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what is in my coolant?!?! *pics*

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Old 08-21-06, 01:02 AM
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So uh, have you looked to see if you are missing any oil?
Old 08-21-06, 01:11 AM
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i just checked the dipstick for contamination, it wasn't "low" so i didn't really think much of it......but i'll get an exact reading on it to see just how much lower it really is. cause it was full just 2 weeks ago when i changed the oil
Old 08-21-06, 01:11 AM
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Originally Posted by adictd2b00st
well heres the thing that i found wierd. that overflow tank was filled with that oil mixture....but it was nowhere to be found anywhere else.
any contaminant liquid immiscible and less dense than the coolant will be expelled to the barf can
Old 08-21-06, 01:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Improved FD
any contaminant liquid immiscible and less dense than the glycol mix will be expelled to the barf can

well thats good, atleast it was thrown to a central location instead of floating around everywhere inside my motor
Old 08-21-06, 01:23 AM
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I should have said "most of it"

follow kento's advice, but diagnose the problem before you spend any money on new fluids
Old 08-21-06, 01:42 AM
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That looks very bad.
Originally Posted by Mahjik
I would drain your oil and see if you notice any trace of Evans in it. Was there any smoke coming out of the exhaust while this was happening?
That AND flushing coolant maybe?
Old 08-21-06, 02:47 AM
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Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection
A blown coolant seal can let coolant into the combustion chamber, or combustion pressure into the coolant system. Oil cannot pass by a coolant seal. CAN NOT.

The only way for coolant and oil to mix in a rotary are if

1) a freeze plug under the front cover leaks, letting them both mix...since the coolant in the passages is under pressure (pressure from gravity if not running) the coolant will spill into the oil, not vice versa, since the oil is not under any pressure sitting in the pan.

2) an iron housing cracks on the facing, which is VERY rare and is ONLY the result of being left outside without antifreeze in the winter (I have seen this a few times before). I once took apart a 2nd gen core with a 2" square chunk of iron face GONE. This let all the coolant that was normally held behind the face, mix with all the oil that flows through the rotor.

3) the turbo is somehow allowing them to mix. I have never seen this, but it is theoretically possible.

Those are the only way I can think of for oil to get in the coolant or vice versa.

or if the iron is cracked at the dowel pin--where they usually crack from pre-ignition.

as far as the substance being in the can and not anywhere else, it makes sense. if it's oil, it's less dense than evans, and it will float. i wouldn't worry about having it float around in there. once you flush the system (assuming you fix the cause) there shouldn't be any damage to anything.

pour some evans in a cup and add some oil--see what the mix looks like
do the same for gas, then pre-mix

since those are the only fluids in there, those are your only possibilities. see if there's a difference between how the premix oil and the engine oil look. that might help you figure out which one it is.

look for any leaks around your oil feed line on your front iron. i've seen a few housings crack there--especially on higher hp/boost/rpm engines.

Last edited by GUITARJUNKIE28; 08-21-06 at 02:49 AM.
Old 08-21-06, 03:32 AM
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Is this car a stick? A failed oil cooler (in the radiator) on an automatic car can cause this kind of mess.
Old 08-21-06, 04:05 AM
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Adicted, if you have the tools, I'd remove the front cover and try to varify Kevin's theory on the leaky freeze plug. The front freeze plug would be the only one to allow oil in. However, judging by the amount, you are either seriously low on oil in the pan now, or someone else added that to the AST.



I stll think it is the turbo or possibly 3rd party interaction (adding oil to coolant), did you anger anyone recently, or does your car use hoodpins instead of the factory latch?

_Kris
Old 08-21-06, 05:42 AM
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na, that would let the coolant into the oil. the oil isn't pressurised in the front cover--it just splashes around. he would have filled up the oil pan with coolant and overheated promptly.
Old 08-21-06, 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by GUITARJUNKIE28
or if the iron is cracked at the dowel pin--where they usually crack from pre-ignition.

look for any leaks around your oil feed line on your front iron. i've seen a few housings crack there--especially on higher hp/boost/rpm engines.
i would feel somthing like pre-ignition, right? the car has been pulling very smooth through boost i haven't been having any breakup. fwiw the car made 424whp @15psi on pump gas, my a/fs are in the low to mid 11's and i never go above 7500 rpms


Originally Posted by Speed of light
Is this car a stick? A failed oil cooler (in the radiator) on an automatic car can cause this kind of mess.
yea car is a 5 speed

Originally Posted by dopefishlives

I stll think it is the turbo or possibly 3rd party interaction (adding oil to coolant), did you anger anyone recently, or does your car use hoodpins instead of the factory latch?

