teal_dx

the temp gauge in my 92 D16z6 hatch would go up from time to time lately, usually it was on 30 min or longer trips that has hills. Yesterday was the 3rd time it happened, and it was only after 20 mins of driving. So I let it cool and poped off the radiator cap to check the coolant level.

Here's what I saw:





it looked like very fine grey sand was built up on the bottom of the cap, and around the top opening of the radiator.

I scraped as much out as I could:


and this pic I smeared some in my hand, it is not gritty, very smooth.


It was about 1 qt low on coolant.
The rebuilt motor has about 4k miles on it now, D16z6, forged internals, ARP studs, OEM headgasket, waterpump, stock head. been running it N/A to break it in before I put the turbo on this winter. The engine is running great.
I'm thinking it's a leaking headgasket and this stuff is some kind of carbon deposit that floated to the top of the radiator?

burgandybeast

If you recently bought it its probably leak fix that is suppose to stop leaks in radiators

teal_dx

more history:
I've had the car for a long time. The radiator I had for a couple of years, I bought it new from autozone. I just put in the new rebuilt d16z6 motor this summer and drove it for about 4k miles. The first time the temp gauge went up was about 3 weeks ago. Then it did it twice in the last week. any other time it was fine.

97Ej6mike

May be a clog of just...crap.
Try doing a flush of the coolant system.

burgandybeast

car+toolbox+carwash=flushy flushy.

teal_dx

I'll do a flush then
But does it seem a little strange to you guys that it was low on coolant? I had a HG leak (not blow) before and coolant would slowly dissapear until it got low enough that the car would randomly run hot. But it was never white smoke out the exhaust, it was compression from the chamber getting into the coolant system.

This was a fresh build, but I can't say for sure if the builder cleaned out all of the coolant passages. The block was hot tanked (or whatever they do to clean it)

burgandybeast

acid bath probably..

Andyroo

try flushing ur coolant system. also what type of coolant did u use?? u know if u mix the gm and honda kinds (red/orangish and blue?? fluids) they solidify over time --or produce a gunky substance