White / Chalky Residue on pipe

NeVeR

( I like the title lol such a kid. )


Ok this pic attached is of my g/f's car.

The bottle to the right of the pipe is the coolant,

Her brother said this white residue is not good, But i've no idea what it's from.


What is it ? What can i do ?

cheers.

listermint

Minerals from water ?

Have you been filling the radiator with water ?

What car is it.

Clean it off.

NeVeR

Sorry.. it's a Nissan March, 2004

She got it about 5 months ago

I've not done anything to it..

When you say Minerals from water what do you mean ?

I've not fill the radiator with anything.. no one has been near it.


If i clean it off will it not just come back ?

listermint

NeVeR wrote: »

Sorry.. it's a Nissan March, 2004

She got it about 5 months ago

I've not done anything to it..

When you say Minerals from water what do you mean ?

I've not fill the radiator with anything.. no one has been near it.


If i clean it off will it not just come back ?

When water evaporates it leaves a residue behind. (salts etc or minerals )

Clean it off. I dont think you have any issues there.

Have you any problems with coolant? are the levels okay ? Does the car overheat at all ?

NeVeR

listermint wrote: »

When water evaporates it leaves a residue behind. (salts etc or minerals )

Clean it off. I dont think you have any issues there.

Have you any problems with coolant? are the levels okay ? Does the car overheat at all ?

Car doesn't over heat..

Her brother ( who just know's a bit about cars,, not qualified etc ) said the coolant was low or gone ( can't remember ) about 3 -4 weeks ago.. he topped it up with water.. I checked last night and there was about 2 inches left.. sorry.. crap way to explain but I can't hold up my fingers and say "that much" online lol.

If you look at the pic you can see the level.. might have to zoom in a little.

My mechanic said to get green coolant for it.. but I'm not sure if i should wait till the water is gone or not before adding it.

listermint

well theres the problem then he splashed water on it and it evaporated.

You may have a coolant leak, but if its not draining excessively and its not over heating you have no issues.

I would at some stage replace the water with a coolant though as its designed for tempretures and we are coming into colder climes.

Just keep and eye on the levels and you should be grand.

NeVeR

Sorry for this question.. But how do i get the water out to put in coolant ?... or will i just leave the water in and add coolant ?

listermint

You can drain the system easily. But id get someone with a bit of knowledge on this to show you as you dont want air in it, it will need to be bled. That comes with its own problems.

biko

I'd just wipe it off and see if it returns. As suggested, ask someone who knows about the coolant change.
It's a very easy job but it's best if someone shows you the first time.

The general idea is to drain the old stuff out into a bucket and fill with a fresh mix. Dispose of the old stuff at a local recycling depot.

pajo1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VusLV-Qih5E