Water and oil mix
 

Hi All, I'm looking for a little guidance,

I know this has been covered loads and I'm hoping that the oil cooler has failed rather than the head gasket but as I understand it my early 2000 2.5 V6 Cowley built 75 has a different oil cooler to later models, could anybody tell me where I might source an earlier one. I've looked at DMGRS and Rimmer and I don't think they stock them.

Thanks

Unfortunately I can't tell you where to get the earlier type, but have you tried testing your current cooler with an airline or tyre pump first, to check if it's definitely leaking ?

I had the same problem a few years ago. You'll need to come up with some clever pipework and an old tyre valve (if using a tyre pump), but worth the effort to find out if the cooler is actually leaking ;)

If it is leaking and none are available, you might be able to strip it down and repair any corrosion with chemical metal ? Be careful not to cross-thread the pipework when refitting :}

Early oil coolers don’t tend to fail, it’s the later ones that suffer.

oil in the water ? or water in the oil ? or both ? you could bypass the oil cooler water pipe very easily with a short length of tube and a couple of jubilee clips. at least you will know if thats where its mixing. you dont say where you have evidence of the mix of oil/water. is it both sump and expansion bottle ? :shrug:

:wot:

Hello Mark the Spark,

Before rushing into purchasing anything can you give us a bit more detail of your symptoms? Some owners complain of a little bit of mayonnaise under the oil filler cap and others a horrible mess inside the expansion tank. Which do you have?

How often do you use the car and for short or long journeys?

Has the engine recently overheated or suffered low coolant level?

Simon

My water level drops by about a pint a week and I can see no signs of a leak anywhere, There is water under the oil filler cap but it is relatively clean, if I clean the cap and then run the engine for a while water reappears under the cap.

The oil level seems really high on the dipstick now (above the maximum marker) so assume the missing water is mixing with the oil. I haven't yet done the crackle test which is the next thing to check I guess?

I had the cam belts, aux belts and water pump replaced about 800 miles ago and have checked the water levels since then. Could this be anything connected to it?

I do 6 miles to work and 6 miles back a day which takes me about 15-20 mins normaly.

Thanks

So has the coolant loss only started since the water pump was replaced ? Is there any emulsification (greyness) to the oil on the dipstick or does it look normal ? This would be easier to see if you do an oil change and see what comes out.

Mine was an early one (pre-production car). From memory, it had corroded slightly between two seals inside the main body, probably due to a previous lack of antifreeze :duh: The damage was small and I was able to repair with chemical metal and carefully file down to shape.

Worked perfectly....until I cross threaded one of the feed pipes refitting it.... :duh: :duh:

Luckily, Rimmers still had them back then, about £200 IIRC.

Thanks Mark for the extra helpful information.

Persistent coolant loss following work on the cooling system strongly suggests incorrect refilling and bleeding procedure resulting in an air lock and coolant is ejected through the expansion tank cap. Are there any traces of antifreeze residue on the top of the engine?

The "relatively clean water" under the oil filler cap could be condensation in the cold, high humidity January weather.

Regarding the apparently high oil level, are you aware of the MGR recommended technique for reading the KV6 dipstick? This should be done with the engine switched off at normal operating temperature and after removing the dipstick and waiting five minutes before taking the reading.

Simon

Absolutely. Go straight to the easiest, definitive test for water in the oil and you'll know where you stand

TC