Q: My minivan is overheating and there is brownish sludge in the coolant. I already got the water pump and the thermostat replaced.
My minivan is overheating. The temp gauge shoots to the red zone within 2-3 minutes of driving and the engine starts to stall. I checked the coolant reservoir, it is filled up but the coolant is brownish in color with rusty particles.
This issue surfaced about a week back, so, I took the van to a car mechanic. He fixed a couple of leaks in the cooling system, flushed the cooling system and also installed a new water pump and a thermostat. The mechanic tested it fine and I drove it fine for a week. But, now, a week later the exact same issue has resurfaced with the exact same symptoms.
I am not sure if the mechanic diagnosed the problem correctly in the first place. So, before I get ripped off again, I need some advice regarding what is the likely cause of this overheating problem? Thanks in advance.
My car has 179600 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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