Coolant Expansion Tank Color

[Tncdrew]

Hey forum,

Is this the coolant expansion tank "brown color" that everyone warns about (indication for need of replacement)?
My '05 only has 21K miles on it, but a lot of years!
Thoughts?
Thanks guys!

 

[Zedebee]

I’ve never heard that one before. Expansion tanks don’t tend to fail catastrophically, they develop hairline cranks or pinholes which you first notice because there’s a small puddle of water under the front corner of the car after a run. Unless you’re doing preventative maintenance before a big road trip, I would leave well alone.

 

[colb]

They all go eventually due to age of the plastic and heat cycles, low mileage may mean yours lasts longer than most. Really up to you if you change it out for peace of mind as @Zedebee suggested.

 

[Tncdrew]

I’ve never heard that one before. Expansion tanks don’t tend to fail catastrophically, they develop hairline cranks or pinholes which you first notice because there’s a small puddle of water under the front corner of the car after a run. Unless you’re doing preventative maintenance before a big road trip, I would leave well alone.

I swear, I thought I've seen folks mention that the OEM tanks turn a brownish color with age as an indication that they may be becoming brittle...
Maybe I'm imagining this

 

[Motionblurrr]

All the hard plastic cooling stuff is that color, I think it's just the material type. The coolant hard pipes underneath the intake manifold are also the same brown under a flashlight but appears black to the naked eye.

 

[Tncdrew]

All the hard plastic cooling stuff is that color, I think it's just the material type. The coolant hard pipes underneath the intake manifold are also the same brown under a flashlight but appears black to the naked eye.

Thanks for that info! Good to know.