Oil in header tank - cit bx

[Old-Guy]

Drop a dishwasher tablet in and run it for a couple of days, then flush and refill.

Seriously, avoid ANY chemicals not specifically intended for cooling systems; the mix of metals exposed in the cooling system (and this applies to all vehicles) cast iron, various aluminium alloys, zinc-based die-casting alloys, brass, copper etc is perfect for a demonstration of rapid galvanic corrosion - not something anyone wants to start in any car let alone one 25+ years-old. Have you seen what dishwashers to the glaze of valuable china that isn't Dishwasher-proof?

That dish-washer tablet would probably end up in the front foot-wells along with the dissolved heater-matrix!

In the days of all-cast-iron heads and blocks - a bath in strong, boiling-hot, Daz or Tide was a favourite for DIY 'de-greasing', after an hour or so, rinse in clean hot water, drain quickly and douse in WD40 before the rust got going. I once saw a 'new-fangled' alloy radiator spring a million pin-holes after being 'de-greased' like this!

[Geoff Lebowski]

Thank you for the advice and after someone pointed out that degreasers contain salts then I've amended my approach. Forte was recommended and I looked on the product description and it does say for degreasing, so as you mention, intended for coolant use.

It is hard to judge if my problem is resolved or not as there is certainly more emulsification and oily films in there but as I don't do many miles then it may take some time to purged all the oil out of the system.

Would there be a problem in running the car like this for a few months? I'm not inclined to fiddle now until the spring. I suppose there are two concerns: damage to the coolant circuits with oil in it and lowering oil level. I don't seem to have coolant in the oil.

Thank you again for your help and suggestions, I'm sure Ken was being tongue in cheek

[CitroJim]

I don't see a problem Geoff... It should be good to stay in until spring, especially as the car is not used much...

[Geoff Lebowski]

That's my hunch too Jim, I'd like to be sure though.

[demag]

I'm sure I remember people using a spot of washing up liquid years ago to flush systems out. And no you didn't get bubbles from the exhaust haha.

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[Old-Guy]

I had small quantities of black oil in the cooling system for something like a year all told - from first noticing the leak, through changing the head gasket, and months of slowly soaking up the oil with the magic Pirtec mat. The cooling system still has traces of oil adhering to all the interior surfaces. I'm in two minds about cleaning the system with Forte cleaning product; I'm inclined to leave well alone.

Washing up liquid contains 'active surfactants' which are mildly corrosive. I remember using Fairy to clean out the cooling system of a Mini (a real one with cast-iron block and head, and brass radiator) many years ago, took it for a quick run to get the engine hot then pulled off the bottom hose and thoroughly washed out the system with a hose before refilling with 'reclaimed' coolant (a penniless trainee at the time) that had had the oil skimmed off. It wasn't very effective; forever after, there was an oily film on the coolant visible when the radiator cap was removed.

The real problem with a modern engine is that to be really effective at removing engine oil, any household detergent has to be left in the cooling system for some hours - during which time corrosion is eating away at the light alloy components, notably the head joint.

[Geoff Lebowski]

Hmmm, perhaps I'll try the absorbent mat till the spring in the hope that it would absorb most of the oil before a coolant drain and flush. I'll think cautiously about the Forte treatment. I guess using the mat is the least risky approach.

[CitroJim]

Forte products are normally very trustworthy Geoff and unless it states it should only be left in for a given time it should be OK... Has it got an MSDS to say what's in it and what the hazards of it are?

[Geoff Lebowski]

I'm not sure Jim, I will have to check. But it seems almost certain now that I still have oil entering the coolant system somewhere, it's far to oily to be residue.
I suspect it's a head off and skim job sadly.

[CitroJim]

I suspect it's a head off and skim job sadly.

That's a shame after all your hard work

[Peter.N.]

Oil in the cooling system is very difficult to remove so you can't always tell whether you have actually got rid of the source. What I have done is to get the engine hot and with it still running introduce a small stream of water into the filler, the oil will float to the top and run out, don't do it on a pristine drive though!

Peter

[Geoff Lebowski]

That's a really useful tip Peter - hadn't thought of that one! It's thick enough in there to warrant my doubts. I think only time and mileage will show the way forward. Possibly an 'oilant' change when the weather breaks.
When/if it eventually comes to definite problem, is there an easy way of testing the oil cooler? I have a compressor and sure I could rig something up but always worth asking those who have tried it.

It is Jim, but a head skim I can handle, I just hope it's not a cracked block but how would I know? The water ways were not oily, if anything they were rusty.

[BX]

You worry too much. The oil cooler is the most likely component on most engines. I cannot think of any make that uses an oil to coolant cooler that hadn't had a failure.
Dont worry too much about the effects of household cleaners, even dishwasher powder which is probably the most aggressive of them. Aluminium alloy. Carbon steel, stainless steel, silver plate (even though its not recommended) and even cast iron are experimented on on a daily basis in kitchens all over the developed world. Beer line cleaner is magic but i only ever tried it out on heavy diesels.

[Xantidote]

I have a compressor and sure I could rig something

You would need to be careful testing the oil cooler with your compressor. I'm guessing the cooling system runs at of the order of 10-15psi, whereas the compressor will develop 120-150 psi, unless your compressor allows you to pre-set the output pressure to a nice low psi. Would it be worth just substituting another oil cooler?

[Stickyfinger]

Use a tire valve into a tube with a screw clip to hold it and tire gauge/head, the cooler will only need about 1-2 psi to leak if it has a hole big enough for oil.

Dump in a water bath to check