GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I drained my coolant for the 30k flush/change (at 36k, oops) and found whitish light sludge laying at the bottom of the radiator neck. I only could see it after draining the coolant. I will give it a good flush using distilled water and use Prestone® Extended Life 5/150 Antifreeze/Coolant. According to the Prestone web site all of their stuff meets the GM spec.Anyone else notice this light milky looking scum? http://www.prestone.com/

in my limited knowledge i'd make sure its not traces of oil in there... could mean serious problems. any discoloration of your oil?

I would definitely consider this alarming. I would get your car inspected right away. I had the experience of having my Head Gaskets blown due to a leak from my Rad into my engine. Oil and coolant got mixed and blew my head gaskets. Now car is in the shop and has been there for over a week now. Thank God I was still in the warranty which will end in about 1000KMs. If you have a moment or two, peek underneath the engine cover and see if there are any pinkish crustations around your spark plugs. Mine came to this point, and the damage was pretty severe. I hope your problems are not as serious as mine. Good Luck!

I use the Prestone quick-fill stuff that is already premixed with water. (Which I had the idea for about 8 years ago) But anyway, I have had no problems with the little I have put into the radiator. I believe it says on the back of the bottle that it meets GM standards. So you should be OK in that regard. With your milky substance in the coolant system, I would MOST DEFINITELY get that checked out immediately. That is not normal nor will it ever be normal.

Last oil change I sent in a sample ($20 at NAPA) and it came back really good, no contaminants. I also pressurized my coolant system and did a drop test with good results. This should rule out leaking between the two systems, but I will keep a close eye on em.

Would a blown head gasket be covered by the 100,000 km powertrain warranty?

Should be covered, I would think...

It should be covered....my car is still in the shop and it's getting fixed up under the warranty. The only thing I have to pay for is the Oil Change and Coolant flush that they'll be doing since I don't have receipts for them. Otherwise it should be covered. is the 100,000KM the extended warranty? My car was only under the standard warranty of 60,000KM or 3 YRS Bumper to Bumper which ever comes first.Fortunately I was just 1000KM before my warranty expires, but not so fortunate that I've only had the car for 2 1/2 years. Take advantage of your warranty as much as possible. I've been doing this as much as possilbe to avoid any cost burden on me. I was lucky enough to get them to change my clutch before my head gasket repairs since my clutch was making a hollow howling noise everytime I depressed the clutch. When I get the car back, I'm going to look for any other problems that I can find to ensure my car is in good shape so that I don't have to dish out the $$ for all these damn repairs which I shouldn't be experiencing since it's practically still brand new.

It's not the extended warranty that I was referring to. In Canada, we have the 100,000 km limited powertrain warranty. I'm just wondering what that means. I'm already past the 60,000 km bumper to bumper. I opted not to buy the extended warranty when I bought my car 2 years ago because it was going to cost over $2000. I figured I could pay for most minor repairs with that amount of money.

Quote, originally posted by RoundUp »It's not the extended warranty that I was referring to. In Canada, we have the 100,000 km limited powertrain warranty. I'm just wondering what that means. I'm already past the 60,000 km bumper to bumper. I opted not to buy the extended warranty when I bought my car 2 years ago because it was going to cost over $2000. I figured I could pay for most minor repairs with that amount of money.I'm also in Canada, but when I bought my car I don't remember the 100,000 km limited powertrain warranty. I'm curious to know what that means as well.

Quote, originally posted by CyBeRjUnKiE »I'm also in Canada, but when I bought my car I don't remember the 100,000 km limited powertrain warranty. I'm curious to know what that means as well.That's why I debated getting the extended warranty. The car comes with a basically 'bumper to bumper' 3 year 60 k. And then with the extra 2 years on the powertrain....hmm..it causes some thinking...is it worth paying approximately 1500 more (with taxes) to go from 3 to 6. It may give peace of mind but it very likely isnt a good use of money. If there wasnt the limited powertrain I think the decision would be a no brainer...go for it But with the extra built in coverage I dont think so.

Has the cap ever been off the radiator before or was the the first time?I have worked on cars that the cap has never been off and found some weird things at the cap. In the end it was nothing. Unless you are low, were ever low at one point or it is getting into the oil, do the change and monitor it. If months go by I would say it is nothing to worry about.

GM used to add a leak preventative like barsleak to every new vehicle to ensure all the new hoses and clamps wouldn't leak. This may be a residue of an additive.If you suspect you have a gasket leak - you would normally have a frothy white foam in your oil - check your dipstick after a long drive.(high pressure coolant wouldn't normally get contaminated with oil - but it can happen when the system cools down)It could also be assembly lube used on many parts during the assembly of your engine.I'm with MiVibe-ToolGuy though, his suggestion is best - if you're not low and months go by - fahggetaboutit.