oil in the antifreeze, whats going on?

roysays · #1 (**permalink**) 06-23-2010, 09:20 PM

last month I changed the coolant and flushed the system on my 97 GTI 2.0 because the coolant looked like mud water.
changed the tstat and refilled with G12 from the dealer and now I'm seeing oil in the expansion tank.

question is can my head gasket be shot or can this be caused by something else.

I'm not using any antifreeze and just a liitle oil, no smoke either.

Ninja Please · #2 (**permalink**) 06-23-2010, 09:24 PM

are you are sure it is oil and not G12 mixed with Green Antifreeze or a disentegrating heater core?

If so, aside from your head gasket, it could be your oil cooler gone bad I guess.

roysays · #3 (**permalink**) 06-23-2010, 09:39 PM

no green antifreeze, I did a complete engine flush till the water ran clear.

it's def oil, feels slippery and smells like oil too.

I've been sucking it off the top in the expansion tank with a turkey baster, LOL.

is the oil cooler connected to the engine coolant some how?

Ninja Please · #4 (**permalink**) 06-23-2010, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roysays

no green antifreeze, I did a complete engine flush till the water ran clear.

it's def oil, feels slippery and smells like oil too.

I've been sucking it off the top in the expansion tank with a turkey baster, LOL.

is the oil cooler connected to the engine coolant some how?

Yes, It is a heat exchanger from your oil and coolant system. Oil comes in one side and coolant on the other. It is mounted on the side of a Vr6 block -not exactly sure on a 2.0. It is bolted on by one bolt usually. In the Bentley's VW manual it mentions specifically that the oil cooler should always be suspected when oil is found in coolant.

mcrow · #5 (**permalink**) 06-23-2010, 11:12 PM

Your oil cooler is sandwiched between the oil filter and oil filter housing on the 2L. Its pretty easy to change and is probably the cheapest fix. Its either that or head gasket or cracked cylinder head. Any driveability problems or rough idling?

roysays · #6 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 11:14 AM

no driving problems, runs great.
engine sound like marbles are rattling around at idle, not sure if thats normal on this engine or if the lifters need adjustment. other than that it seems to idle smooth.

Ninja Please · #7 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 11:48 AM

Its only about 70.00 dollar part for a 97 2.0l -if the car runs good and there is no crap or white shit in your oil, I would be tempted to just replace the cooler if the money is not a big issue.

If you let the engine cool and the oil get back to the pan and remove the oil cooler and cap the radiator hoses, you can inspect it and test to see if you can spot the problem if you have the time.

Its a 5-10 dollar part from a junkyard. Since it is a passive exchanger, the likelyhood of finding a good one at a yard is high. If you do this order a new seal (2-3 dollars)

roysays · #8 (**permalink**) 06-24-2010, 03:01 PM

nothing in the oil, it looks clean.
I'm going to by a new cooler and put it on. I'll let you guys know what the results are.
thanks for all the help.