Oil in my cars cooling system?

i have a discovery td5 on a 99 plate, i found there was oil in my cooling system and promtly drained it.On enquiring about this at a local garage they told me either the head gasket had gone or the head itself was cracked, but there are no signs of water in the oil (milky residue).Is there a way of checking this before it let a garage look at it, the job could cost in excess of 拢600 which i cant afford to spend if this is not the fault.any suggestions would be gratefully recieved. thanks Foxminer.Oil in my cars cooling system?
flush your cooling system through and refill.


Recheck the oil (by removing the filler cap, not with the dipstick), there doesnt need to be a thick milky residue, just signs of slight mixing.


run the engine a while a recheck your oil and water for contamination.


these things are funny ( not ha ha), ive had cars that only showed residue in the water or oil, not necessarily in both.


I know it'll be an expensive job but try to put it to a garage you trust after checking it. Chances are its your head gasket.


AS A NOTE, TAKE CARE WHEN YOUR RUNNING A TURBO ENGINE WITH POSSIBLE WATER OIL CONTAMINATION.


WATER IN YOUR OIL CAN SPELL THE END FOR YOUR TURBOS BEARINGS WHICH WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE YOUR BILLOil in my cars cooling system?
Sure it was motor oil and not tranny fluid?


So tranny coolers run inside radiators and can leak trans fluid into the coolant.
a failed head gasket is more than likely the problem it can work either way there can be water in the oil but no oil in the coolant and vice-versa, the head gasket is the main thing to go on the disco
Does indeed sound like the head gasket. You can have water in the oil, oil in the water, either or both, it just depends exactly where the gasket is faulty. I hope its not a cracked head.





You can get a garage to run some tests, but you'd have to pay for that I suspect.
you could try having a back leakage test done . this this tests for leaks between the cylinder bore and oil / water ports sealed by the head gasket . you could have the cooling system pressure tested to check for leakage in to the other systems . these tests need to be done with the engine cold and hot as expansion could give false readings
Yes it sounds like the Head Gasket. If it appears to have a no white scum in the Oil, then it may just be some cross contamination. If the Head Gasket has gone, then you may have to get the head skimmed. Try putting ';Bars Leaks'; in the coolant water to see if it solves it. As its only a few pounds and may well solve your problem.
normally head gasket fox sorry
as you have oil in the water. after cleaning it out. see if it reappears when running! test coolant for exhaust gasses. if present suspect head gasket. as oil pressure is a lot higher than water pressure if head is cracked internally you get oil in water. and requires pressure testing to eliminate. examine gasket to see if failure has occurred at a vital point to cause contaminaion.
This is a common problem with the Freelander, first time I've heard about it on a Discovery. I know three people who had to write of otherwise good Freelanders because of problems with gaskets and fluids. Land-rover deny any fundamental problems. the only solution is a new engine, and the problem can occur with the new engine. The problem has been highlighted on Watchdog a couple of times. Good Luck..
It is possible to have oil in the coolant system without coolant in the oil. Try a pressure tetser on the coolant expansion tank, if it loses pressure there is obviously a leak, you may be even be able to hear where the leak is. It does sound like the head gasket though, sorry!

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