Coolant in oil

My coolant light was on for three days when my engine temp shot up and the passenger side heater vent was putting out cold air (driver side was fine). The coolant was bone dry, and my dipstick had an orange tinge to it (the color of the coolant).

It is probably obvious that I am no mechanic, and if anyone knows a relatively easy fix or check for me to perform, I don't mind getting my hands dirty; but more than anything, I'd like to have an idea of what the problem is before I see a prefessional.

My car is a 2.2 L 96 Cavalier with 130K. The only relevant history that I filled the antifreeze about six months ago (the reservoir was empty, which I was unable to identify as odd at the time).

Thanks in advance for the help!
yourfriendjake

My advice is have a mechanic look at it, I dont think you should get involved at this point. It sounds as if you may have a heater core issue... which may have leaked out a bunch of your coolant. Did you get any inside the vehicle?

Are you sure you checked the motor oil? it sounds like you may have checked the transmission fluid dipstick. Coolent would be a green color, not orange. Dirty Transmission fluid would look orange color.

If you need to check the radiator level, make sure the motor is cool and take off the cap for the rad. fill it up as high as possible, then put the cap back on.. you can drive it around and check it later, once the motor is cool again.

On a side not, your coolent resevoir shouldnt be full. You have a fill line on the side of it, take a look and make sure it isnt above the HOT mark. It is an overflow tank, and should always have room to put the excess antifreeze if needed.

As far as the color of your coolant goes it all depends on what type of antifreez you put in.The coolant that GM uses is usally pink no green. And if you did have coolant in your oil chances are when you over heated the engine you blew the head gasket or cracked the head which isn't any easy fix by any means especially if you don't have much mechanical skill. If I were you I would take it in and have it checked before you do some major damage to your engine.

It is your head gasket. I had the same problem with my 96 cavalier.....twice. Very common problem with the older cavs.