Galaxy Oil Mixing With Water

[pcshak]

Hi

 

Today when my wife came back from a shopping trip I noticed a pool of oil on the drive,when I opened the bonnet there was oil and water oozing out of the water expansion tank,I checked the dipstick & there was hardly any oil in the car.

Is this a blown engine or head or head gasket? Is there anyway I could confirm what the problem is?

Anyone have any ideas of how much this would cost to fix?

 

Thanks

[familyman]

:huh: :huh: :huh: :( bang go's this years summer holiday :D

[Justice]

The only way to tell is to have the head off and get it tested,at a guess I would say it is the head gasket blowing between a water and oil hole but the only way to tell for sure is to take the head off.

[chromedome]

Sounds like a blown head gasket.

 

As advised, remove the head and check everything.

[bigdave982]

Is it a deisel????

 

I had the exactly same problem a week after buying my 97 tdi

After taking it back and having the garage look at it several times (dont think they relished taking the head of to have a look) the problem was diagnosed as the oil cooler bolted on to the front of the engine(the bit the oil filter screws on to)

Apparently it is not unknown for these to erode allowing the oil to get in the water and up to the header tank

,I would guess its caused from the water as it flows thru it

 

One shiny new cooler and the problem seems to have gone away,of course,they might have just filled it up with radweld or something just to get it out of the warranty period but only time will tell

 

The next problem is getting the oil out of the system ,garage flushed it but i still ended up taslking the header tank off and draining the water into a couple of jars,just to see how much oil separated out

Not a lot separated but if you check by sticking a finger in the tank it gets covered with oil making it look a lot worse

 

My first check would be the cooler as its a lot easier to do than the head!!!!!

 

You have to wonder tho,if it is a fairly common thing ,how many people have been charged for a new head ,and or gasket ,when it might have been the oil cooler

hope this helps

[sepulchrave]

Whoa there, before you start to tear the head apart...

 

I think bigdave might be right, it doesn't matter whether it's a diesel or not (although some vehicle details are often helpful! *hint*); all Mark 1 variants have that damned oil cooler on them, and the problem is not confined to Galaxys etc. It commonly affects most 90's VW's above 1.6 litres.

 

It is easy to check by simply removing both the water hoses from the cooler and running the engine briefly (with oil in it!) to see if oil comes out of the unions, it won't have time to overheat.

[Masked Marauder]

I agree, the most lilely culprit is the cooler, that much oil that quickly is unlikely to be a head problem.

[bigdave982]

btw only asked if it was a deisel cos that the limit of my experience!

[pcshak]

btw only asked if it was a deisel cos that the limit of my experience!

 

Cheers Thanks for all the suggestions - Yes my wifes car is a Diesel.

 

I will check out the oil cooler first.

 

Just to clarify -

 

Is it a matter of removing the pipes to the oil cooler with engine running & checking:-

 

if water comes out its ok? so then I need to get the head checked.

 

if I get oil then theres a problem with the cooler? which needs replacing.

 

I just hope its the oil cooler as familyman said bang goes the Holiday Budget for this Summer.

 

Has anyone done the head gasket themselves,or is it garage only job?

 

 

Thanks

[Masked Marauder]

No, remove the water pipes and the water will come out. When the water has drained the top up the oil and start the engine. If oil comes out then the cooler is goosed.

[pcshak]

No, remove the water pipes and the water will come out. When the water has drained the top up the oil and start the engine. If oil comes out then the cooler is goosed.

 

 

Thanks will give it a go now & see what occurs..

Will update as to the results.

 

Cheers

[pcshak]

No, remove the water pipes and the water will come out. When the water has drained the top up the oil and start the engine. If oil comes out then the cooler is goosed.

 

 

Thanks will give it a go now & see what occurs..

Will update as to the results.

 

Cheers

 

Sorry - I just need clarification, are the ones I need to remove, the big pipes either side of the oil cooler? are they the water pipes?

 

Cos I removed them,no water came out, I checked the oil,it was on minimum & when I started the car it sounded very rough,as it was sucking air in from these pipes-there was no oil coming out.

 

These pipes go from the oil cooler to the back of the engine,I think connecting to the inlet manifold.

Please confirm that I checked the correct pipes or have I missed something?

 

Cheers

[Masked Marauder]

No, remove the water pipes and the water will come out. When the water has drained the top up the oil and start the engine. If oil comes out then the cooler is goosed.

 

 

Thanks will give it a go now & see what occurs..

Will update as to the results.

 

Cheers

 

Sorry - I just need clarification, are the ones I need to remove, the big pipes either side of the oil cooler? are they the water pipes?

 

Cos I removed them,no water came out, I checked the oil,it was on minimum & when I started the car it sounded very rough,as it was sucking air in from these pipes-there was no oil coming out.

 

These pipes go from the oil cooler to the back of the engine,I think connecting to the inlet manifold.

Please confirm that I checked the correct pipes or have I missed something?

 

Cheers

 

I think you may have removed the turbo intercooler pipes by mistake.

[pcshak]

No, remove the water pipes and the water will come out. When the water has drained the top up the oil and start the engine. If oil comes out then the cooler is goosed.

 

Sorry - I just need clarification, is the oil cooler located directly below the radiator? are the pipes I need to remove, the big pipes either side of the oil cooler?

 

Cos I removed them,no water came out, I checked the oil,it was on minimum & when I started the car it sounded very rough,as it was sucking air in from these pipes-there was no oil coming out..

 

These pipes go from the oil cooler to the back of the engine,I think connecting to the inlet manifold.

Please confirm that I checked the correct pipes or have I missed something?

Sorry for sounded a bit dumb.

