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1996 Grand Prix SE 3100 v6. body 108k miles, engine 58k miles.
The crankcase is good, the oil looks completely normal since I drained it.
However, when I removed the Oil Filter, I had a mix of good oil with the light chocolate colored oil, indicative of coolant mixing with oil.
Though, it was swirled. I did have a LIM gasket that was on the brink of rupturing. It busted upon removal but all indications point to it working up until removal.
There wasn't any light chocolate colored oil anywhere else. It was only found in the oil filter. Strange indeed.
Either something very strange is going on or I happened to shut the engine off seconds into a coolant leak into the crankcase. But there was none to be found in the crankcase when drained. And the drained oil had sat for a few weeks in a clear container, no seperation showing there is no water mixed in.
Either I am the luckiest man alive who happened to rebuild his car seconds into a coolant rupture or there is something else nefarious going on. Like a crack somewhere in the block, that would really suck. But I don't think that is the case.
Any one have any input into this strange phenomenon?
update: In any case, I have new cylinder heads and all new gaskets. So the only problem that would cause it to reoccur would be a cracked block. Though, IIRC, a cracked block is really rare. So I should be fine. This just puzzles me as it was only in the filter.
strange indeed
Update 2: Lifters are cleaned. I took them apart and soaked them in degreaser, spent some time with fine tools and cleaned every inch. Now they are spotless, like new and compress well, smooth. Lifters had no coolant signs.
Heads had no coolant signs except for a little green junk on the valves. So probably leaked a little coolant into the chamber.
But, new heads, valves, valve seals, springs, ect. No signs of damage on the pistons or the walls. The chamber isn't oval and no scores or damage. Every indication says the block is good.
The camshaft rotates freely. I can not find any damage or signs of coolant leaks in the oil except for the filter.
This is bugging me. I did NOT want to see coolant in the filter right now.
I should be ok but what should I do to be sure, besides change the oil 3x's every 10 miles?
The crankcase is good, the oil looks completely normal since I drained it.
However, when I removed the Oil Filter, I had a mix of good oil with the light chocolate colored oil, indicative of coolant mixing with oil.
Though, it was swirled. I did have a LIM gasket that was on the brink of rupturing. It busted upon removal but all indications point to it working up until removal.
There wasn't any light chocolate colored oil anywhere else. It was only found in the oil filter. Strange indeed.
Either something very strange is going on or I happened to shut the engine off seconds into a coolant leak into the crankcase. But there was none to be found in the crankcase when drained. And the drained oil had sat for a few weeks in a clear container, no seperation showing there is no water mixed in.
Either I am the luckiest man alive who happened to rebuild his car seconds into a coolant rupture or there is something else nefarious going on. Like a crack somewhere in the block, that would really suck. But I don't think that is the case.
Any one have any input into this strange phenomenon?
update: In any case, I have new cylinder heads and all new gaskets. So the only problem that would cause it to reoccur would be a cracked block. Though, IIRC, a cracked block is really rare. So I should be fine. This just puzzles me as it was only in the filter.
strange indeed
Update 2: Lifters are cleaned. I took them apart and soaked them in degreaser, spent some time with fine tools and cleaned every inch. Now they are spotless, like new and compress well, smooth. Lifters had no coolant signs.
Heads had no coolant signs except for a little green junk on the valves. So probably leaked a little coolant into the chamber.
But, new heads, valves, valve seals, springs, ect. No signs of damage on the pistons or the walls. The chamber isn't oval and no scores or damage. Every indication says the block is good.
The camshaft rotates freely. I can not find any damage or signs of coolant leaks in the oil except for the filter.
This is bugging me. I did NOT want to see coolant in the filter right now.
I should be ok but what should I do to be sure, besides change the oil 3x's every 10 miles?
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