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Posted by MSeriesRebuild [75.117.85.5] on Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 11:46:58 :
In Reply to: OIL IN COOLANT! HELP! posted by RyanNJ [68.63.169.217] on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 21:53:55 :
Reality time I think; just read all the possiblities posted in this thread, I must say there is a high likelyhood none of them will turn out as a viable answer to your question.
I'll go ahead and say it; it is a very high probability that the block is cracked. Forget the head gasket, that isn't the issue. We have seen many cracked block issues over the years; the first symptom of most all were exactly as you describe. Picture this; the pressure in the radiator will not exceed around 7psi unless you have an incorrect higher psi rated cap in place. Oil pressure in a good engine will exceed cooling system pressure by 5 to 7 times or more. If there is a crack that allows transfer of oil into the cooling system, the higher oil pressure will overcome the lower cooling system pressure, thus oil in the radiator. It will appear as rainbow colored swirls on top of the coolant when you remove the cap and look into the opening, so if that is what you see. At the onset of this, it may take a good while for visible coolant to appear in the oil. It will take a fairly high concentration to actually see it appear as a milky concentrate, or in the oil fill and dipstick tubes. Testing of an oil sample in a lab will show even a very slight concentration of coolant, (long before it is visible) if you care to get a sample checked out. Most oil companies offer this service.
I agree as has been suggested, it is fine to check out the things that others have mentioned; in fact we try to investigate all possibilities no matter how minor they may seem before assuming the worst. I'm just saying per our experiences, 99.999% of the ones we have seen with this symptom has been a result of a cracked block. About that same percentage have also been unrepairable. Maybe yours will be the exception, good luck.