Oil in Water - OIL COOLER

[Surfrider]

I have oil mixing with my coolant. No water present in the oil tho.

Engine is a 2.1 Dj with and oil cooler fitted. It has been suggested that I have a look at the cooler and have removed it.

But I do not know what I am looking for in respect of if its failing. It there a basic test I should be doing or is it just a visual inspection.

[ghost123uk]

I know all about this

Keep your fingers crossed it is the oil cooler !!

Take it off, tightly bung up the 2 holes were the water goes in and out with corks or similar.
Submerge the whole ting in a bath of very hot water and look for streams of air bubbles coming out of the oil pipes. (Or bung up the oil pipes and look for streams of air bubbles coming out of the water pipes !!)

If you get bubbles, breath a sigh of relief and get another oil cooler !!

I suppose you could test it in situ - take the water pipes off the cooler and connect them together with a bit of copper pipe and run around like that for a few days - won't do any harm in this cool weather - if you get oil dripping out of the pipes where the water should go in or out, that would prove it too - never thought of that idea until just now.

BIG ISSUE = be prepared for oilly mess to keep appearing in the water, after you have fixed it, for many many flushes out. Mine took 20 or more flushes, each with a days driving in between before it started to run clean. I was convinced I still had a problem because of this fact. It was only when I realised that even after a few hundred miles, my oil had not gone down a jot and the water system WAS achieving the CORRECT pressure (and holding it for a while after switching off) that it was just residual mess from the previous failure.

Some say use washing up liquid or dish washer powder (less foamy) to dissolve oil in the water system, but I choose not to for fear of damaging the delicate water to oil seals on the liners !!

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[Surfrider]

Hi Ghost,

Been reading your earlier posts with interest. I had two syptoms, oil in water and poor compression.

Have completed an air test on the cooler to 60 Psi and no sign of any leaks, so I take it the cooler is sound. I have next to replace the liner seals top and bottom. In doing so have identified a dodgy oil ring seal, so a new set of piston rings will go in.

After that it goes back in. Wait and see I suppose.

[ghost123uk]

Ah, good luck with that then.

Apparently the Elring gaskets that Brickwerks sell are the ones to get.

Don't forget my coments on how long it takes to get rid off the mess in the water, as I have said I thought my new engine was leaking, same as the old one, but it was just mess left over from the previous failure. Took ages to clear it.

[Aidan]

don't forget to open the rad bleed screw when draining down and open the heater to full other wise you won't empty the coolant out of the system, ideally flush the heater system and the rad and front to back pipes seperately to flushing the engine that should remove all the contaminents, it means breaking into the system in a few places but with the tstat closed you won't flush the rad and front to back pipes so all the oil sat in the rad will be there once the tsat opens once you run the fixed engine up to temp, ditto the heater matrix. New jubilees pref stainless for the reassembly makes it easy if you have to do further flushes.

[ghost123uk]

but with the tstat closed you won't flush the rad and front to back pipes so all the oil sat in the rad will be there once the tsat opens once you run the fixed engine up to temp, ditto the heater matrix.

Errr - tell me about it (as "they" say)

New jubilees pref stainless for the reassembly makes it easy if you have to do further flushes.

Yup, aren't those OE spring hose clips a pain without the correct tool !!
I was using one of those adjustable plumbers pipe wrench pliers thingies and it caused some swearing I can tell you !!

Let us know how you get on.

[Surfrider]

I need to put in new base and top liner seals, along with piston rings too. Any suggestion on where to (avoid) buy ? I thought given my problems I'd like to fit something that isn't made of chocolate.

[ghost123uk]

The very best place is Brickerks

Simon, the "main man" there, really knows his stuff and only sells top quality stuff.
It is a bit more expensive than say JK or GSF but it's worth it !!

http://www.brickwerks.co.uk/index.php?& ... t&Itemid=6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have you done this type of work before ?
Do you have circlip pliers, ring compressors and torque wrench etc ?

Let us know how you get on.



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[Surfrider]

Hi Ghost,

All tooled up, have recently changed the head and pushrod tube seals, decided at that stage to replace cylinder seals, and since doing this job oil has been mixing. Plan to do them again with assured parts. However all I need is liner top and bottom seals and a set of rings, don't want to blow £ 134 + rings and have a pile of stuff left over I don't need. I will speak to Baxter and maybe VW themselves to price up the individual bits I need.
Only problem is now last night I think I broke my hand , so much for thinking I'd have this back running by Wednesday.