Freelander 1 Dark deposits and Copper flakes in coolant

Now that I have driven my G4 properly and all electrical engine faults resolved.

I noticed the coolant tank liquid has gone a bit darker.

A syringe sample shows flecks of black, maybe rubber hose breaking down? Also what looks like copper particles.

See photos.

Shimmery metal flakes is usually 'stop leak'
You want to drain all that muck out and give it a good flush until it runs clear
Run it for a mile with water and rad-clean then do another flush
Check all the coolant hoses you can find, they should be soft and not gone hard, check for any external leaks, check oil and water for contamination
Usually leak stop is used when there's a suspected head gasket failure, but should be treated as a 'get me home' not a permanent fix

Copper will be K seal

lynall said:

Copper will be K seal

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I was using leak stop as a generic term

lynall said:

Copper will be K seal

Click to expand...

Indeed, definitely K Seal.

OK. Well I hope it wasn't needed but it makes sense.
Before I bought it and replaced the TPS and O2 sensor the PO said that a garage had told him the head gasket had gone. Someone put some K seal. In just in case I expect !!! Cowboys.....

It may or may not have gone !! Suggest not as used no coolant and compression is ok.

So will flush, clean the jiggle valve and see where it goes from there.

Many thanks !!

Never used the stuff so hadn't seen what it does !

Was racking brain to think what part of engine could contaminate coolant.

Of course....answer. PO or garage put it there!

andyfreelandy said:

Never used the stuff so hadn't seen what it does !

Was racking brain to think what part of engine could contaminate coolant.

Of course....answer. PO or garage put it there!

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To be fair , it is pretty good gear, I have used it a few times with success every time, though not for a head gasket failure.

Thanks, will flushing it out with a rad cleaner reveal any leak that it was stopping??
or best left as it?

It'll help remove any blockages caused by the kseal. You can get blockages in the radiator etc and other small nooks n crannies.
If you've got a dodgy HG then best off finding and fixing now rather than 100 miles from home

True that. Will flush as suggested, refill and monitor closely.
I can't believe that KSeal could seal a K Series head gasket on the fire rings to establish the compression that I have measured on this engine. 175,150,150,175 PSI.

Not sure if anyone has said it yet so forgive me if they have. This can suddenly appear if there is an airlock in the engine and somehwere is getting a little too hot. It could also just be the increased coolant circulation making it appear since you just gave it a good run after the power issue was fixed. But, I would double check the head has no air in it as I seem to remember these petrols having a particular bleeding procedure and them being unhappy unless it’s done right.

andyfreelandy said:

True that. Will flush as suggested, refill and monitor closely.
I can't believe that KSeal could seal a K Series head gasket on the fire rings to establish the compression that I have measured on this engine. 175,150,150,175 PSI.

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K Seal won't fix a faulty head gasket, but it will help if MLS gasket is weeping on the outer joints, which can happen sometimes.

Unfortunately I've had bad experiences with K Seal, where it has solidified in the heater core, requiring a replacement, so I'd definitely not use it unless desperate, and I'd get it out again ASAP.