Cool/Heat: Oil in coolant

[nels]

I checked the coolant yesterday and it looked like a chocolate milk shake. No steam out the exhaust, idles ok etc. I will try bypassing the transmission cooler at the radiator but in the meantime is there a typical culprit I may have to deal with.

[yeroldad]

You are probably right on. The trans cooler tank in the radiator will rot and will pump oil into the coolant. I think you will find, by bypassing the tank, that there will be no more oil (trans fluid) in your radiator, but you'll have to clean out what's there first, drain and flush. You'll have to plug the trans fittings on the radiator if the cooler tank is indeed the culprit , or you will have coolant leaking out of them once there is pressure in the radiator.

[Son O Lark]

Head gasket is another culprit if your trans cooler isn't it.

[Silver Hawk 59]

Check the oil!

[nels]

Just changed the oil. I don’t see any water in the oil pan/dipstick or transmission dip stick.

[yeroldad]

Out of curiosity, what oil did you have in it? What oil did you put in it?

[bezhawk]

I would think being unused for so long that it is just dirt of maybe even Barr's stop-leak for a heater core that was weeping. Try flushing the block, then if it reappears you can investigate further.

[Jeffry Cassel]

Er, ah, don't forget to check atf. If it is the oil cooler that is at fault, there will likely be antifreeze in the trans. I don't think that is a good thing.

[StudeRich]

OR, just as bad or worse, Water !

[Bud]

There are a couple of choices here. First off what transmission is in the car? If it is not a Powershift and just a Flightomatic transmission, it does not have an oil cooler in the radiator. from the factory. If the trans is a Powershift, then the cooler could be the culprit or worse yet, there is a leaking head gasket or even worse than that, there is a crack in either the block or a cylinder head. In any case both the engine and transmission oil should be changed and the cooling system checked for combustion gasses. Bud