need help with oil and coolant plz
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need help with oil and coolant plz im helping my friend with his car at the moment, i was checking his oil and it is milky brown, i think coolant is in it, but we're not sure if it has a blown headgasket or what...runs fine.
should we just drain the bad oil and coolant and run it again?
or will it be ok to just let it burn out?
should we just drain the bad oil and coolant and run it again?
or will it be ok to just let it burn out?
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From: Bergen County, NJ
If it's milky brown on the dipstick you've got a problem. I assume there is no oil in the coolant?
I would do a leak down test to confirm, but if it is milky in the oil pan - not just the filler cap which is normal - then it's time to take the heads off and look for a blown gasket.
I would do a leak down test to confirm, but if it is milky in the oil pan - not just the filler cap which is normal - then it's time to take the heads off and look for a blown gasket.
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its a bit milky on the dipstick to.
will it be ok to drive, its his only car and we don't have the means to work that far into the engine, we could drain and refill though.
wouldnt the blown headgasket leave white smoke?
will it be ok to drive, its his only car and we don't have the means to work that far into the engine, we could drain and refill though.
wouldnt the blown headgasket leave white smoke?
Best/easiest way to flush and get every drop of old coolant out.
Cold engine.
Remove radiator fill cap.
Remove the t-stat. (2-3 minute job)
Put t-stat housing back on. (1 minute)
Take the entire radiator drain valve (petcock) "off", don't just open it. It'll drain faster with it off and thats what you want. ((Buy a new petcock, sometimes they break when you remove them all the way, they're like $2.00))
Take a hose and stick it in the radiator fill cap, running medium to high.
Start the engine.
Let it run for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is running out the drain CLEAR.
When it does your entire system is clean.
Put the t-stat back in.
Put the drain valve back in. Use the new one, what the hell.
Put half a jug of Dexcool in the radiator. (Or if you live in very cold places, 1 ½ jugs of Dexcool)
Fill the rest with water.
you do not need to use distilled water, clean hose water is just fine, just make sure your city water is clean.
**Start it up and let it run and warm up till the t-stat opens once and starts to flow, if the level drops just top it off with coolant/water. Then wait one more time for the t-stat to open and start to flow, if it drops down again top it off again. Do it again if you want to make sure. I always massage the upper and lower hoses while its warming up to help move the air bubble through. Always works like a charm.
Done.
Cold engine.
Remove radiator fill cap.
Remove the t-stat. (2-3 minute job)
Put t-stat housing back on. (1 minute)
Take the entire radiator drain valve (petcock) "off", don't just open it. It'll drain faster with it off and thats what you want. ((Buy a new petcock, sometimes they break when you remove them all the way, they're like $2.00))
Take a hose and stick it in the radiator fill cap, running medium to high.
Start the engine.
Let it run for about 15-20 minutes or until the water is running out the drain CLEAR.
When it does your entire system is clean.
Put the t-stat back in.
Put the drain valve back in. Use the new one, what the hell.
Put half a jug of Dexcool in the radiator. (Or if you live in very cold places, 1 ½ jugs of Dexcool)
Fill the rest with water.
you do not need to use distilled water, clean hose water is just fine, just make sure your city water is clean.
**Start it up and let it run and warm up till the t-stat opens once and starts to flow, if the level drops just top it off with coolant/water. Then wait one more time for the t-stat to open and start to flow, if it drops down again top it off again. Do it again if you want to make sure. I always massage the upper and lower hoses while its warming up to help move the air bubble through. Always works like a charm.
Done.
Also, the best way to check for a blown head gasket is to get a coolant system pressure test done. If you push coolant out into a cylinder, you have a blwon head gasket.
****Just make sure if you do that type of test, that you remove all 8 spark plugs before the test. This way you will not fill a cylinder with coolant if you do have a blown gasket in one of the cylinders. Because if you fill a cylinder with coolant and start the engine later on, you could completely destroy the engine instantly. Hydralock. Just make sure all cylinders are dry before putting the spark plugs back in and starting it. Crank the engine over for 3-4 seconds with the spark plugs still out, that will push the coolant out of the spark plug hole(s). Then put them back in.
Or do a Leakdown check, which is just more expensive and harder to do.
.
****Just make sure if you do that type of test, that you remove all 8 spark plugs before the test. This way you will not fill a cylinder with coolant if you do have a blown gasket in one of the cylinders. Because if you fill a cylinder with coolant and start the engine later on, you could completely destroy the engine instantly. Hydralock. Just make sure all cylinders are dry before putting the spark plugs back in and starting it. Crank the engine over for 3-4 seconds with the spark plugs still out, that will push the coolant out of the spark plug hole(s). Then put them back in.
Or do a Leakdown check, which is just more expensive and harder to do.
.
