Weird stuff in radiator cap and coolant question

[Moise]

Changed the coolant tonight, all went well except when I went to bleed the water pump and couldn't find my 1/4" socket set with the universal joint. The old coolant looked really clean. Refilled it with a 33% solution of Motul Inugel (universal antifreeze with "Hybrid technology").

But when I cleaned the pressure cap, I found some black grit in and around the pressure relief valve. I thoroughly washed the cap and got it all out, but it has left small marks on the rubber seal. Unfortunately I'd already refilled the cooling system otherwise I would have flushed it with water.

I haven't seen this before when changing coolant, anyone have any idea what it might be? Should I be worried?

EDIT: Well, it appears that this Motul product is not silicate free. It meets these Japanese standards: JASO M325 / JIS K2234. Does the Zed need a silicate-free antifreeze? There's nothing in the manual about what to use except that it should be a "permanent type".

2nd EDIT: Just did a search here and DWC says it should be silicate free. So looks like I'll be changing the coolant again tomorrow night - fortunately I have a gallon of the Prestone premixed stuff. I will then take the empty bottle of Motul coolant to the Kawi dealer where I bought it and ask WTF they are selling it.

[DWC]

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... Black specks, flakes or general black f.o.b. has been found in the past to be radiator paint over spray from the sensor holes, inlet and outlet pipes that over time and many heat cycles has let go ... just saying .. more often than not.

Silicate ... What is silicate? .. basically "sand" ... Like the rule of thumb for tyres .. The more silicate in the compound the better rain tyre it makes ..
Silicate in the antifreeze is old school ... Copper radiator, cast iron block, cast iron heads and cast iron water pump ... high silicate content kept the water jacket reasonably clean of rust build up, not rust .. the heavy build up of it that like paint can let go in big blobs .. however .. Not so friendly to softer aluminium .. When aluminium heads came along so did "Low Silicate" .. now that you have aluminium everything ... "Non-silicated" is the new norm ........

.. This pubic message has been brought to you by those fine friendly folks at "The Shop" ... located in beautiful downtown Reno, Texas ... =^>

Chow .....

[GaryZ]

."Non-silicated" is the new norm ........

Is the 'universal' coolant non-silicate?

[XXXXL]

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.. This pubic message has been brought to you by those fine friendly folks at "The Shop" ... located in beautiful downtown Reno, Texas ... =^>

Chow .....

[Moise]

Thanks DWC. The stuff in the radiator cap was definitely gritty... I scraped some off the rubber seal before I cleaned the cap and it felt quite rough, not like paint flakes at all. I'll see if I can get a photo of what it did to the rubber.

I'm sure the Prestone Extended Life will do the job. It's pretty cheap for 3.78 litres (1 gallon) of the premix and I'll change it every couple of years a per the manual. That may be overkill given the mileage that I do, but it's cheap insurance given what a cooling system problem could cost.

[JeffS]

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.. This pubic message has been brought to you by those fine friendly folks at "The Shop" ... located in beautiful downtown Reno, Texas ... =^>

Chow .....

Not to be confused with the "biggest little city" in Nevada....

[DWC]

Just to be clear ..
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO₂), usually in the form of quartz

Silicates are a chemical compound containing silicon, oxygen, and one or more metals, e.g., aluminum, barium, beryllium, borate, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdate, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, potassium, sodium, or zirconium. Silicates may be considered chemically as salts of the various silicic acids. ¹ In a cooling system, silicates offer metal parts ( especially aluminum ) a high level of fast acting protection against corrosion and pitting that is vital. Silicates "charge up" a cooling system with protection that lasts about 2 years. After two years, the coolant mix needs to be replaced with new coolant and water. New every two.
Silicates offer instant protection to the cooling system. Heavy duty vehicles rely on silicates to give precise amounts of protection, and can be recharged without draining the entire coolant. Silicates do have a life, and it's a short one - two years. If left longer, build up inside the radiator begins, and the silicates actually contribute to cooling system problems. Silicate drop out occurs after the coolant has been "spent", and the inhibitors drop out of solution. Silicates are blamed for deposit build up in radiators and heaters, causing engine overheating and poor heater performance. Once the silicates drop out of solution, dissimilar metal corrosion is no longer suppressed, and metal components begin to deteriorate

Silicate drop out ....



... and ... If your really serious bout coolant ..

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...t-fundamentals


Gary ...
It's suppose to be silicate free but there's no guarantee that all "Universal Antifreeze's" are .. You have to check with the manufactuer.

[DWC]

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.. This pubic message has been brought to you by those fine friendly folks at "The Shop" ... located in beautiful downtown Reno, Texas ... =^>

Chow .....

Not to be confused with the "biggest little city" in Nevada....

Yeah ... but they don't have pubic messaging ... But I did hear they have lots of Hysterical markers up and down thier highways ....... -^>

[Moise]

Gary ...
It's suppose to be silicate free but there's no guarantee that all "Universal Antifreeze's" are .. You have to check with the manufactuer.

The Motul universal coolant certainly isn't silicate free! But the Prestone is, so you have to check.

[Maximus]

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.. This pubic message has been brought to you by those fine friendly folks at "The Shop" ... located in beautiful downtown Reno, Texas ... =^>

Chow .....

Not to be confused with the "biggest little city" in Nevada....

Yeah ... but they don't have pubic messaging ... But I did hear they have lots of Hysterical markers up and down thier highways ....... -^>

I'm still stuck on the "pubic messaging".