Coolant Flush produces Brown liquid!! messy

[arcticathlon]

so i received my parts and coolant from Phil and got around to flushing the system in the 240D. I about threw up when i saw what came out of this car. it was rusty looking but so dark in color that it took around 10 minutes of continuous flushing to get it looking somewhat clear. This rust is caked in all the hoses and stained my driveway. i tried to catch the first several gallons which i was very successful at, but after 15 minutes it got ridicules. i started disconnecting all coolant pathways and was flushing this rusty dark and party chunky fluid out of the car.

My question is this, did the previous owner mix coolants?
If it is rust, how does so much accumulate? (just bad maintained?)
Could it have been oil, and since i flushed it do i have to check my oil pan for water?

i never had any liquids in my oil pan before, so i guess i am just being paranoid, but i just dont want to trash my car because of this flush. it took my about 1.5 hours to get everything flushed.

Also i drove it around the block after flushing and filling the radiator with antifreeze, and the oil pressure bar just pegged at 3. when i checked the oil level it did not read at all!!!! WTF (now i will probably check the oil pan before topping it off)

Also what do i have to do for the waterpump to start moving liquid through the system to get some air bubbles out and top off the radiator? just get it hot enough for the thermostat to open up?

sorry about the long post but this was my day today

[Parrot of Doom]

I would guess the previous owner either never used anti-freeze, or there was a leak for some time and they kept topping up with fresh water.

If it were oil you wouldn't get much out with just water. I would consider changing the radiator hoses at that age of vehicle. As for getting the air out, massaging the radiator hoses and ocassionally topping the reservoir bottle up, with the engine idling, worked for me.

As for coolant in the engine oil, check the underside of the oil filler cap for any creamy residue and also in the coolant reservoir bottle. Watch the temperature gauge for overheating.