Oil in coolant?

Anan1 · 01-09-2010 12:38pm #1

A friend of mine has just called to tell me that he's added oil to his coolant by mistake. He reckons he added a litre, bringing the coolant level form min to max. Thing is, he did this a week ago and has been driving the car every day since. He needs the car urgently today. Would the oil have circulated with the coolant, or is it possible that, being lighter, it would have stayed in the expansion bottle? What i'm wondering here is whether we could get most of itr out with a turkey baster or the like, drive the car, and have the coolant flushed & renewed next week?

kasper · 01-09-2010 12:43pm

what type of car , age , petrol or diesel ?

2 Espressi · 01-09-2010 12:48pm

Oil? in the coolant?

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Apologies, I have nothing of any value to contribute to this thread.

biko · 01-09-2010 12:50pm

Just a guess but I don't really see it destroying anything, just flush system as soon as possible.

seamus · 01-09-2010 1:00pm

Yeah, don't see any major problems, the system is separated from anything else. The only problem is engine oil being more viscous than water, the engine might have to get hotter than it would ordinarily before the system starts flowing properly - engine oil flows like water when it's hot, but a bit thicker when it's cool. If the system is pumped, the pump mightn't like the additional load when the engine is cool.

Anan1 · 01-09-2010 1:03pm

It's a 2006 BMW 318Ci, so petrol. I'm going over for a look shortly, hopefully the whole lot hasn't emulsified!

Owen · 01-09-2010 1:03pm

Nearly as bad as the guy I saw yesterday put petrol into a 2010 diesel car and try to start it. Repeatedly. Didn't actually see the guy do it, but saw the car beforehand, and heard the phone call after.

I'd say best thing is to flush the system completely Anan.

JamBur · 01-09-2010 1:04pm

Remove the expansion tank and clean it out thoroughly with the likes of Cillit Bang. I'd a head gasket failure a few months back and had to clean some oil out of the expansion tank. I'd be thinking that it wouldnt have gone through the cooling system to any great extent due to it being lighter then water. ALthough saying that, a flush wouldn't go astray.

kasper · 01-09-2010 1:48pm

i would be worried it might effect sensors on a modern engine , so flushing would be well advised

Anan1 · 01-09-2010 3:47pm

Well, I think I got most of it out. It was a bit emulsified, but it seems to have largely stayed in the expansion tank. Car's booked in for an oil service & a coolant flush next week. For those of you looking for a bit of a laugh, here's most of what I took out:

bmw535d · 01-09-2010 4:35pm

he can now go ahead and top up the oil with that bottle of stuff:D

Anan1 · 01-09-2010 5:06pm

bmw535d wrote: »

he can now go ahead and top up the oil with that bottle of stuff:D

Jesus, don't say that.

Run_to_da_hills · 01-09-2010 5:57pm

My ma did worse, she poured a pint of water into the rocker cover instead of the rad.

bmw535d · 01-09-2010 6:36pm

this is why bonnet latches should be harder to find. i mean car manufactures clearly state on the caps. symbols that common sense should understand.

i really do find it hard to accept there are people driving amoung us with zero mechanical knowledge. i mean you need a wee bit to be on the road.

Owen · 01-09-2010 6:41pm

Anan1 wrote: »

here's most of what I took out:

Kinda looks like normal Kubus :pac:

Oil in coolant?

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