need help w/ oil(?) in coolant problems please!!!

**knoll5150** · 06-24-2008, 03:40 PM

Have a strange problem, the mechanics I talk to are'nt sure of...hope someone has an idea. Have a Camaro SS with the LS1 engine. Early this spring when I took my car out of storage I noticed a greasy substance mixed with my coolant in the reservoir tank, I thought it may have been caused by changing the coolant from Dexcool to the cheap green stuff (had it flushed before I did this) and thought some residue from the Dexcool got mixed with the regular stuff and caused this substance. Today however, when I went to get the fuel filter changed the mechanic noticed this and thinks It's caused by a bad head gasket!
This place does'nt even do engine repair, so he's not trying to just repair my car for something that's not really wrong with it for $$$, but it still worries me.
Weird thing is the car runs great, plus I had the oil changed over two months ago, and the oil level is still high (and I've added none to it), so it seems if it's leaking oil into the cooling system, I'd be losing some oil right? On top of it my engine never goes above the 200 degree mark even in hard city driving. I dunno what the hell to do, I'm not going to drop over a grand to replace an engine part that's not bad, yet I'm worried about the oil(?) f'ing up my entire cooling system down the road. Any ideas out there?

**Sarge** · 06-24-2008, 03:48 PM

Doesnt take but a pinhole for oil to leak into the coolant. Do a compression check.....to confirm...but oil in the coolant is a pretty damn good indicator....is there white/milky spots on the dipstick? Get it checked by a mechanic before you have major engine damage....

**knoll5150** · 06-24-2008, 04:07 PM

The oil dipstick is completely clean of foreign substances Sarge, but the coolant dipstick going into the reservoir has a nasty milky substance to it.

**Sarge** · 06-24-2008, 04:26 PM

Could just be the dreaded shitty coolant ( DexCool)...have your coolant flushed.....check your cap for a pressure leak.....

**knoll5150** · 06-24-2008, 04:43 PM

Thanks Sarge, that puts me somewhat at ease. Like I said I noticed the milky gunk in the coolant about 3 months ago, so you'd think if it was actually leaking oil into the cooling system (because of a head gasket), I'd have some major driving problems over that period of time, not to mention I'd notice a drop in my oil levels. Uggh, I swear this car is like a hot girlfriend...looks great, but can be one hell of a pain in the ass at times. Maybe I should trade it in for a Civic...or worse yet a Mustang!

**thearborbarber** · 06-24-2008, 07:15 PM

My 94 had some nasty dexcool gunk in the coolant reservoir. Might be worth sending in an oil sample to blackstone lab for an analysis. That would show if there were any antifreeze in the oil. Good piece of mind.