White / Chalky Residue on pipe

NeVeR · 05-12-2012 01:08PM #1

( 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 · 05-12-2012 01:11PM

Minerals from water ?

Have you been filling the radiator with water ?

What car is it.

Clean it off.

NeVeR · 05-12-2012 01:14PM

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 · 05-12-2012 01:17PM

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 · 05-12-2012 01:35PM

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 · 05-12-2012 01:40PM

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 · 05-12-2012 01:43PM

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 · 05-12-2012 01:46PM

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 · 05-12-2012 03:00PM

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 · 05-12-2012 03:29PM

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

White / Chalky Residue on pipe

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