Antifreeze in my oil

[Frank Schuster]

Hey guys, I have a bit of a problem. Just about a year ago i've been noticing oil in my coolant and shortly after that my car started overheating really bad so I replaced the radiator,fans,low temp switch & therm, water pump, resevoir, t-belt. Now i'm starting to notice antifreeze in my oil. My oil is like a chocolate color. What does this mean. PLEASE HELP.

[PrerYDoG]

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure this is a problem of a cracked block.

[ckrough]

It sounds like your head gasket is slightly blown. I have seen cars overheat because of a faulty thermostat and blow the head gasket. You should have someone pressure test your cylinders. It could also be the your oil cooler is leaking internally. The overheating makes me thing it's the head gasket though. A cynlinder pressure test would be the most efficient way to check.

Originally posted by Frank Schuster:
Hey guys, I have a bit of a problem. Just about a year ago i've been noticing oil in my coolant and shortly after that my car started overheating really bad so I replaced the radiator,fans,low temp switch & therm, water pump, resevoir, t-belt. Now i'm starting to notice antifreeze in my oil. My oil is like a chocolate color. What does this mean. PLEASE HELP.

[porscheboi928s/c944t/n]

those are all possibilities but i would check the o ring on the oil cooler first..

[Magnus_944]

First of all, don't drive a car with coolant in the oil. It will brake down after some time. (may take time, but wear will increase) I would guess (like porscheboi928s/c944t/n said) it is the seal in the oil cooler that has to be replaced. Check this old topic:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/Forum5/HTML/001005.html

/Magnus

[Lawrence Coppari]

It could be the oil/water heat exchanger gasket. You should have something done about it!

[Pilot_951S]

It is most likley the oil water heat exchanger. Get it fixed ASAP or your motor will be junk!

Oil+Coolant=Acid

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The shortest distance between two points is in my car.

[Gary Peters]

If it has been running with coolant in the oil for a while then you may want to check your main bearings for severe wear. Definately stop driving the car till the problem is solved. I ended up cracking the head in my car and the expense was very high. Anyone who thinks that this is just a plain VW engine has never priced out the heads and cams. Hopefully it is no more then the head gasket but I would still recommend dropping the pan and inspecting the bearings and crank.
If I'm way out someone please correct me.

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'76 911S

'80 924 M471

[Porsche 951 Fanatic]

HAHA... ok this is something i can relate to..... I had the car for a little while( bought it in texas[85.5 944na]) and since it was getting close to winter(missouri) i decided to change the coolant.... cuz it was like water or something.... so i did.. and it didnt take it all but i figured it was no big deal i just left some in the block.. I WAS WRONG..... i didnt pull the bleed plug..... so it started to overheat... and i was all like.. dad mabey i should pull over.. and he was like... we will make it home.... so i was going up a hill..... it was florred and going slooow... and then like... there was smoke everywhere.. i panicked( i have no clue how to spell that) and turned on the blinkers and jumped out..,... said it wasnt moving..... afterall it was my baby that this happened to... and then my dad made me get in and start it cuz the light turned green... so i drove home with smoke and oil pouring out.... and it was running terribly... and i was like panicking he was like.... put it in neutral and coast.. and it was a auto.. well i hit reverse.... it made a noise kinda like a turbo spinning up..... and then i got it back into neutral and coasted home.... I BLAME IT ALL ON HIM since he made me drive it.... but needless to say i bought a new engine cuz mine had like 124k and i heard after the aluminum gets really hot that it warps... and i think i blew a head gasket or oil cooler thing.... so i called a guy in um... St Louis who races them and i was all like... do you have any porsche 944 engines... and he was like yeah.... $550 and $250 core.. so i bought one with the money i saved up that summer(80k miles with all the stuff.. headers, intake manifold, head, oil pan... you name it it was there..).... and i was in the process of transferring it when i got the car taken away.... so that is why my dad owes me 1k.... But yeah.... Um... you may want to purchase a new engine.... sorry about the story... laters....

[T86951]

It would be unlikely that this is a head gasket problem (although remotely possible).
It is more likely that it is the o rings on the oil cooler on the side of the engine. This is where coolent and oil flow thru(not in the same chamber of course) to keep the oil cool and to warm up the oil faster on cold days. There is rarely a head gasket problem on a 944.

[Frank Schuster]

Since the oil pressure is greater than the coolant pressure, it is usual for the 'o' ring to break, thus oil seaping into your coolant. But when you find coolant in your oil, that must mean your oil pressure is low due to a blown head gasket or a cracked block. Anyways I haven't driven the car for a few weeks. I just start it up for a couple minutes once a week. Just before this happend I was looking into purchasing some 17"s. Guess that will have to wait.

[BRose]

Its commonly referred to by Porsche mechanics as "chocolate milk" and it is the oil cooler seal on the right (passenger side of the engine) below the exhaust manifold. The oil cooler and antifreeze (exchanger) is separated by rubber gasket that has been updated several years ago. The oil cooler is identified in Haynes manual and is a pain to remove and replace on your back. Porsche says that if antifreeze get down into the main bearings that they will "etch" the bearing and must be replaced. If it were the head gasket you would be spewing out white smoke as well. My suggestion to you since you may have laready damaged parts of the engine is to get it to a machanic IMMEDIATELY for the proper diagnosis and try to get it fixed without driving it around much longer.

BR

[Frank Schuster]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BRose:
BRose: What kind of test does a mechanic perform to diagnose the problem and do you think my pressure theory mentioned above has any validity with regard to a cracked block or blown headgasket?

Have any of you fixed this sort of problem on their own?

If it is the worse case senario, my next dissision will be to look into purchasing a 951. But how can I make some money with my N/A that is in fairly good condition?

Please give feedback.

[Porsche 951 Fanatic]

Just an idea... part it out... or keep it as a parts car.... if your car is 85.5 or newer you can reuse your interior parts if something breaks assuming its all the same color.... and same for exterior parts..... anyways... later..

[porscheboi928s/c944t/n]

don't part it out....install a granny motor....

[Frank Schuster]

porscheboi928s/c944t/n:
What's a granny motor?

I'd really hate to part out my car, I feel really attached to it.

I've spoken to various mechanics and they beleive it is not a cracked block but more likely to be a blown headgasket. My brother in law is a mechanic (not a Porsche one though) and he says he could fix it using my help, and he'll just charge me for the parts.
Anyone think this is a bad idea.

[BRose]

Get to a mechanic and have it diagnosed proberly. If its a blown head gasket, you will get antifreeze in the cyclinders and a hell of alot of white smoke coming out the exhaust.....the replacement of the seals on the oil cooler under the exhaust manifold is easy to remove and reseal (comes in a kit). Haynes has the procedure but its not easy on your back on a garage floor!! If this junk has been in your engine for quite awhile then the antifreeze has "etched" the bearings on the crank and according to Porsche, "must be replaced". That means removing the oil pan and getting to them for replacement. I did not do this when I had the same problem. Everything could be getting gummed up in your engine if you continue to wait to fix this. Check with a mechanic, the resealing is not an expensive fix. This is a common problem in 944's and rates up on the "problem area" like mounts, water pumps, etc.
I would not part it out......
Good luck..

BR

[Panzer909]

What is the hesitation then, Frank? Go for it and get it fixed! Do you have any idea how much money that you will be saving??

Hope it all works out.