Oil in Coolant

Hi All

While looking over the Windstar today I found the oil about a quart low and found what looks like oil in the coolant recovery bottle.

I do have a small coolant leak at the front cover, it's been there for years and has not gotten any worse.

My question is are the oil passages from the oil pump (pressure side) close to the coolant passages in the front cover. Could this be how oil is geting into the coolant. Any other way this can happen?

It runs fine and I do not have any symptoms of a Head Gasket leak.

Thanks for any help you can offer

Do you have the "Towing Package".
This would be indicated by looking at the front, bottom of the radiator.

Non-towing package will have a pipe that starts on the passenger side.....crosses to the driver side....and loops around and goes back to the passenger side.
This is the power steering cooler on non-towing package cars.

If you see 2 separate lines.....one starting on the passenger side, the other on the driver side.....and each going to about the center......with fins at that point......on each line.......then you have the towing package. One is the power steering cooler, the other is an auxillary transmission cooler....which is in addition to the transmission cooler that is mounted inside the radiator, which all windstars have.

Point is.....IF you have the towing package.....you may have a crankcase oil cooler. The factory crankcase oil cooler is mounted to the oil filter mounting.....and the oil filter mounts to that.
In other words, the oil cooler is mounted in between the filter and the engine.
There are coolant lines that go to the oil cooler......as the oil is cooled by the coolant.
This is one of the points in the engine at which the oil pressure will be the highest.....so a leak here my push oil into the coolant.
If you have this cooler, you will need to visit your dealership to buy a new one....as I have not seen this item listed online. The instructions from FORD to repair.....is to replace the cooler assembly.

I do not have this cooler, and so, all I know is what I have read about it.

Another note.....Many additives to the coolant will look dark and nasty in the overflow bottle. Stop leak products will do that. Redline Water Wetter will also. If you use Redline Water Wetter, I would recommend you use the stuff for Diesel engines. The regular water wetter has additives....as it is intended for use in race engines......that are running just water. It can be used with antifreeze.....but the additive package can react with the additive package in the antifreeze.....causing oily blotches in the coolant. I have read that Redline says that they will re-mix when warmed up.

Good idea but I do not have the towing package and there are no coolant lines anywhere near the oil filter. You could be on to something about the additives seperating. I did add some stop leak (yea I know, not recomended) about a year ago, I guess it could be that.

I did remove and drain the coolant bottle this morning and I put the contents in a clear container. Out of about 1/2 gal there is 1/4 inch of something else floating on top. It is not Trans fluid, sure looks like engine oil although it is cleaner than the oil that is in the engine.

I also changed the oil and filter this morning and captured the oil, will have to wait till morning to see if anything seperates out of it.

I'm still thinking timeing case cover as I already have an external coolant leak there when the engine is cold. I wired the valve on the radiator cap open a long time ago so the cooling system never builds pressure, may be why the coolant is not in the oil.

There is a very good chance that what you are seeing is, at the very least, partly the stop leak.

I have been very successful with stop leak in dealing with my timing cover leak. In my case, it was just a very slight seapage. I use BARS stop leak. Right now, I have the "Liquid Aluminium" in....as it is easier to use than the pelletized stuff.

You can have your engine oil analyzed to see if coolant is in there.....and other information.
www.blackstonelabs.com will connect you to a place....they will send you a kit......and instructions....and you send a sample to them.....is around $30-40 for an analysis.

I let the coolant I removed sit overnight and then skimed the top layer off. Out of 1/2 a gal I got about 2oz of medium brown oily liquid. I was using the Pellet type stop leak and thinking back to when I put it in it was suspended in a brown liquid. I hope this is what I am seeing now.

I am going to have the engine oil I drained yesterday checked for any contamination, I would not want to wipe out an engine over this. I also think a good radiator flush is in order.

Thanks for the replys, if anyone has any other ideas please post them. We all learn from each other