_Kris
i do have hoodpins, but i have the factory latch as well. the last i had driven the car was tuesday nite, its been in my garage ever since. i do leave the doors unlocked when it is at my house tho, so i guess its not entirely unpossible if someone left the garage unlocked. i can't really think of a reason why anyone would do that to me tho?????????

looks like i'll be checking the oil level today to see if i can rule that out or not
Old 08-21-06, 09:05 AM
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Since im a believer in everything being the simplest problem: Are you sure no one has messed with you/your car and dumped some oil in the overflow?

It may sound stupid but i figure its better to think about it before you rip the engine apart looking for the problem

Edit: ooops someone already beat me to it
Old 08-21-06, 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by GUITARJUNKIE28
or if the iron is cracked at the dowel pin--where they usually crack from pre-ignition.

look for any leaks around your oil feed line on your front iron. i've seen a few housings crack there--especially on higher hp/boost/rpm engines.
You're right that the front and rear irons can crack in these spots, and oil flows through these areas so you'd have an external oil leak. Please explain how coolant would interact with said oil leaks, though?
Old 08-21-06, 01:25 PM
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Have you changed your oil since you noticed the funky coolant?

-s-
Old 08-21-06, 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by RotaryResurrection
You're right that the front and rear irons can crack in these spots, and oil flows through these areas so you'd have an external oil leak. Please explain how coolant would interact with said oil leaks, though?

the leak doesn't have to be solely external. it can split farther down and compramise the outer coolant seal area.
Old 08-21-06, 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by GUITARJUNKIE28
the leak doesn't have to be solely external. it can split farther down and compramise the outer coolant seal area.
that much oil in that short of time tho? i drive the car MAYBE twice a week, and 2 weeks ago that overflow tank was just half full of coolant, no oil in sight

in any event tho i am checking the level on the dipstick tonite when i get back from work, i'll post back and let you guys know what i find
Old 08-21-06, 02:05 PM
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i was thinking an internal crack on an iron from the oil passages as well, they don't have to be restricted to being external.

to me it sounds like this motor is going to need to be torn apart to find the problem though, oil PSI is higher than coolant PSI especially since evans is no pressure so oil is much easier forced into the cooling system not vice versa.

also, engine oil is VERY bad for the cooling system hoses, you should consider replacing them after this is all sorted out otherwise they may eventually burst because the hoses will tend to soak up the oil like a sponge and become soft.
Old 08-21-06, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by adictd2b00st
that much oil in that short of time tho? i drive the car MAYBE twice a week, and 2 weeks ago that overflow tank was just half full of coolant, no oil in sight

110psi will push a lot of oil out real fast.
Old 08-21-06, 03:37 PM
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Originally Posted by GUITARJUNKIE28
110psi will push a lot of oil out real fast.

this is true.... good point

ok, so say WORST case, if something internally was cracked, would my car be running as smooth as it is right now? wouldn't i be noticing it in performance/ hard starting/ smoke out the exhaust?
Old 08-21-06, 03:52 PM
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That blows Jay. I personally do not see how the turbo could be causing this. From my limited knowledge of rotary engines the freeze caps seems the most likely to me. What does the barf mixture smell like?
Old 08-21-06, 04:29 PM
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an engine with a cracked iron will still drive perfectly normal, it will just force oil either into the cooling system or out onto the ground.
Old 08-21-06, 04:30 PM
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Im having the same problem oil in the coolant not as much as this. I am having tons of smoke coming out the exhaust it used to just normally do a little till the car warmed up. Also there is a ticking coming from my turbo side of the engine, could be exhaust leak or could it be related to all of the above? Im about to tear apart the engine anyways and have an attempt at rebuilding it myself in a few weeks with the 3mm apex seals.
Old 08-21-06, 04:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Karack
an engine with a cracked iron will still drive perfectly normal, it will just force oil either into the cooling system or out onto the ground.

k, then i guess thats not far-fetched either, i really hope its not that tho obviously.....
Old 08-21-06, 10:56 PM
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ok lil update for those following this:

i went to the garage today to try to find some more stuff out. here are my findings.

1. the oil level is COMPLETELY full on the dipstick at operating temperature. ie: i'm missing no oil from the motor

2. i drained the overflow tank and saved it to be sent out for analysis. its got a redish tint to it in the bottle, and there is some sludge on the bottom of my overflow tank

3. i let the car warm up with the cap off of the filler neck, to watch things as the car warmed up. there was no sign of the discolored coolant, everything was the color evans is supposed to be (mostly clear), verified this when some spilled over

4. the car wasn't smoking at all, wasn't idling wierd, wasn't missing when i rev'd it with the throttle cable

so basically everything seems to be in working order as it should. once the car warmed up it sat at its normal 85 degrees, with the fans kicking on at 87. no wierd fluctuations or anything like that. i had someone sitting in the car watching the temps for me the whole time.
Old 08-21-06, 11:36 PM
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I still suspect the turbo is the culprit


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