Oil in the Coolant ?

[drake13]

Hey guys:

I have a 1995 3.4L camaro. For about a week now I have been having a problem with the Oil pressure suddenly dropping from 60-70lbs to around 20-30 depending on speed. And also starting at the same time is my temperature when not at highwat speed constantly seems to rise to 230 then fans kick on and drops it for a short time then rises again. Oil change is about 3 weeks old from walmart lube express ( 10w-30 Castrol ) and it hasn't actually gotten to the point of overheating!. So, today i took the radiator cap off again and have now noticed what seems to be oil in the coolant. Is this actually possible guys?. If so, any ideas before i go to a garage and get talked into an engine overhaul ?.....Thanks in advane, Ron

[immgeorge]

Had the same problem. It was my head gasket... There wasn't anything to do but replace the gasket... and it wasn't cheap.

[Joe 1320]

Yup. Headgasket time.

[2gen454]

I'll keep my fingers crossed that it is just a gasket cuz anything else will be big dollars.

[drake13]

head Gasket ?

ok, would a compression test show for sure if it is a head gasket or not. I mean absolutely positive ?

[Joe 1320]

Perhaps the first step might be a cooling system pressure check. A special pressure pump is installed in place of the radiator cap and the cooling system is pressurized. If it holds pressure for an hour or so, great! If the cooling system has no external leaks and pressure drops, time for step two. Step two is to leave the system pressurized and start the engine. If the head gasket is leaking into the cooling system, each time the offending cylinder goes through a combustion event, the needle on the pressurizer gauge will pulse and/or fluctuate. If that is happening, one by one disconnect the spark plug wire to each cylinder. When you reach the leaking cylinder, the needle will cease fluctuating. There are also chemicals that can be added to the cooling system that turn a certain color if combustion byproducts are present in the cooling system.

If you don't have a cooling system pressurizer, Autozone will "rent" the tool. You pay for it ($90 or so), you are refunded when you bring it back. I have one and feel it's an indespensible
tool. Great for tracing down all kinds of crap without having to deal with a hot engine.

[fastTa]

Re: Oil in the Coolant ?

Originally posted by drake13
Hey guys:

I have a 1995 3.4L camaro. For about a week now I have been having a problem with the Oil pressure suddenly dropping from 60-70lbs to around 20-30 depending on speed. And also starting at the same time is my temperature when not at highwat speed constantly seems to rise to 230 then fans kick on and drops it for a short time then rises again. Oil change is about 3 weeks old from walmart lube express ( 10w-30 Castrol ) and it hasn't actually gotten to the point of overheating!. So, today i took the radiator cap off again and have now noticed what seems to be oil in the coolant. Is this actually possible guys?. If so, any ideas before i go to a garage and get talked into an engine overhaul ?.....Thanks in advane, Ron

Are you actually seeing droplets of oil in the coolant or just a black residue. If you are physically seeing oil in your coolant you have a much more significant problem than a blown head gasket.

Are you seeing any smoke from the exhaust tailpipe? Specifically a whiteish-blue color. As it is hard to diagnose a problem w/o having a hands on look I would venture to say your oil pump is going south. If you are seeing steam out of the tailpipe this would be a good indicator of the blown head gasket. If you are also seeing a whiteish-blue smoke then that would be an indicator of oil-ring set failure or more likely valve-stem oil seal failure.

A fluxuation in oil pressure, and even more so a substantial drop in oil pressure can be a very serious issue. Joe 1320 had a pretty good idea with the coolant system pressure testing.