 

Cheers

[sepulchrave]

OK, you're not really up to this are you...

 

The oil cooler is a canister type thingummy which is fitted between the oil filter and the oil fillter mounting, it is simply a heat exchanger allowing the oil to be cooled by the engine coolant, there is no separate radiator.

 

The pipes I referred to are coolant hoses about 1" in diameter, you will see two of them going into the thingummyjig above the oil filter.

 

If you can't identify the part you probably need a garage because we can't really do Motor Mechanics 101 here! :16:

[pcshak]

OK, you're not really up to this are you...

 

The oil cooler is a canister type thingummy which is fitted between the oil filter and the oil fillter mounting, it is simply a heat exchanger allowing the oil to be cooled by the engine coolant, there is no separate radiator.

 

The pipes I referred to are coolant hoses about 1" in diameter, you will see two of them going into the thingummyjig above the oil filter.

 

If you can't identify the part you probably need a garage because we can't really do Motor Mechanics 101 here! :23:

Thanks

I did manage to find it & opened up the 2 respective pipes,there was a little oil coming out intially but nothing after about 2mins.So put the pipes back after flushing the water system out & checked oil level again all ok..I took it for a short drive approx 1mile & the engine began to heat up but there was no heat from the heater until the temp got just above normal.I then stopped to check the coolant & it was contaminated again.So it does all point to the head gasket or head issue.

But why ain't I getting any heat out of the heaters?

 

 

Thanks

[Guest 3.5bullet]

remove the coolant pipes from the oil cooler and link them together, flush the coolant system makeing sure there are no air locks! check the oil level, haveing the engine running to remove any air locks should be enough to see if the oil is leaking into the oil cooler as it should by now be leaking from the two coolant outlet spigots

[sepulchrave]

Well done, you've already confirmed it.

 

The presence of ANY oil at all in the coolant connections to the oil cooler means that it has failed.

 

The part is not expensive, and it is very easy to change.

 

Drain the oil, fit new oil filter and the new oil cooler, refill with fresh oil (of the correct grade), then flush the cooling system backwards and forwards (ignore any hosepipe bans!), refill with plain water, drive and breathe easily.

 

After a week or so re-flush the cooling system, your thermostat may have problems related to the oil contamination issue, now is a good time to change it if you're not happy, finally refill with the correct water/corrosion inhibitor mixture. Drive serenely and be happy.

 

Forget about the cylinder head! :16:

[pcshak]

OK, you're not really up to this are you...

 

The oil cooler is a canister type thingummy which is fitted between the oil filter and the oil fillter mounting, it is simply a heat exchanger allowing the oil to be cooled by the engine coolant, there is no separate radiator.

 

The pipes I referred to are coolant hoses about 1" in diameter, you will see two of them going into the thingummyjig above the oil filter.

 

If you can't identify the part you probably need a garage because we can't really do Motor Mechanics 101 here! :16:

 

OK I managed to check the oil cooler - after the water drained out of the hose pipes/cooler I topped it up with oil & there was a slight trickle of oil but nothing major & it stopped after a while.

 

I cleaned out the oil in the radiator which was blocking the flow of water.Another thing I noticed is that the radiator fans do not come on even when the temp goes up half way.I shorted the fan switch wires & the fans work so I suspect it could be the switch,which I'll change today.

 

One other issue I have is that there is no pressure build up in the expansion tank,even when the temp is

quite high I can open up the cap & there is no pressure at all.

 

Obviously the oil is still getting into the water & I'm still asking around for prices for a head gasket change.

 

But I want to check to see the rad fans aren't working & why there is no pressure build up in the coolant system.

 

Anyone any suggestions - could there be a blockage elsewhere(I cleared the RAD) in the engine? if so how can I check this? Is it worth trying radflush?

 

Thanks

[Masked Marauder]

There may still be a lot of oil in the system, it is a big system.

 

Are you losing oil from the sump or could it simply be oil that has been in the system?

 

It would be worth trying a flushig product anyway as you need to get all the oil off of the inside of any rubber pipes or it will rot the rubber. I know people who use Persil clothes washing liquid for that too.....

[tim-spam]

But you must either link out or replace the oil cooler first, as this has clearly failed. Unless you do this, all your efforts to clean out the cooling system will be in vain - the leakage does not have to be large to cause havoc, and it will be much worse with the engine running and the oil hot. REPLACE THE COOLER BEFORE EVEN THINKING ABOUT REPLACING THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET.

[pcshak]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

Thats a good idea,I will link out the oil cooler pipes & check.

If I link out the oil cooler will this cause a problem? will the oil be too hot,can it damage the engine?

 

Also why is there no water/coolant pressure build up in the system?

 

 

Cheers

[Masked Marauder]

No, there is no risk of an overheat because you have bridged the coolant pipes, but what will happen is that if the oil cooler is borked then oil will piss out of the pipe connections that now have no water pipes on it. And thus you will be able to tell if that is where the oil is coming from!

 

Don't worry about the oil getting too hot, the cooler is not really needed in the UK.

[pcshak]

Thanks for that.I have ordered an Oil cooler will pick one tomorrow.

 

Any ideas about no pressure build up in the water system?

 

To change the oil cooler is it just a matter of removing the oil filter, undoing the bolts connecting to the engine block & bolting on the new one?

 

Is changing the fan switch a straight forward operation?

[sepulchrave]

Coolant pressure is obviously being lost throught the damaged oil cooler!

 

It's a two way street after all.

 

A blown head gasket almost always overpressurises the cooling system with combustion gases, this is why a litmus test is used to diagnose a blown head gasket, these dissolved combustion gases are mildly acidic.

 

Yet another reason why you don't have a blown head gasket I'm afraid.