I used the "search" function and found a thread that relates to my issues here, https://www.f150online.com/forums/el...ctrolysis.html

I have an '01 F-150 SuperCrew 4 x 4 Lariat that I am getting "gunk" in the radiator overflow jug. I have flushed the system 3 times in the last 2 months and each time, within about a week of doing it, I end up with a solidified "gunk" inside the overflow.
The thread I found (and linked above) talked about electrolysis being the cause but then another member posted that it is non-sense and there was a TSB about it. I cannot find the TSB he is referring to.

My question is, is the electrolysis theory for real? Is anyone else having this issue? Each time I flush the system, the coolant/water mix coming out of the bottom radiator hose(and engine) is clean but the overflow is full of the "mud like" gunk so I suspect it is coming from the radiator itself. Anyone else experiencing this?
Can anyone help me pinpoint and correct the problem?

Thanks in advance.....



Richard

 

Click this thumbnail link & read the caption. Note that the bottom TSB was superseded by the middle one - don't do the bottom one.

 

So if I understood that TSB, this all has to do with a heater core? I have no issues with the heater core? It is not leaking and it is still working....... I am attempting to print this out and take it home so I can read it and check for voltage in the coolant.....

am I missing something? Is a bad heater core the problem causing or the result of the problem?

 

It's the result. The electrolysis eats the heater core up.

 

Edit

 

Have you or a previous owner used any kind of leak sealer (Bars leak)?

Could be that or you hoses beginning to breakdown internally.

I used to get black gunk in the overflow on the wifes Taurus, and I found original hoses that were disintegrating on the inside. Just touching the inside of the hoses get you black gunk on your fingers.

Steve83, thanks for posting the TSB. That's the first one I've seen that acknowledges the excess flow issue.

I have put 4 heater cores in my 84 mustang and as many years, and I currently have my 90 TBird apart for a heater core that only lasted about a year and a half.
Both cars literally blow the HC apart.

 

There is no electrolysis - it's Galvanic action, and it affects all metals (and to a FAR-lesser degree, other materials) in the cooling system. But some metals are more resistant to it than others, so they don't show as much degradation.

 

No, I am the original owner and have never used Bars leak. The "gunk" in the overflow is not black, it is a rust color, almost like clay.


Steve83....thanks for the TSB link. I am going to have to check it out tonight. It kind of makes sense as I am having issues with the tow package trailer wiring. I have a bad ground on it somewhere. When my camper is hooked up to it and plugged in, the running/brake lights(camper) will flicker on and off. If I shake the trailer tongue back and forth, I can duplicate the issue. I also have an electric brake module mounted under the dash. Without the camper hooked up, the red LED light comes on and stays steady whenever I apply the brakes. With the camper plugged in and driving, the LED light flickers as well and the brakes are not working.
I had to replace the trailer wiring harness as the original one got ripped off the bumper going through a ditch. I replaced it with a factory harness from Ford as I didn't want an aftermarket one and end up with problems.





Richard

 

O.k., so I checked the coolant last night with my volt meter and I got a .62 DC voltage with the engine off(also checked for AC current and it was 0). I had the ground from the volt meter going to the negative battery post and the positive down inside the coolant jug. At this point, the coolant was sludged up. .

I decided to once again flush the system so I pulled it all apart, pulled the radiator out and thoroughly flushed the system until I had nothing but clean water coming out. Again, all my sludge is in the overflow jug and the radiator. The engine itself was clean.

Put it all back together and checked the voltage again, this time with the engine running and it started out at .28 and climbed slowly but steadily up to .538 before I gave up for the night. I tried it with the lights on/off, didn't make a difference. Tried it with the radio on/off, no change...., A/C on/off no change, doors open/closed... no change.

Talking to a mechanic friend of mine who works for a local Ford dealer, he said he has heard of this as well and instead of trying to chase down a bad ground, he suggested I run more ground wires between the engine and frame, frame and body and engine to body and this should neutralize the current.....? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

One thing I thought of but not until I had already hung up the phone was if there is a current running through the coolant, wouldn't it make sense to run a ground wire directly from the radiator to either the body or the frame? Wouldn't that neutralize the current in the coolant?

Anyone have any other ideas on this? It is really driving me crazy.....





Richard

 

This may sound crazy, but try flushing the radiator and refilling it with distilled water. Run it for a few miles then replace it with a distilled water/antifreeze mix. I had problems like you described on my '97 and that fixed the problem.

you might try some superflush

I know that its a little out there, but it couldnt hurt to try.

 

from MY experience in an every vehicle garage .... if it has the orange DexCool antifreeze (GM's mostly, but not limited) they should be sued. Are you using regular green coolant or the orange "100K" mileage stuff?

 

I dont think doing a big 3 upgrade (thats what we call it in the audio industry) will do it, but it certainly wont hurt anything.

Pick up some 4 gauge amp power/ground wire, add to your factory grounds, and let us know what happens.

 

You should NOT use Dexcool in a Ford, but other "long life" coolants are approved.

 

I only use Prestone full strength anti-freeze (as opposed to the 50/50 mix) and have never used the orange stuff.

Just out of curiosity last night I checked it again. The build up is not there yet but there is alot of brown flakes in the jug. It hasn't solidified yet but it is only a matter of time.

I tried making contact between the negative battery post and the engine while watching the voltage in the coolant and it made no difference. I then tried it between the battery and the body and then the battery and the frame and it made no difference. I have not connected all 3 yet, just holding it between the the 2 one at a time to see if anything changed and nothing.

I suspected the trailer wiring harness and even un plugged it from the main harness and that didn't change anything either. The only left to try is running all 3 grounds and checking. I will do that this weekend.

I did try going directly from the radiator to the body and the voltage actually jumped? It did the opposite of what I thought it would.....?

Also, with the engine off, the water is holding steady at .533 volts... any ideas.....?

 

If I remember correctly the owners manual specifically cautions against using ani-freeze in concentrations greater than 50/50.

That could be the problem.

The galvanic action (what everyone else is calling electrolysis) occurs because of the dissimilar metals used in the cooling system. In this case aluminum and iron. The dissimilar metals and the coolant create a battery. The object is to use coolant that won't act as an electrolyte. Minerals in tap water can contribute to the 'battery'.

I'm far from a chemistry expert, but it seems that one of the first steps in Ford's TSB on this is to make sure that the coolant is fresh, clean and not contaminated.

Using distilled water would eliminate the minerals in the system that don't need to be there.

With the symtoms you posted on your trailer wiring, it sounds like you have grounding issues.

Grounding problems can't be helping this situation any.....