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[Joiner]

Hi all,

My Omega 2.6 V6 has suffered what appears to be a major failure of the oil cooler and my coolant system is full of what can be only described a beige sludge. It is so bad that the expansion tank is full of porridge and she has just boiled over (you should see my engine bay)

Anyway, I am in the process of getting a new cooler but I want to flush the whole system out prior to fitting the new oil cooler so I can at least get the majority out so I can reduce the contamination of the new cooler when fitted.

Anyway, I have searched the site for a guide for this but can only find one for changing the coolant not actually giving the system a thorough clean.

So there it is, if anyone could give me some pointers I would be very grateful.

Incidentally, I think the radiator may be clogged as well as there is a difference in temp on the flow and return hoses.

Cheers, Chris

[rsymes2k]

realistically you need to remove each item, i.e hoses rad heater matrix,header tank and flush them through individually otherwise it'll take you years to get it all out and as the engine heats it'll keep bringing more upto the header tank then not cool the car correctly!

[allen25]

I took my Omega off the road a while ago because of the oil cooler failure. After replacing the oil cooler I've been flushing my engine for some 8 weeks or so now. I had lots of other service items to consider so have done all of those (except one, I'm waiting for a dry day). Where possible I've flushed individual pipes etc but I did need to replace the water/coolant pump because of a leak. It is difficult to flush these engines even with detergent etc, I'm still flushing some deposits now (before winter fortunately). Flushing was made slightly easier when replacing the water pump because the coolant drained down further than normal and I was able to flush through a little more whilst the pump was out (only helpful if it is in your schedule). Keep at it, it takes ages.

[dbug]

Try this mate - works well

[allen25]

Thanks, worth knowing.

[ffcgary1]

a litre of low foam washing liquid does the same thing as forte and is cheaper as well.
have used it myself so can recommendf it.
just dont let the missus see you nicking it she might think you have gone soft.

[Joiner]

Thanks for your input everyone. I have just come in from attempting a basic flushing out of the system by simply connecting an old hose to the expansion pipe from the top of the rad and a hose to the intake pipe from the expansion and simply pumping water through with the engine running. To be fair it did shift a heck of a lot of crap but I left the engine running to see if the heater heated up and the temp soon went off the scale. While the hose was running prior to this the temp kept nice and low so I must have had circulation for the engine to remain cool. cant believe how quickly she over heated though once I disconnected the garden hose, topped the system up and left it idling.

Shan't do anymore now till I get a chance to check the oil cooler to make sure that's the fault rather than spending hundreds on one for nothing!

[Big_Al]

Dishwasher tablets are best IMO   . . . non foaming  . . .& what are they designed to do  . .  . .  clean & de-grease your washing up !

Dissolve 2 tabs in a litre of  warm water  then add to system.  Do that a few times over a week . Then leave it in a few days .  It works   Then  maybe use the Forte stuff finally

Another point is that surely oil will still contaminate the coolant until the problem is rectified. so not much point in trying to clean out completley until it is sorted  . . . . Just my opinion

But what do i know   . . . I can't even stop a simple V6  oil leak 

[allen25]

Brown sludge is exactly what I experienced (emulsion is the best description I can find). I left it a while before doing the repair but when I drained the oil as part of the repair process, it also was not what you might expect, it too was brown coloured! After removing the cooler I tested it for leaks and sure enough it was leaking. No problems after fitting the new cooler, other than continuous flushing...still ongoing. It can be other reasons, but most of us unlucky owners who have experienced this have found it to be the cooler at fault. Although the coolant cap on mine was probably shot, (since replaced) the fault caused emulsion to flow from the coolant tank! Didn't stop until I did the repair. Hope it helps.