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General Information => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: dieseldubber on September 21, 2007, 12:21:50 pm
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the symptoms...
-oil in coolant/do not think coolant is in oil
-increased oil consumption
-more black smoke coming from tailpipe
-temp gauge rising a little more easily (could be me obsessing about it)
-no noticeable power loss
Initially noticed oil when replacing a burst rad hose (drained coolant).
Subsequently changed another small hose which had a leak.
Not surprised because hoses were likely original and oil deteriorates rubber.
I tried pressure testing oil cooler with no results.
I may try a different method of testing the cooler (frustrating process).
Tried starting up cold engine and placing my hand over the expansion tank to see if exhaust gas was pressurizing the system/feeling hoses for hardness with negative results.
Coolant smells like coolant pretty much.
This car is mint, the original owner put approx. 150,000km on it and I bought it less than a year ago from him. the oil level drops only 1/4 to 1/2 between 4000km oil changes but I now seem to be topping it off weekly depending on amount of driving. I hope its the cooler but am now suspecting the head gasket. I have been driving the car like this for a month and a few two hour trips with no problems but I continually check the temp, coolant and oil levels. I do not want to proceed with a fix before knowing for sure which is leaking. Any help with diagnosis would be appreciated. Thanks and this website rocks. I love these cars!!
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i personally would change the oil cooler. and if that doesn't solve the problem, install a new headgasket and or get the head checked.
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You should also do a compression test on all cylinders. You can buy a diesel tester for pretty cheap off ebay.
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See if you can get a used cooler and swap it out to eliminate that possibility.
There is a possibility that the head gasket is toast at the back of the head, in the corners, where the oil return passages are are. Or from the high pressure supply passage in the front of the head.
It won't affect the compression.
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When the engine is up to temp and you start it up with the oil filler cap removed do you have white smoke billowing out?
If you do does it get your hands black if you put it in the smoke?
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I tried the last suggested test and when the engine was not running a bit of white "smoke" was coming out yes but definetly not billowing and it did not turn my hand black. it did not turn my hand black. I also tried running the engine with the oil cap removed and I don't know if that was some kind of joke or something cause the oil was splashing over the engine bay.
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No it was not a joke. It sounds like you don't have the cam cover piece on the top of your camshaft. It helps reduce oil consumption. Almost all post 86 engines (gas and diesel) have them installed. I'd recommend adding one, although it will not do anything for your current problem.
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ya I don't have that piece. I did know that but I didn't even think about it when I ran it with the cap off. oops. So I guess my results were inconclusive again. I'm beginning to think I just need to do the Head Gasket and the Oil Cooler to be safe but that sucks.
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ya I don't have that piece. I did know that but I didn't even think about it when I ran it with the cap off. oops. So I guess my results were inconclusive again. I'm beginning to think I just need to do the Head Gasket and the Oil Cooler to be safe but that sucks.
do the oil cooler first. even if its just the headgasket, it is good preventative maintenance. they are a weak point. hopefully it is your oil cooler! without a/c it is a little bit harder than an oil change. clamp the coolant hoses off from the oil cooler (dont use direct vice grips as they will chew up the hose... need something smooth) and you dont even need to flush the coolant system (although it is recommended)
27mm socket for the oil cooler nut?
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If you are spending $80 on an oil warmer why not just replace it with an air/oil cooler?
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ok good suggestions thanks. I think i will replace the cooler first. I dont know anything about the air-oil cooler can you tell me more like where do get one and if its OEM? Thanks guys.
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go to a junkyard and find a couple. or find a car without a heat exchanger (oil cooler) and just set it up to not have one for testing purposes. find a friend with a working one and try that one. i personally wouldn't drop the money on a new part like that without knowing if its the cause for sure. i've never come across a heat exchanger that has failed... they just loosen off. but i know other people have had them fail. get a bentley manual if you don't have one with the money you didn't spend on a new heat exchanger.
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ya I know I don't want to buy a new one but all the testing and searching is a pain and the problem is probably putting more and more oil into the system. I just want to get er done and I have a Bentley. What I need is more mechanical skills but I am working on that.
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So I still have this problem. I had a compression test done and the results were 440-460-440-440. I think that is fine right? The bentley says lower compression in one or two adjacent cylinders is a sign of a failed headgasket so that turned out well I think. I picked up a new oil cooler for $60, plan on swaping out the old one and flushing the coolant. Any suggestions on how to flush out the oil? Thanks
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Any suggestions on how to flush out the oil? Thanks
Take one hose off the oil cooler (you'll already have them both off) and press a garden hose up tight against the end of the hose and run clean water through the engine till it runs clear. But drain the engine before you do that and catch the coolant/water coming out of the engine in a bucket till its mostly water.
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actually i was thinking why not just bypass the oil cooler and get the shorter threaded rod and run no oil cooler to see if that fixes the problem? you'd still leave the coolant lines hooked up to the cooler...
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So I flushed the coolant and swaped in a brand new oil "cooler" now I will try to get rid of the oil by replacing the coolant a few times and we will see what happens.
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sorry double post
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Please let me know how replacing the cooler works out for you...i just got mine running today and am having this exact issue. I've tried flushing the coolent system twice with water (didnt seem to do much but hard to tell if I got all the oil out), bypassing the cooler by hooking the 2 coolant hoses together (seemed to make it a bit better, but there was still a little oil), drained about a litre of oil (no coolant that i could see...nice solid black with no foam at all). The coolant wasnt super gross but it definately lost its nice transparent green and turned milky, i could see little oil droplets coming up the overflow line and into the bottle.
I have a couple of air/oil coolers kicking around that i'll try to hook up to see how that works. Any tips for fully washing the oil out of the cooling system?
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i'm not sure if it is advisable, but orange cleaners REALLY cut the grease... they might do other harmful things to the motor though. i would stick to one of those heavy duty coolant system flushes. basically get all the coolant out by back flushing, fill up the coolant system with a hose and pour in the bottle of coolant system flush. be sure to have the thermostat installed. then run the engine for 10-15 minutes to make sure it gets nice and hot. i had a nice brownish liquid coming out of mine :lol:
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I have used castrol engine degreaser concentrate to the cooling system. It breaks down the oil and flushes the system out perfectly. ONkly need a few cups.
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I have used castrol engine degreaser concentrate to the cooling system. It breaks down the oil and flushes the system out perfectly. ONkly need a few cups.
is this an okay procedure? won't wreck anything inside the motor? just curious...
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Could the car be driven to a service station so that they can flush the coolant system and add new coolant? Many have a machine that they hook up that automates the process. You'd also keep antifreeze from leaking everywhere. If you wanted to do it yourself, parts stores sell flushing kits that contain plastic adapters for the garden hose and drain line plus the chemical for the flush.