806 1.9 TD coolant full of oil

mgoodlad · Unread post by **mgoodlad** » 20 Aug 2006, 11:08

Car is 1998 806 1.9TD with 97,000 miles. It needed a new radiator about 6 months ago. I did notice after a while there were a few globs of oil in the new coolant. But now it is pretty oily all through. It is also consuming some coolant, the low level light came on the other day so topped it up. There is some really thick gloop under the coolant filler cap.

I obviously suspect the head gasket is leaking between a coolant and oil channel. There is no sign of any coolant getting into the oil however. No mayo in the oil filler cap or anything, and I cannot detect any coolant being burnt out of the exhaust.

Car still starts perfectly, but once (only once so far) it sprayed some excess coolant over the engine compartment from the exit just under the filler cap (quite a mess) - could have been me overfilling it though.

So does my diagnosis sound correct? Should I get it fixed without delay?

Any help much appreciated.
Michael

1998/R 806 1.9 SLDT 97,000 miles
1996/N 106 1.5d 123,000 miles

Dave Burns · Unread post by **Dave Burns** » 21 Aug 2006, 19:10

If thats not the head gasket then someones been shoving oil in your expansion tank.

Oil will go into the coolant while engine is running, coolant will go into the oil when engine is stopped, unless you release the presure in the cooling system.

Dave

Pugsulike · Unread post by **Pugsulike** » 21 Aug 2006, 20:16

Sounds like it is the head gasket to me. However, there is another possibility which, although less likely, is a lot cheaper to eliminate.

On the 405 1.9td engine there is an oil cooler and may be the same on the 806 version. Behind where the oil filter screws in, there is a small block with 2 water pipes attached. It is possible that the cooler has corroded or worn internally and is leaking oil into the water. Remove these pipes from the cooler and rejoin them using a short lenth of any pipe of the correct diameter to maintain water circulation. Remove as much oil as you can from the coolant and use the vehicle for a a few days without straining the engine (eg, by towing) whilst the cooler is disconnected. If no more oil gets into the water, it's probably the cooler. If the water still gets oily, it's probably the head gasket.

Clive.