Why is There Oil in My Coolant Reservoir?
In the meantime, they probably know the difference between engine oil and coolant, so they realize that there are completely different colors and don’t smell the same. When you pull the oil measuring rod, you can expect a mber colored liquid. So what happens when you see oil in the coolant reservoir?
Knowing that these two liquids should not mix should bring an alarm. This guide will show you why there is a mixture of oil and coolant. We will also discuss opportunities to fix it and discuss whether oil stop-leck-Addivitive should be used. At the end of our guide we will give you some answers to some of the questions you may have in your head.
Causes of oil in coolant reservoirs
If oil is visible in the coolant container, the head seal may bleed. It could also be a bad oil/cooling heat exchanger or crack in the cylinder head. There could be a tear in the engine block, a failed gearflow cooler/heat exchanger, or oil could have accidentally entered the system.
Let’s take a closer look at these options.
1. The head seal was blown away
The head seal is between the engine block and the cylinder head. The oil prevents the coolant from mixing. However, if it fails, the oil will enter the cooling system or vice versa. When this occurs, you can see how brown mud is sitting in the coolant reservoir. If you don’t repair the head seal immediately, the engine will start with overheating. If this is ignored, this can lead to serious engine damage.
2. Incorrect oil/coolant heat exchanger
An oil/coolant heat exchanger is important to keep the engine temperature low. Advanced systems are often found in high performance or racing cars. The purpose of the system is to cool the oil to an acceptable level. However, if the cooler breaks down, the motor oil can enter the cooling system.
3. Cylinder head crack
In most vehicles, the cylinder head sits on top of the cylinder and forms a roof over the combustion chamber. However, overhead camshafts or overhead valves contain exhaust and inlet passages, valves, spark plugs, coolant passages, and fuel injection devices. The straight motor has a single cylinder head, shared by the cylinders, and the V engine includes two cylinder heads for each cylinder bank.
When a cylinder head is generated, the oil can always enter the coolant. There is no easy solution to repair this. This often means that the car ends at scrap sites when it is old at high mileage.
4. Engine Block Tears
The same applies to engine blocks. It’s not something you want to deal with, but it rarely happens in new cars. As soon as the engine cracks, there is no choice but to replace the engine. For this reason, most of these cars are discarded.
5. Gear error leaves cooler/heat exchanger
Are you sure it’s oil you’re looking at? The gearbox can also be equipped with a coolant heat exchanger, which is not seen in all cars. If there is a crack, the gearflow can penetrate the coolant. It is also possible that the coolant will end up in gearflow. Take a closer look and see what you need to do.
6. It was accidentally added there
Sometimes human mistakes are to take responsibility. As a professional mechanism, this is not something we have to do personally, but it can easily happen if we are inexperienced.
If you are calling out the liquid, you want to make sure there is a suitable reservoir for what you want to add. There are places for filling and coolant. If you mix them, the system can be contaminated.
How to repair oil in a coolant reservoir
Once you feel an adventurous spirit, you can try to fix the problem yourself. In some cases, fixing is not that easy, so you need a specialist to help you. Let’s take a look at some options to fix this situation.
1. Pressure Test The Coolant System
Your first step is to run a pressure test. A cooling system is required. Most people don’t have this, but you can rent it from an auto parts store. As soon as you have a tester, follow these steps:
1) Attach the cooler printing tester to the cap.
2) Pump by hand until the measured pressure is measured on the cooling cap. Usually this is between 13-16 psi.
3) Let the vehicle sit for 30 minutes.
4) Check for leaks in the cooling system and check the measuring device for changes in pressure.
5) If there is no external leakage and the pressure is low, the liquid is leaking inside.
2. Check where the coolant leaves
If there is an external leak, you can hunt and repair the cause. However, there are usually no parts that break. This leads to both internal and external leaks. Finding internal leaks is much more difficult. This is something that most people don’t have in their home garage.
3..Reply or replace the broken part
If the head poem is responsible, there is a process of repairing it. You can also consider inspecting your water pump and cooler for signs of damage.
If there’s another part to be replaced, now is the time to do it. Some people choose to install a used engine or rebuild it after a crack in the block if there’s still plenty of life left on the car.
Whatever repair you face, this is going to be costly. For example, the average head gasket replacement costs $1,600 to $2,000 because of how complicated it is to perform. If you need a rebuilt engine, you could spend anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000, depending on what type of vehicle you drive.
4. Flush The System (After the issue is repaired)
If a coolant flush is needed, here are a few simple steps to follow.
1) Allow the engine to cool down.
2) Jack up the front of the vehicle.
3) Clean off the radiator with a hose and some soapy water to ensure no dirt gets into the system.
4) Inspect the radiator.
5) Put a pan below the drainage valve to catch the old coolant.
6) Open the drainage valve and let the coolant run out.
7) Once the flow starts dripping, flush the radiator with water. Top off the radiator with clean water and replace the cap.
8) Run the engine for 15 minutes.
9) Wait for the engine to cool down again and repeat the steps to empty the water.
10) Close the valve and fill up with coolant.
Do not pour the old coolant down the drain or on the ground. Recycle old fluids properly, either at a local drop-off or your auto parts store.
5. Contact A Professional
If any of these jobs seem too big for you, don’t be afraid to reach out to a mechanic. It’s better to have a professional put an eye on the problem than to make a mistake.
Because some of these fixes are expensive, you want to get a second opinion. After all, there’s no sense in sending your car to the junkyard if the problem is simpler than you thought.
Can An Oil Stop Leak Additive Fix The Issue?
In some cases, the additives work temporarily, possibly even providing you with several thousand more miles of travel. However, they can also cause more damage.
If you are planning to fix the car, do it sooner than later and avoid the additives. On the other hand, if you plan to get rid of the car and junk it, you can use the additive to buy yourself a little more time.
Does oil in coolant always mean a blown head gasket?
No, while the blown head gasket is the most common cause, it’s not the only one. It’s also possible that there’s a cracked cylinder head or engine block. Otherwise, the heat exchanger may have become damaged or you could have inadvertently added oil to the cooling system by mistake.
How do I get rid of oil in my coolant system?
First, you need to repair the problem. After that, you can top the system off and get your car out on the road.
Why is there oil in my coolant but no coolant in my oil?
With a blown head gasket, the coolant won’t always get into the oil, but oil usually ends up contaminating the coolant. The longer the problem is left unresolved, the worse it’s going to get. If left unchecked, you could end up with coolant in the oil as well.
Can a bad radiator cause the oil in the coolant reservoir?
No, there shouldn’t be oil in the coolant reservoir because of a failing radiator.
What happens if you drive with coolant in the oil?
If the coolant can’t reduce the temperature of the engine, the motor could overheat. Additionally, as the engine oil continues to leak, it will get lower, leaving the motor without the lubrication it needs. Either way, you are looking at an engine replacement if you continue driving this way.
Once the oil is in the coolant reservoir, it’s time to act. Don’t continue to drive with coolant and oil mixing, as it can lead to permanent engine failure. The longer you let this problem go, the more damage you could deal with. You could also end up breaking down on the side of the road when the engine overheats.
Have a professional inspect the system and perform a pressure test if you aren’t sure how to do it yourself. Sometimes, it is best to trust a mechanic than to attempt repairs you aren’t familiar with.
