Oil in Antifreeze
10-12-2008, 09:22 AM
#11
TECH SAVANT
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Saint Augustine, FL
Posts: 10,938
I don't know of any mustangs that come stock with an oil cooler, so that is very unlikely. Even if there was an 'internal' oil cooler leak, that doesn't explain the oil in the coolant since an oil cooler does not and would not have coolant passing through it for any reason. Coolant runs through your radiator, through your thermostat, through your intake manifold crossover, through the engine blocks water passages, through the heating system. The only time oil and coolant have the opportunity to mix is inside the engine, during a blown head gasket, unless you're doing the mixing yourself. I've seen 2 blown head gaskets that neither mixed oil or coolant nor blew white smoke, so those symptoms aren't needed to diagnose a blown head gasket.
I cannot stress enough that an oil cooler will not cause oil/antifreeze to be mixed. Another cause of oil in antifreeze, is doing a head replacement without draining all necessary coolant, and allowing oil due to lack of preparation. And on the side, during the winter/short drives you can attain a milky substance on your oil cap that appears to be the cause of a head gasket being blown, in this case its most likely not.
I cannot stress enough that an oil cooler will not cause oil/antifreeze to be mixed. Another cause of oil in antifreeze, is doing a head replacement without draining all necessary coolant, and allowing oil due to lack of preparation. And on the side, during the winter/short drives you can attain a milky substance on your oil cap that appears to be the cause of a head gasket being blown, in this case its most likely not.
I believe you are confining your definition of oil cooler to oil-->air coolers, in fact our cars do have an "internal" (integrated would be more correct) oil cooler, it is incorporated into the oil filter adapter (see below).
The filter adapter casting also provides the nipple for the lower radiator hose, something done intentionally to provide for transfer of heat from the oil to the engine coolant. As described in the shop manual it is an integral part of engine cooling.
A flaw in this casting, in its machining, or failure of its mounting gasket would cause oil to get into the coolant in the absence of a blown head gasket. Engine oil pressure is always higher then coolant pressure, and is at it's highest just before the oil filter.
Another opportunity for "oil" to get into the coolant would be the transmission cooler in an automatic tranny vehicle. Though transmission fluid intrusion is very different in small and appearance from engine oil.
10-12-2008, 06:24 PM
#13
4th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,107
I went and looked a the car today. There is no antifreeze getting in the oil but there is oil in the antifreeze. Me and my dad thought it may have been an possibility oil cooler or a head gasket causing the problem before we went. He looked underneath the car and he did not a see the oil cooler. Does a 96 have a oil cooler? The motor in it sounds really good and does not smoke.
10-12-2008, 06:35 PM
#14
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Orange county, CA
Posts: 505
^^ well buddy, why dont you tell them its too risky to buy since most likely it has a bad head gasket. That way you can get it dirt cheap. And if it ends up not being major, then you get a heck of deal. Also do a compression test.
10-12-2008, 06:46 PM
#16
TECH SAVANT
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Saint Augustine, FL
Posts: 10,938
I went and looked a the car today. There is no antifreeze getting in the oil but there is oil in the antifreeze. Me and my dad thought it may have been an possibility oil cooler or a head gasket causing the problem before we went. He looked underneath the car and he did not a see the oil cooler. Does a 96 have a oil cooler? The motor in it sounds really good and does not smoke.
Read my previous post.
There is an oil cooler, it is part of the oil filter adapter, and on a 12 year old car it could be a failure of the casting, erosion because no one ever changed the coolant, or a bad gasket that is allowing oil to get into the coolant.
Once again it sounds as though you are looking for a classic mini oil-to-air radiator style oil cooler. Stop looking, it isn't there. What is there looks like the diagram I attached.
Also, if it is an automatic there is the possibility that transmission fluid is getting into the coolant through the tranny cooling tube in the outlet end of the radiator.
If the motor truly "sounds good and does not smoke" (under load, not just idling) then it is not a head gasket problem, The only other places where oil and coolant are close enough to intrude are at the oil filter adapter and if a slushbox at the tranny cooling tube in the radiator.
10-12-2008, 06:53 PM
#17
4th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,107
Read my previous post.
There is an oil cooler, it is part of the oil filter adapter, and on a 12 year old car it could be a failure of the casting, erosion because no one ever changed the coolant, or a bad gasket that is allowing oil to get into the coolant.
Once again it sounds as though you are looking for a classic mini oil-to-air radiator style oil cooler. Stop looking, it isn't there. What is there looks like the diagram I attached.
Also, if it is an automatic there is the possibility that transmission fluid is getting into the coolant through the tranny cooling tube in the outlet end of the radiator.
If the motor truly "sounds good and does not smoke" (under load, not just idling) then it is not a head gasket problem, The only other places where oil and coolant are close enough to intrude are at the oil filter adapter and if a slushbox at the tranny cooling tube in the radiator.
There is an oil cooler, it is part of the oil filter adapter, and on a 12 year old car it could be a failure of the casting, erosion because no one ever changed the coolant, or a bad gasket that is allowing oil to get into the coolant.
Once again it sounds as though you are looking for a classic mini oil-to-air radiator style oil cooler. Stop looking, it isn't there. What is there looks like the diagram I attached.
Also, if it is an automatic there is the possibility that transmission fluid is getting into the coolant through the tranny cooling tube in the outlet end of the radiator.
If the motor truly "sounds good and does not smoke" (under load, not just idling) then it is not a head gasket problem, The only other places where oil and coolant are close enough to intrude are at the oil filter adapter and if a slushbox at the tranny cooling tube in the radiator.
Last edited by FORD TOUGH; 10-12-2008 at 06:59 PM.
10-12-2008, 06:55 PM
#18
TECH SAVANT
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Saint Augustine, FL
Posts: 10,938
For God's sake, yes it does. It is "water" cooled, integral with the oil filter adapter.
This is a wonderful place to do this because the oil has just exited the oil pump and as such is probably at it's highest average temperature anywhere in the system; and the coolant is at its lowest temperature having just been pumped from the radiator.
This means that the temperature differential between the oil and coolant is at it's peak, and that there does not need to be a whole bunch of thermal "connectivity" between the two systems to move a significant amount of heat.
This is also why nearly every modern, hot running engine pumping the ****-thin crap they want to call engine oil these days, has a similar oil cooler built in to the oil filter base.
10-12-2008, 07:02 PM
#19
TECH SAVANT
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Saint Augustine, FL
Posts: 10,938
I saw your previous post but i did not know what years the diagram covered. My tryed looking underneath the car but he did not see one but it was kinda hard to look without having it jacked up. I know what type of oil cooler you are talking about. But I'm feeling better about the car now since you seem to think it may a oil cooler problem instead of a head gasket.
10-12-2008, 07:11 PM
#20
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Orange county, CA
Posts: 505
its fairly easy to tell. You look under the car, where the oil filter screws is, if there is two hoses attached to right above the filter, that means it has a oil cooler. And like they said, if its an auto then it could be trans cooler causing this problem.