Oil in my Water

[bigtroot]

Evening all,

Not being to much up to scratch with the mechanics of my car i was wondering if someone might be able to advise.
Just checked my water level in my 2001 130bhp tdi passat estate and found it to be oily ( black) :mad:
The engine never over heated so iam presuming the head gasket has gone and it should be a simple fix :o
Having seen something simmilar to another car but the car boiled warping the head and in turn needed skimmed!
Does this all make sense and am i thinking correctly??
Whats a normal price for a job like this at a non V/w garage??
Thanks in advance,

Baz

[Crasher]

In the vast majority of cases this is a failed oil cooler as the oil runs at up to 5 bar and the oil less than a bar, the oil goes in to the water. Fit a new genuine VW oil cooler (avoid aftermarket ones, I have seen these fail immediately) and see how it goes, if it continues, it is probably the head gasket but it is unlikely.

[bigtroot]

Just spoke to a pall who is an ex mechanic, he told me to check the oil to see if water was mixed in with it!
Turns out the oil is still 100% oil so would this confirm it to be the oil cooler??
This looks like it could be an easy change out or am i being to optimistic ;)

[Crasher]

Mayo in the oil would be a bad sign, clean engine oil and oil in the water points to a fractured oil cooler.

[bigtroot]

Thanks for the help crasher much appreciated!
Ok next newbie question, what part is the cooler!
The part bolted directly to the engine or the bit under the passenger front light!
Or is there 2 coolers, what one do i need to order from V/w???

Thanks in advance,

Baz

[bigtroot]

Is it pretty easy to take off the oil cooler and see if ity is damaged??
Its around £170 for the cooler so just want to be sure i am ordering the part i need, Thanks in advance,
Baz

[Gilly35]

The oil cooler is bolted to the engine, should have two rubber pipes (one in, one out) about 1" diameter. When you replace the cooler ensure you flush it out thoroughly. I used Forte bio degreaser, much better than cooling system flush (which tends to flush out corrosion and limescale, rather than bio degreaser which flushes out oil and degreases) Hope this helps. Paul

[muddy]

The 'oil cooler' is the square alloy heat exchanger fitted between the block and the oil filter and as Crasher says, they develop pinhole internal leaks and oil bleeds into the water.
It has two water pipes connected to it and if you plan to DIY this job then :-

Remove the header tank to give you more working room AND to pour out some of the oily residue (Wash it out with neat Fairy liquid and a cupful of hot water. Then there is less work for the system degreaser to do).

Remove oil filter.
Remove the threaded spigot that holds the exchanger to the cylinder block. (? 22-23mm hex.?)
Then it is far easier to position the exchanger away from the block so that you can grip the VW original spring hose clips with some 'water-pump' pliers.

Personally I would throw these clips away and when you have bolted on the new exchanger, use conventional Jubilee clips to attach the two hoses - much easier believe me.


I think when Gilly35 wrote "When you replace the cooler ensure you flush it out thoroughly. "... what was meant is flush the whole system out thoroughly after fitting new item, before you put new anti-freeze in. Chuck the old cooler/exchanger away.

[bigtroot]

Evening thrill seekers!
Well got the cooler replaced, 1 month later still oil in my water!
Looks like it might be the cylinder hed gasket eh??
Will have to stick it into the garage for them to have a look at!
In scotland what would be the rough price to take on a job of replacing the cylinder head gasget and possibly skimming the head??
Any ideas??
What a carry on this is turning out to be, the car has never bolied over and the oil is still clean with no signs of water in it :aargh4:
What else can it be :zx11:

[venetian-red]

I am not an expert and there are other members here far more knowledgeable, but from observing a head gasket change it is a major job, very time/labour intensive, therefore very expensive. Get it checked out first before you commit to having it done to make sure it is the head gasket. Was all the old oily water thoroughly cleaned out last time?

[zollaf]

give the cooling system another flush out. oil will stick to everything inside and slowly come out, so its not unusual to find it still present in the cooling system. as said, use fortes's bio degreaser.

[Crasher]

Mercedes dealers sell a chemical for flushing out the cooling system, basically it is citric acid crystals.

[muddy]

Evening thrill seekers!
Well got the cooler replaced, 1 month later still oil in my water!
Looks like it might be the cylinder hed gasket eh??
Will have to stick it into the garage for them to have a look at!
In scotland what would be the rough price to take on a job of replacing the cylinder head gasget and possibly skimming the head??
Any ideas??
What a carry on this is turning out to be, the car has never bolied over and the oil is still clean with no signs of water in it :aargh4:
What else can it be :zx11:

A lot depends on how thoroughly the system was flushed out.
And bear in mind that 1.8 and 1.8T head gaskets are generally considered bullet-proof unless you turn up the turbo boost to silly regions!

Now here's an admission :o

I changed the oil/water heat exchanger, drained the system but only flushed it out with a concentrated detergent and NOT an 'expensive' flushing agent.
BUT 3 months later I am still finding remnant traces of oil in the header tank.
The exchanger is not leaking (nor is the headgasket) but small pockets of oil are still being stirred up and brought to the surface :o

My fault for being so mean .... but at least it is diminishing (I remove the mini oil slick with paper tissues every other week).

[venetian-red]

Glad it seems to be getting better; as the other guys have said, give it a good flushing. Unless there is evidence of water in the oil, on the dipstick or filler cap, it is unlikely to be the head gasket.