Coolent Problems

[PoteMatic]

I recently received a 1988 Pontiac 6000 LE and for the most part it is in good running condition I mean its a free car so I look at it as better than nothing. But recently the water in the engine coolant resevror started BOILING and it was like a brownish-orange color. Today i went out and got some anti-freeze and I flushed the radiator and emptied the resevror. After that the temperature light was on right when i started the car and the low coolant light is off and on but I know it isnt low. The boiling stoped but it still makes a slight noise i think either it is a smaller boil or there is a small hole in the bottom of the resevro and air is getting in and making the noise. My question is if it is a hole with air why wouldnt it make the noise all the time and not mainly when i shut the car off and how can I fix this?

[EVIDENT]

Originally posted by PoteMatic
I recently received a 1988 Pontiac 6000 LE and for the most part it is in good running condition I mean its a free car so I look at it as better than nothing. But recently the water in the engine coolant resevror started BOILING and it was like a brownish-orange color. Today i went out and got some anti-freeze and I flushed the radiator and emptied the resevror. After that the temperature light was on right when i started the car and the low coolant light is off and on but I know it isnt low. The boiling stoped but it still makes a slight noise i think either it is a smaller boil or there is a small hole in the bottom of the resevro and air is getting in and making the noise. My question is if it is a hole with air why wouldnt it make the noise all the time and not mainly when i shut the car off and how can I fix this?

I'm not quite sure what you asking... it seems like there is a noise when your car is shut off? Is this what you asking about?

First off, there's alot of stuff that can make noise on you car [especially since it's an '88 and more than likley fuel injected]. My AC on my '92 will make noises once the cars off. While I'm not positive ecactly what the noise it, I'm pretty sure it comes from the condensor.

I suggest you take your radiator to a radiator shop and have them boil it out. While they're doing this, they can catch and find any leaks or holes that might be present. (Don't let htem try to sell you a new one)

I don't reccomend this because of the noise your hearing. Unless your car's overheating or leaking, I'd ignore it. The reason I reccomend this is because you said the coolant was a brownish -orange color. That's pretty bad. Having it boiled out will get rid of the rust that's present and allow your cooling system to run more effectivley.

~evident

[irseg]

Does the coolant look like it has oil in it, or vice versa? If it's just dirty, flush it and get a new radiator cap. A bad cap can cause it to boil since it doesn't hold enough pressure, which raises the boiling point.

If it is oily, it could very well be your head gasket. I had a '93 Cougar that blew one. It leaked exhaust into the cooling system, which then bubbled out of the overflow tank. It soon started leaking enough to intermittently air-lock the system, which made the temperature gauge go all over the place. Then the gasket really blew, and it made a nice cloud of antifreeze smoke. Fun, fun, fun!