Slight Traces Of Oil In My Expansion Tank

[stonecold316uk21]

i am having a slight problem of oil in my expansion tank only started a couple of weeks ago after topping up with coolant i am concerned i have been told it could be headgasket or an oil way split to a waterway i scoup the oil out and i can see the water quite clear but i dont seem to loose any oil according to the dip stick unless its a small amount anyone have any ideas its a

1.4 xsara west coast with 65,000 miles on the clock on a v plate "99"

[techbod]

seen it many times and nothing to worry about because the coolant/antifreeze can cause that ( it has a lubricant in it ) and if it hasn't been changed in the last 2 years then that's what happen the coolant breaks down and doesn't do its job, an oil leak into the coolant system would show up in the oil cap and it would be like mayonnaise ot thick coffee

[stonecold316uk21]

seen it many times and nothing to worry about because the coolant/antifreeze can cause that ( it has a lubricant in it ) and if it hasn't been changed in the last 2 years then that's what happen the coolant breaks down and doesn't do its job, an oil leak into the coolant system would show up in the oil cap and it would be like mayonnaise ot thick coffee

 

i am a little concerned as its a coffee like colour not in my oil cap but certainly on the top of my expansion tank cap and seal really creamy

[techbod]

if oil were leaking into the coolant then believe me you would see more than a little oil mix in the header tank, this might be a silly question but its been done before ( has anyone put oil in the expansion tank/header ) best thing to do is a full coolant flush and put new antifreeze in

[stonecold316uk21]

if oil were leaking into the coolant then believe me you would see more than a little oil mix in the header tank, this might be a silly question but its been done before ( has anyone put oil in the expansion tank/header ) best thing to do is a full coolant flush and put new antifreeze in

i dont know it was the first time i had changed it since i got the car i only have had it about 10 months and was doing a basic service and thought give it a flush out and replace so i did with heavy duty antifreeze thinking that would see it through for a while then this problem was picked up on

i am thinking about doing the system flush again but use an old baby bottle brush to get oil traces from round the sides of my expansion tank do you think this would be worth doing

[techbod]

a heavy duty antifreeze isn't a good thing because it causes more problems than it fixes.

1/ it over cools the water and can give a false impression the system is cool and that throws bogus fault codes,

2/ it rots the seals and could cause damage to the radiator and any alloy component,

3/ basically its like giving your car an overdose on treatment,

the above is probably the reason for the oil residue and isn't uncommon so probably the full flush and new antifreeze will be best

[stonecold316uk21]

a heavy duty antifreeze isn't a good thing because it causes more problems than it fixes.

1/ it over cools the water and can give a false impression the system is cool and that throws bogus fault codes,

2/ it rots the seals and could cause damage to the radiator and any alloy component,

3/ basically its like giving your car an overdose on treatment,

the above is probably the reason for the oil residue and isn't uncommon so probably the full flush and new antifreeze will be best

thanx mate will give that a go anything to save a couple of hundred in this time of need will post results to let others know

[stonecold316uk21]

thanx mate will give that a go anything to save a couple of hundred in this time of need will post results to let others know

 

just to let people know head gasket failure caused oil in the expansion tank oilway has split into water way thank god it wasnt other way round

[techbod]

the feed back is important as it helps others with a similar problem, im glad it wasn't the other way round because it would have been very expensive.

 

I had a for ford Scorpio with a similar problem and the mechanic that I put on the job over tightened the new water pump and split the wall on the block ( didn't use the correct bolts I gave him and they were too long ) it was a simple repair back then for me because I welded it

[stonecold316uk21]

the feed back is important as it helps others with a similar problem, im glad it wasn't the other way round because it would have been very expensive.

 

I had a for ford Scorpio with a similar problem and the mechanic that I put on the job over tightened the new water pump and split the wall on the block ( didn't use the correct bolts I gave him and they were too long ) it was a simple repair back then for me because I welded it

thanx for helping me techbod did the engine flush friday on saturday was back again so took it to mechanic costing 160 for new gasket and cambelt and tensioner worth it saves getting rid now i got my bloody airbag light flashing even though i chopped the blocks off and soldered them together and insolated properly any ideas .!!!! if its not one thing its another !!!!

[techbod]

air bag now that's another story and normal down to battery disconnection, earth lead only because if you disconnect the live only it sets the air bag light on, proper way to turn it off, disconnect the battery negative and leave the positive on/ switch ignition on and vacate the car for obvious reasons ( open the drivers door window because it will lock you out on re connection of the earth wire ) re connect the earth wire and check if the SRS/airbag light has gone off if it stays on the code has to be read so the fault can be traced

 

 

flashing airbag light normally means passenger air bag and the switch could be the problem if its turned off or its switch so switching on and off a few times might resolve it

[stonecold316uk21]

air bag now that's another story and normal down to battery disconnection, earth lead only because if you disconnect the live only it sets the air bag light on, proper way to turn it off, disconnect the battery negative and leave the positive on/ switch ignition on and vacate the car for obvious reasons ( open the drivers door window because it will lock you out on re connection of the earth wire ) re connect the earth wire and check if the SRS/airbag light has gone off if it stays on the code has to be read so the fault can be traced

flashing airbag light normally means passenger air bag and the switch could be the problem if its turned off or its switch so switching on and off a few times might resolve it

hopefully thats it sorted done exactly what youve stated its gone off hopefully for good or till my misses "pregnant" gets in then can turn it off i have read that when things like this happen it can cause the airbag not to deploy in an accident "hopefully wont have one lol thanx techbod your a stari have been unplugging live not earth"what a pillock"