l2oss

Hey I my 1988 camaro seems to be leaking oil into the coolant overflow tank. I have no idea what could cause this. The only thing i could think of which would be terrible was if there was a crack in the engine block. I drained most the fluid out 2 weeks ago and filled most of it up fresh. Then yesterday it has oil in it again. The far runs fine and don't know how serious this is.

Any solutions or explanations?

Thanks

safemode

iTrader: (1)

Oil pressure is > than coolant pressure. So, if you had a head gasket leak between an oil passageway and a coolant one, the oil would flow into the coolant. You will likely get a reverse effect when the engine is turned off. So I would check your oil for a chocolate milk effect.

galvarado

Is there coolant in the oil pan? Could possibly be warped cylinder heads or a cracked block as you said or bad head gaskets. I'm not sure if warped heads or a bad head gasket would lead to oil in the coolant. I had coolant in the oil pan way back in 89 or 90. The car didn't even have 20K miles on it. Turns out I had warped cylinder heads. Just another possibility.

Gene

Gordiggz

Oil+Coolant=Nothing easy to fix. I would guess a cylinder head problem, particularly head gasket, though I've been hearing about TBI heads cracking an awful lot lately.

gcgarner

Had the same thing happen in mine. Cracked head. Sorry to tell you that, but it is most likely a cracked/warped head or a gasket problem.

l2oss

How much would you guys estimate that would cost to repair if it was a crack in the cylinder head?

And what kind of damage could happen in the future if i don't do anything to fix this problem anytime soon?

safemode

iTrader: (1)

if the reverse is happening (coolant in the oil, which is likely) then you might as well look out for a new engine. It's probably cheaper.

jim91gta

Radiator? Oil cooler leaking into radiator?

l2oss

No, there's no coolant in the regular oil, there is just oil mixed with the coolant overflow tank.

irishhockey34

iTrader: (12)

could be semi-cheap, such as a head gasket, or could get really expensive, such as warped or cracked cyl. head. one of those 3.

l2oss

Thank you everyone for your replys.
I will look more into it with what you all said.

gcgarner

Are you 100% positive that it's oil? Or could it just be brown coolant from an old nasty radiator? Might want to have your coolant system flushed a couple of times to see if the problem keeps recurring before you go diving into the heads. Is your oil level dropping?

Gordiggz

Sometimes corrosion makes that funky sediment that looks kinda like swirly oil, especially in the overflow tank. As for a cracked head, I agree with looking for a whole motor. I just picked up a 4 bolt main 350 out of a 92 suburban for 100 bucks off of craigslist. Find a deal like that and part the rest out you might even turn a profit.

Blue_Thunder

iTrader: (1)

Could also be trans fluid mixing with the coolant. I have seen that lately. The trans cooler in the radiatior leaks. Check what your trans fluid looks like.