So lets just say I have a motor with coolant entering the oil. Before anybody runs to head gaskets or slipped liner, I'd like to mention it could also be front cover, and there are no weird tapping sounds from engine.

I am not running hot (stays under 200*)
I do not seem to have oil in coolant.
I am loosing coolant with no visible external leaks.
I do seem to have coolant in my oil as the level continues to rise but its not milky on the dipstick, but somewhat milky and red (red coolant) on the oil fill cap.

I'd like to figure out how to tell wether it is front cover gasket, headgasket or vally pan gasket. I can pressurize the coolant system to check for a leak, but that wouldn't tell me where, I could check compression in the cylinders I suppose, or do a coolant combustion gas check.

Any help?

 

Coolant in oil wears the main bearings faster than SWMBO can wear the numbers off a credit card. And btw many leak stop products use "waterglass" or sodium silicate, which is the a chemical used to kill the engines in the "cash for clunker" program. Bad in oil.

 

Get off your high horse, I'm not driving it.

I drove, it realized it was loosing coolant, noted it never overheated and haven't driven it since.

 

OK, let's forget what we learned in charm school.

It is an interesting problem to determine HG vs front cover oil to coolant leak. It would appear to me that if coolant going in the oil now a coolant pressure test could make more of the same. Dropping the oil pan and doing the test might show something. Certainly replacing front cover gasket is less time and treasure than the HG.

 

Yea I have read front gasket shows these symptoms. And I have done head gaskets which is why I do not want to ever again. But at my recent quote of 1600 not including parts. I'd do them myself.

I suppose I will drop the oil pan and see what I can see.

 

Mine gets the orange residue on the bottom of the oil cap, but its condensation. It only does it this time of year when i make lots of short drives in cold temps also, a plugged up vent on crankcase can increase the moisture condensing on the cold oil cap. Your coolant leak might very likely be some where else and is evaporating on contact in some external location. Here is my cap does it look similar? everyone said it was a headgasket but, it only does this in cold temps on lots of short drives. I was loosing no coolant and this was probably from a year ago.

 

I 've had a similar problem (slowly disappearing coolant) for some time. However, fortunately it's yet to show up in the oil.

However I can recommend a quick pressure test with a free loaner kit from one of several auto parts chains. I just did it and very quickly had obvious leakage at the timing cover. I had never seen puddles in the front of the engine so slow leaks seem to spread out on the plastic lower engine cover and eventually evaporate.

Unfortuately for me, I also confirmed what I sustected - coolant coming out of the back of the block/heads and dripping around the bell housing. So I've got twice the fun to look forward to.

Good luck!

 

Yes that cap IS pretty similar to what in getting and I AM in louisiana.. The oil does seem to rise a bit on its own. But it's just not milky. Continues to appear like oil, I have also changed the oil with water..

 

Clean the cap and drive it around on some longer trips to see if it comes back. If you were getting a bunch of antifreeze in your oil it would be obviously milky.

 

Further thoughts:

- Savannah Buzz is right about a pressure test possibly pushing more coolant into the oil but, IMO, if your oil level is rising, a few more tablespoons of coolant in the sump won't matter much. Unless you're ready now to do the timing cover and want to take the sump off for that reason, it could wait till you see what the pressur test shows you.

- A smoke test might help rule out a valley gasket prob but I guess it may not tell you much else.

- Oh yeah, what's the mileage?

Ron