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Q: A piece of cardboard/paper from the coolant jug was accidentally dropped into the coolant tank.

asked by on September 02, 2016

This morning, while refilling the coolant tank, somebody mistook the coolant jug cap for the tank cap and attempted to put it on the tank, and accidentally dropped the cardboard/paper piece from the jug (the one that is peeled off when opening a new jug) into the tank. I was unable to fish it out, and I do not know whether I should take the car in and have the tank drained, or if the piece of debris will dissolve. Please help.

My car has 200000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Unfortunately, this tiny piece of cardboard will not dissolve in coolant as it is designed to withstand the chemical makeup of the coolant. This can become lodged in areas inside the radiator that will prevent the proper flow of coolant through the passages. I would suggest having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to properly remove the debris from the radiator at your own convenience.

Honda
Radiators
Civic
2000
L4-1.6L
coolant
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