[andrewpruitt]

i just discovered water in my oil and oil in my water
i took it yesterday and the guy said that it needed a new thermostat and gasket , he said he did a 15 minute pressure check and it maintained. does that mean the head is not cracked? i drove it back home but it ran hot after 15 minutes and the water keeps dissapearing out of the radiator, only place i could think of it going is the engine or out the tail pipe. also the overflow container for engine coolant is all black like the water had oil in it.what does all this mean? is the head cracked or just need a gasket

[machine shop tom]

What kind of engine is it, Andrew?

tom

[andrewpruitt]

it is a 1995 dodge caravan 4 cylinder engine
i just bought the vehicle the other day at an auction

[machine shop tom]

Originally Posted by andrewpruitt

it is a 1995 dodge caravan 4 cylinder engine
i just bought the vehicle the other day at an auction

It is the head gasket, a real problem with that engine. There is a spot on the head where the oil supply to the head is very close to a coolant hole in the head. The gasket eventually fails there, allowing coolant and oil to pass both ways---oil to the water jacket when the engine is running, coolant into the oiling system when the engine is off but the pressure is still in the cooling system. The head gasket needs to be replaced, and the head resurfaced. Have the timing belt replaced at this time, also.

tom

[docvette]

Doc here,

Dude...If your getting water in the oil and visa~versa...A Thermostat Gasket will not cause that.Thermostats will leak EXTERNALLY, and become very evident,dripping or spraying coolant all over the engine.

You Have a blown gasket or cracked casting somewhere that you need to track down. Could be head gaskets, Cracked block , cracked heads, warped intake manifold.

What color is the oil? Milky White? and the water brownish? smells like a burnt out gym locker? These would indicate cracks or gaskets (intake or head)

You can take it to a REPUTABLE radiator shop, and they can "Leak Detect" it for you with dyes and chemicals that will help isolate the problem and they can point you in the direction of steps you can take to remedy the problem.

You can buy a leak detection kit and light, yourself for about the same price as having a shop perform it...so that's pretty much your call.

Let us know what you find!

Doc

[andrewpruitt]

thanks for the information i will do that

[andrewpruitt]

any other thoughts from anyone else?

[andrewpruitt]

so doc are you saying you agree with tom?

[andrewpruitt]

anyone else have any input?

[andrewpruitt]

did the water go out of the tailpipe?

[Max Keith]

Looks like its been pretty well covered to me.

[RCastle]

It is plain cut on that. It seems as though you may be holding out for some good news on this problem,but the head gasket is blown. The head difenently needs to be checked.Just a wise thing to do anytime you blow a head gasket.There is too much work involved in doing this job,to just stab the head back on and not know for sure whethe rthe head is warped and caused the bypass leak.Pull the head,get it checked for warpage and do like Tom said with the timing belt.

[crazy larry]

the h20 got cooked. you've been informed by two of the most knowledgable people here. you can take it to the bank. trust me.

[andrewpruitt]

so how ,much money am i looking at spending to pay someone to do this?

[andrewpruitt]

so what is the pressure check for? does that mean the head could still be cracked ?