Oil in water

[Toyota2RZ-E]

Hi there.
I am new to this.

I have a 1998 commuter with a 2RZ-E 2.4 petrol. manual 5sp. 341000km converted to a camper.
I am getting oil in the coolant. I am not however getting any water in the oil at all.
The problem has been there since I bought the vehicle about 30000Km ago.


I have put a brand new head on her. I have done about 500Km since but i think I am getting the same problem. (I was hoping but I don't think it is residue that was remaining in the block)

As far as I know there are no oil coolers on this motor.

It is not a huge amount but enough to be a worry as we are about to depart on a 5 to 10000 trip.

Can anyone think of somewhere that oil can get into the coolant without any of the reverse? ( There is absolutely no water in the oil it remains clean for 5000Km and the filler cap is clean)

Regards Mike.

[timsrv]

Oil in the coolant won't necessarily hurt anything, but I guess it depends on how much and/or if it's being pushed out the radiator overflow. It doesn't sound like a head gasket or cracked head as those type leaks are 2 way streets (you would most likely be seeing coolant in the oil too). If it were an automatic I'd tell you to check the transmission fluid (as it could be a breached transmission cooler in the radiator). If you're only seeing small amounts and it's not enough to push out of your overflow tank and/or deplete your engine oil, then I'd just keep an eye on levels & monitor contamination to see if it gets worse. If your engine oil starts looking like a chocolate milk shake, then you have a problem that will need to be addressed ASAP. If it made it the last 5k km without getting much worse, it stands to reason it should make it another 5 - 10k km without issue. Unless something suddenly changes I guess your only choice is to cross your fingers and hopefully it won't take a dump at the worst possible moment . Good luck. Tim

[Toyota2RZ-E]

Thanks for the reply Tim.
Much as I thought.
Wish I hadn't changed the head now but I had to try something.
Do you think it would be worth trying some head gasket sealant in the coolant? (can't really see how it would work)
Any way it looks like I'm just going to have to hope for the best.
Will let you know how things turn out.
Regards Mike.

[Toyota2RZ-E]

Well. Done over 15000km and still the same.
Small amount of oil still finding its way into the catch tank.
Van still going perfectly.

[Andywear]

good to hear a full road trip with no more issues,

Have you ever done a radiator/coolant flush?

I once accidently poured water into the engine oil fill port, I was 15 years old.
What if a previous owner accidently poured oil into the radiator fill port and you continue to have remnants floating around?

[Toyota2RZ-E]

Thanks for the reply.
Been a while sorry. The van going extremely well. Still small amount of oil in the catch tank. Done over 50000km over some bad outback roads and no change so I will probably only find the leak if ever when the motor is stripped down one day.
Regards Mike.

[Toyota2RZ-E]

Well if anyone is interested.
After over 60000km I blew a heater hose and cooked the motor.
It turns out that the small amount of oil in the coolant was enough to eat out the inside of the hoses. They looked ok from the outside but were rotting within.
so sadly the van now has a reconditioned engine.