Alright guys, my '87 Formula has spent most of the last year sitting. I recently started it up just to see if it was still alive (barely) and let it run for about 10 minutes. After I turned it off and let it sit awhile I checked the oil. Oil on the dip stick looks fine. However, when I removed the oil fill cap on the head I could see a mixture of coolant/oil all over it. How's coolant getting in there? Blown head gasket? Why wouldn't there be coolant in the oil pan? What kind of damage, if any, am I looking at? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

leakage around the head bolts would be my first guess

 

As for the second part of your question, coolant (ethylene glycol) in the oil will slowly erode the soft metals on main, rod, and cam bearing faces, rendering them useless. Rather radid destruction of your engien can result.

The idea is to get the coolant out of the oil ASAP and keep it from getting back in there however you need to.


The head bolt seepage is a probable cause, Other, less likely possibilities are a rocker stud loose/leaking (depending on the heads design), a cracked head or case casting, or leaking intake gasket (at the ends around the coolant crossover passages in the intake).

 

And engine that's been short tripped a lot, especially if the PCV isn't up to snuff can have enough condensation in the heads to mix with eth oil and give you a little of that milkshake look, especially on the underside of the valve covers/fill cap.

 

It's probably condensation. Run it for a while, take it out and drive it 25 or 30 miles, it will probably clear up. Try it and see before you get all excited about head gaskets and stuff.

Even if it really is coolant, it's probably not the head gasket. There's lots of other places where water can get into the oil from.