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Oil In Antifreeze

Z

zackp

New member
[SUB]Hey guys I got a 00 grand prix gtp and the other day I went to check my fluids and noticed oil was a little low so added it of course. Then continued on only to find oil milky looking stuff in my radiator. I'm guessing the head gaskets are going out??? What is easiest way to go about it probably pull it out? I'm sure you all have been there done it all ready. Is there any thing I should do while having it out etc. Like Timing belt or chain cam etc don't want to go to crazy but if I got to tear into it that far don't really feel like doing it again any time soon. Any Help and Hints links to walk through etc[/SUB]
 


I bet 5 bucks its not the head gasket.

More likely cause is the rad itself. It has an oil cooler built into the side tanks, 1 for oil, 1 for trans fluid i think. I'm gunna guess that the side tank is failing and letting oil into the radiator.
 
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Change out the radiator asap as you don't want to start getting coolant in the oil, your rod bearings will thank you.

I didn't know the GTP had an oil AND trans fluid cooler built in. I know my 00 GT only has a trans cooler on the rad. Good to know.
 
Kinda odd.

I believe my 97 had both (maybe) and I just looked under my hood and found only the trans cooler aswell.

So I guess I dont know.
 
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Both cooler lines could mean the "IN" and "OUT" side for the trans cooler, as both are on the pass. side tank. I've never seen a factory oil cooler on one, but like dsmuts said it wouldn't be beyond the manf. to mix it up. Maybe the 3100 needed the extra oil cooling?
 
I take back my previous statements lol.

I guess I dont know for a fact if cars got them.

I guess I just remember seeing them on gm cars.

So really anything I said is all a lie and I am a fairy.



But to the OP, oil in the rad is a sign of somthing failing. Either a cooler tank on the side of the rad or a gasket leak in the motor cauing oil to get into the cooling system. If you dont have a oil cooler it could very well be trans fluid.
 
I will look at the radiator tomorrow and see what I can figure out. But it seems to be loosing a little oil not way to much but not like it was either. I will look and see how many lines run to the radiator and take some pics.
 


If the oil is reddish..it's from the trans cooler.

99% of the time you won't get oil in the radiator from the engine because there is almost no where including in the head that the oil is at a higher pressure than the coolant. Because the oil is in a return to pan stage and under no pressure.

FWIW the last of the 3800 engine oil coolers in the radiator that I'm aware of were the S1 3800 which phased out in 1995
 
dude, get a new radiator already, your trans is going to die on you.

if trans fluid is getting into your coolant whats to say coolants not getting into your trans??????? so like hurry up....you dont let something like this go, its fix it asap!
 
Definitely get a new rad in there asap. And I wouldn't drive it unless you have to at this point. I had a rad go bad on my 95 T-bird in the same way and guess what, bye bye trans. Worst case go to a junkyard and get one. They're not hard to swap out. It takes longer to bleed the damn cooling system than to swap rads, lol... BTW, where in MO are you?
 
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