Oil mixing with coolant

Good morning,

Where do you see this?

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/coolantantifreeze-in-the-engine-oil

If it is in the oil, it indicates a head gasket failure.

If you see oil in the coolant, it indicates a block issue.

Please give me as much information as you can.

Roy

My car overheated. I had a thermostat and sensor installed. The idiot light now comes on and says that I am low on water. I do not have water on my dipstick but I do have water sludge on the bottom of the oil fill cap. I am trying to get an idea of what I will need and a cost estimate so that I do not get cheated. Tks,

Hi there,

The first thing i would do is go get a head check done, this is a quick and cheap chemical test to check for any exhaust gasses in the cooling system, if so this is a sure sign of a head gasket problem, start here.

mark (mhpautos)

Water in the oil.

Sounds like a possible head gasket issue.

This could "just happen" for no obvious reason, but usually overheating will compromise the head gasket.

Have your cooling system pressure tested.

The Medic

I have a 1999 chevy malibu and my mechanic said that I have antifreeze in the motor oil ..can this be fixed ? he said i might need a new motor

You probaly have a bad intake gasket, How long has this been going on? When that Dex-cool gets in the oil, its almost like sandpaper on your internal bearings, If you catch it in a reasonable amount of time, then repair of the leak is usaully ok, every one that owns a GM vehicle with the 3.1 or 3.4 has had to do intake gaskets on them, its only a matter of time, alot of times the coolant will get low, overheat, then your dealing with cracked heads or head gaskets, maybe your mechanic is thinking along those lines (head/ or head gaskets, or internal bearing damage from prolonged coolant in oil), then you could justfiy a new or used engine, but anyway first determine where the leak is coming from, usaully with a pressure tester you can put your ear to the oil fill tube on the valve cover and hear hissing internally if the intake gasket is bad and is leaking inside, but if the car has overheated(even once) have the coolant system tested for combustion gases, to find out if the head gaskets/heads are bad.

That is typical of a leaking head gasket. That is a fairly common repair, but it can't wait. Antifreeze will melt the soft metal outer layer of engine bearings. That will turn an expensive repair into a really expensive repair.

Hey Doc,

1998 Chevy Malibu 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic

what could be leaking out of my car that looks like water and oil mixed together?

WHat area is it coming from? WHat color is it? Have you checked the engine oil to make sure there is no coolant mixing with the oil, or the radiator to make sure there is no oil mixing with the coolant?

Let me know.

Joe

I have a 1998 Chevy malibu and the coolant is leaking into the oil. Any coolant you add it just sucks it up. The past few months leading up to this it was hard starting and had a rough idle, I just assumed it was a vaccum leak and I would get to it when i had the chance. I believe it to be a blown head or intake man. gasket. I am planning on repairing it myself and was wondering how i would go about locating the leak. Also it never overheated I only went a few blocks before figuring it out, what are the chances anything else has been harmed. Thank you any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sounds like another lower intake gasket failure. Coolant in the oil will destroy an engine in no time at all. Do not run the engine with coolant in the oil!!
Do a computer search and type in dexcool class action law suit. Your problem is a very common, and can be fixed for free or you can be compensated. Check out the class action law suit for details.
A blown head gasket will cause your engine to barely run - if at all. A compression test will diagnosis a bad head gasket.

My car was making a loud tapping sound it sounded like it came from the engine. I took it to repair shop and they said it was because water was leaking to the oil. is this possible and how much would a repair like this cost.
thank you
lulis456

yes this is a very common problem , most of the time the lower intake gaskets leak causing this condition but sometimes the head gaskets leak also , the intake repair goes for about 6hrs worth of labor , i dont know the labor rates where you are or i could calculate it for you

Jim

i live in the state of california cityof bakersfield the mechanic shop where my car is getting fixed said they would fix it for 300 to 400. Since i am your typical woman who does not know a thing about cars i had my dad take it for me. is this a ok estimate
thank you
lulis456

it is a very fair est

Jim