Help oil in water
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,396
Likes: 0
From: Mickleton NJ
Help oil in water
I have a 93 A4 with 68K , I recently installed new radiator hoses. Drained out the old anti freeze it was full of crude, after installing new anti freeze and engine cooled down , I removed the radiator cap there was drops of oil floating on top of the water. Could it be the radiator is shot and the auto fluid is somehow mixing with the water. Thanks for your help as usual Jim.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,699
Likes: 2
From: The Black Hole LA
Re: Help oil in water (Jim D)
In my experience when you get oil in the coolant that usually means a blown head gasket. Although I'd wait and get a few more opinions from some other forum members before I went into that project.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,474
Likes: 1
From: Drive it Like You Hate it Cincinnati OH
Re: Help oil in water (hz900)
In my experience when you get oil in the coolant that usually means a blown head gasket. Although I'd wait and get a few more opinions from some other forum members before I went into that project.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Re: Help oil in water (Jim D)
I concur... trans fluid would be prone to mix with the water, not seperate.
its oil. sorry. check your oil - when there is oil in water, there should be water with oil.
its oil. sorry. check your oil - when there is oil in water, there should be water with oil.
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 14,165
Likes: 9
Re: Help oil in water (Jim D)
Negative. The sealer is for like the water pump seals and such. No other motor in the world has ever required a special sealer to keep oil from getting into the coolant. Also remember that if oil is flowing into the coolant, you have coolant flowing into your oil. Now if you are lucky the oil floats and the actual coolant gets so far down that it isn't sucked up by the oil pickup. Can you say spun bearings?
If you put sealer in it NOW you'll just wind up with sealer in your oil. You need to figure out where it is leaking (head gasket most likely) then fix the problem, change the fluids, and then and only then if you want to add the sealer, do so.
If you put sealer in it NOW you'll just wind up with sealer in your oil. You need to figure out where it is leaking (head gasket most likely) then fix the problem, change the fluids, and then and only then if you want to add the sealer, do so.
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Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,329
Likes: 10
From: Cape Coral fl
Re: Help oil in water (jwg2)
Have checked your motor oil? I suggest pulling the dipstick, and looking at the color of your oil. If it appears to be a lumpy sort of light tan (not transparent) color, you have water getting into your oil. There can be many reason why this happens (warped head, cracked head, blown head gasket, etc.)
Have you overheated the car recently? If so, that would be why this has happened. Keep us posted on what you find.
Have you overheated the car recently? If so, that would be why this has happened. Keep us posted on what you find.
Pro
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 520
Likes: 0
From: Scranton PA
Re: Help oil in water (KLLRVET)
I'm with KLLRVET, if it's in you coolant and it's your head gasket you should have coolant in your oil.. also if I remember correctly if you take your radiator cap off (of course when the system is cool) and you start your vette bubbles will appear due to pressure escaping through your head gasket..
Drifting
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,297
Likes: 0
From: Edmond Oklahoma
Re: Help oil in water (Jim D)
I've blown a lot of headgaskets in my time. Unless the oil looks like a milkshake, I'd be suprised if it is a blown headgasket. The coolant is under pressure and the oil (at least where it is close to the cooling system) is not. Not sure where in an LT-1 head and deck there is a location where the oil is under greater pressure than the coolant.
On the Transmission Cooler, I am uncertain how much pressure the transmission fluid is under, but it is safe to bet it is less than the 15 or so psi in the cooling system when you shut the car off. This would force coolant into the transmission.
Please take a good look at the oil and the transmission fluid. If they are okay I'd either flush the system very well (draining is not enough), refill and check again.
Mark
If the oil looks okay I'd pull back from being in panic mode.
On the Transmission Cooler, I am uncertain how much pressure the transmission fluid is under, but it is safe to bet it is less than the 15 or so psi in the cooling system when you shut the car off. This would force coolant into the transmission.
Please take a good look at the oil and the transmission fluid. If they are okay I'd either flush the system very well (draining is not enough), refill and check again.
Mark
If the oil looks okay I'd pull back from being in panic mode.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 824
Likes: 2
From: Camden SC
Re: Help oil in water (Jim D)
I have seen a leak from the transmission cooler portion of the radiator (GM product but not a Corvette) move lots of transmission fluid into the cooling system. The leak was so bad, the transmission was about 3 quarts low and slipping. Transmission fluid was dripping from the radiator overflow. Easy troubleshooing there. How about the color of the oil? You could have a small seep from the transmission's cooling part of the radiator to the coolant. Maybe a radiator shop could leak test the system and determine if there is a small crack or weak joint.
