Hello all,

around christmas my 2004 r53 had the " milkshake " overflow out of the coolant tank . Thankfully it was winter time up here and I wasn't far from home so I made it home .

Upon reading all the posts on this forum and others I decided to replace the oil cooler portion and new seals as I did not see any sign of milkshake in the oil distick . I proceeded to drain all coolant mixture from rad and used shopvac to suck out remaining . I ran 1x a dishwasher pod well diluted with distilled water trough system and drained again . I refilled system with distilled, ran for a while and then drained again about 6 more times till I saw no more residual in water .

I have refilled with fresh coolant, new oil filter and replaced oil . i have ran car for a while on idle and upon opening the overflow tank cap there is milkshake on top layer again on top of coolant .

My question is do u guys think this is residual oil/ milkshake that was left in system and is contaminating the new coolant? And do u think it could drive this way ?

or do u guys think that this is more of a headgasket issue now ? Like i said i did oil change and filter change and did not see any sign of milkshake which led me to believe it was a cooler issue . Also when i open oil cap on top i do not see any signs of milkshake .

Any help appreciated at this point .

 

I would find the source and not drive anymore. Eventually the cooling system will clog up and overheat.

If it's not the oil cooler it could be the head gasket, a cracked head or block or the transmission cooler if this is an automatic.

 

i suppose it's possible after all the cleaning you did that somehow there would still be residual oil in your coolant. i would definitely begin troubleshooting. one way is a combustion gas test for your coolant. otherwise a proper leak down test would also be good.

or...try to suck out what you can from the fresh milkshake and see if it gets worse.

 

Thanks guys for the suggestions . I am jot sire how the coolant system works exactly on these cars . It's a r53 manual . If I don't see any milkshake in the oil dipstick / pan could there still be the chance that it can be a head gasket ?

 

Yes because usually oil pressure is greater then coolant pressure. So oil gets pushed into the coolant.

 

i'm not sure what i would do here other than start a rebuild. but i tend to over fix

would i hurt to flush the coolant system one more time and run it?

 

you're just kinda wishing for someone to tell you it's ok so you don't have to fix a head gasket.

you've got a symptom. you tried to flush it out and hope it fixed things, but didn't. just do a combustion gas test and find out.

 

if you have oil in your coolant, you have combustion gases in your coolant. True statement?

 

Not nessesarily, good point.

But a diagnosis is needed before doing anything else and a head gasket tester kit is quick and easy.

 

Dishwashing pods are not going to be effective at cleaning chemicals. Flush the cooling system once again with Prestone radiator flush and distilled water. Replace coolant and check for overheating because that's what's going to happen if it's a head gasket.

https://www.autozone.com/antifreeze-...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

thanks for clarifying

 

Yes that is probably going to be my next step also with a head gasket kit to check.

 

in a way yes I guess I wish it was not the head gasket but I am really just trying to understand feom the more seasoned members on this forum if there are other posibilities before i go doing a head gasket job especially if it is not the cause .

 

yes I agree . Only reason I didnt do it the first time was because of some.of the forum posts some users recomended against the comercial cleaners as it could spring some leaks on the radiator . Thank you for the product link

 

Yes, that's why you really want to diagnose before taking on the job. In theory it could even be a faulty oil cooler gasket, even though you've replaced them recently.

 

So I have run the car for a quick spin and there is a 1/8" residue of milkshake again on top of coolant in overflow tank . I emptied the tank/ washed tank and retopped it 2 times . Went for another drive and again the same layer on top of coolant . The coolant isnt all mixed up as milkshake in overflow tank , its just top part.

I was very carefull in placing small gaskets in oil cooler when I changed it. But I am wondering if it could have shifted and got pinched .

for the gas combustion tester kit is there any you would recommend on Amazon or are their reliability pretty much all the same ?

i have also noticed when car gets quite hot after a run that i am getting some smoke feom the header area , i have tried to find but cant seem to find it . Wondering if it ia a small leak when coolant system is pressurized and is leaking on manifold perhaps .

i have done some work on the mini before but the headgasket job does intimidate me so i am trying to narrow it all down before i even attempt it .

 

I have one from Reld but I don't think there is much rocket science to it so any with a decent rating should do.

That's quite a clear warning sign if a failed head gasket to be honest.

The cooling system depends on a closed circuit without air. The system get pressurised which in return will increase the boiling point. If air gets in the system the boiling point will drop and the car usually overheats. Sometimes you can even hear the boiling / bubbling in the head.

Does the smoke from the header look white or blueish? And does is smell like exhaust of more sweet? White and or sweet indicates burning coolant.

If you are mechanically inclined a headgasket isn't too hard. There are some video's on YouTube that will show you what to do.

If you decide to tackle make sure to send the head to a machine shop. Get is pressure tested (for cracks in the head) and skimmed to make it 100% flat. (overheating can cause the head to warp)

Good luck

 

go to your auto parts store of choice and they probably have a loaner kit for the combustion gas. then just buy whatever test fluid they sell.

replacing a head gasket wouldn't be too hard on this car, i don't think. just make sure you go slow, take pictures, and label everything. it should be a remove and replace kind of job. no fine tuning or adjusting to be done.

 

Thanks again for the replies and help . Haven't been under the hood for a little while due to being at work. I am gonna try to squeeze in a day or so to try and narrow.it down . Yes it is seeming more like a headgasket issue .

Gonna try to get the combustion gas test kit to help narrow it down .

I have watched the mod mini videos on the gasket swap . I have done some work on the mini , but for some reason the headgasket intimidates me . I may attempt it as here where I live its about 1500 for a head gasket job . My worry is if I go trough all this work and I miss something as a cracked block, etc .

At this point I am praying its just remaining oil residue in the system , but I really doubt at this point I left that much gunk in the system .

 

The Block tester test fluid is blue and it turns yellow to indicate a gas in the combustion chamber. NAPA Autoparts sells the bulb tester & fluid , which takes the guesswork out of troubleshooting head gasket, cracked head or block problems …

 

Thanks Tomstone , I have one on order and will report the findings when I test it out .

 

Well got my combustion leak detector and got testing the coolant expansion tank . Ran it 2 times for about 5 mins and the liquid remained blue , it did not change to green .

I was weary that perhaps I got a bottle of expired liquid so i tried it at the muffler amd the liquid did turn green .

i am going to try it once more tomorrow for a conclusion . So at this point I am wondering if one of the oil cooler gaskets shifted when I swapped.out the new cooler ? Or are there any other ways that oil could be seeping into coolant without being the head gasket?

so far car starts and runs well on idle , and there are no misfire codes . Also checked dipstick and oil cap area and no sign of milkshake. Also no sign of white smoke at the tailpipes

Thanks again

 

Glad to hear the encouraging results!

 

. With the block tester , the blue fluid should turn yellow when exhaust gases are present.

 

yes in a way it is , but in another it sort of just confuses me more as i read online you can still have a gasket leak without exhaust fumes making it into the coolant tank . Unfortunetely i am not a mechanic and am learning as I go with all the help from the forum .