Fast forward to today and I have noticed rust/dirty antifreeze in the tank and overflow tank. Just had coolant and heater core flushed. Also, my thermostat just failed (stuck wide open) and I replaced it today at home. I have driven approx 500 miles since having everything flushed and while I had everything open still noticing the coolant starting to get dirty again. Could a radiator start to rust in only 3 years? Could there be another cause? There are no leaks. Also, is there any harm if not fixed or is something to fix quickly? Thanks.

1 Reply

MHPAUTOS

MECHANIC
31,937 POSTS

Hi there,

thank you for the donation,

This dirty coolant is a result of poor cooling system maintenance old degraded coolant and chemical reactions with all the different materials in the cooling system, just flushing is often not enough, you need to run a cooling system cleaner and corrosion neutralizer as well, these are readily available from cooling system repairers, when the system is cleaned completely and fresh coolant is added you should have no problems, it is also a good idea to check the cooling system for stray current, most radiator shops can do this simple test that may save you a fortune if the problem is detected.

Thank you for using 2carpros,
Your feedback is always welcome.
Mark (mhpautos)