Passat 1.9 TDI - Engine Oil in Cooling System
Discussion
Hello
Can anybody help?
My '05 Passat TDI has engine oil in the cooling system , accompanied by a slow loss of oil and water. Suspecting the oil cooler (oil-water heat exchanger on LHS of engine), my local garage renewed it, but 10 days later, the symptoms have returned.
The obvious next place to look is the head gasket I suppose.
Does anyone have any specific experience of this problem on this engine please?
thanks
Laurence
Can anybody help?
My '05 Passat TDI has engine oil in the cooling system , accompanied by a slow loss of oil and water. Suspecting the oil cooler (oil-water heat exchanger on LHS of engine), my local garage renewed it, but 10 days later, the symptoms have returned.
The obvious next place to look is the head gasket I suppose.
Does anyone have any specific experience of this problem on this engine please?
thanks
Laurence
To get engine oil out of a cooling system you need to run a lot of detergent through the engine a number of times.
In your situation I would drain the entire cooling system and flush it out with a hosepipe. You then need to fill the cooling system with a low sudsing detergent such as dishwasher detergent. Use the largest bottle you can get and fill with hot water. Drive the car for about an hour to get all the dtergent to agitate the oil away from the walls of the castings. Let the car cool, drain, flush it all out and then repeat. If the drained water is looking oil free then fill the system with water and run for around 30 minutes. Drain again. If the water is clear then all is well, if not repeat a detergent cleaning cycle and water rinse.
When the system is clean fill the system with coolant / water mix and you are done.
In your situation I would drain the entire cooling system and flush it out with a hosepipe. You then need to fill the cooling system with a low sudsing detergent such as dishwasher detergent. Use the largest bottle you can get and fill with hot water. Drive the car for about an hour to get all the dtergent to agitate the oil away from the walls of the castings. Let the car cool, drain, flush it all out and then repeat. If the drained water is looking oil free then fill the system with water and run for around 30 minutes. Drain again. If the water is clear then all is well, if not repeat a detergent cleaning cycle and water rinse.
When the system is clean fill the system with coolant / water mix and you are done.
Gavin, Stevie - Thanks for your inputs.
Unfortunately, I think the oil is more than just the residue of what was left after the oil-cooler change, as both the oil level and the water level are dropping, slowly but surely. Although the VAG 1.9TDI engine isn't (apparently) known for head gasket problems, I fear mine might be the one to prove the rule
Any other thoughts?
Laurence
Unfortunately, I think the oil is more than just the residue of what was left after the oil-cooler change, as both the oil level and the water level are dropping, slowly but surely. Although the VAG 1.9TDI engine isn't (apparently) known for head gasket problems, I fear mine might be the one to prove the rule
Any other thoughts?
Laurence
I have known 2 perfectly good Golf VW 1.9 TD engines (same lump) to develop this fault through head gasket failure not abused over heated or anything just old age nothing more,in both cases all that was needed was the owner to spot the oil slick soon enough followed by head gasket replacement shortly after,neither of these cars needed their heads facing/skimming and no permanent damage done,flushing the cooling system is as GavinPearson says I use this method myself on the Rover K series headgaskets also just make sure you thoroughly flush the cooling system after refilling with the recommended coolant after,make double sure though its not the oil/water heat exchanger/cooler attached to the oil filter take off as this is a common VW Problem too before getting involved with HGF these are tough as old boots these engines so don't panic 
Thanks for the feedback Simon.
The engine has approaching 150,000 miles on the clock - still drives like new and pulls like a train. I've just checked the levels again - I'm pretty sure the coolant level is dropping steadily, but there's hardly any movement in the oil level. What puzzles me is, where is the coolant going? There's no sign of the cooling system being pressurised (no sign of bubbles when I rev the engine with the filler cap removed). Finding oil in the cooling system is consistent with the oil pressure being greater than the coolant pressure and finding its way into the cooling system through a leak path, rather than the other way round (ie, the coolant presumably isn't leaking into the lubrication system). So where might the coolant be going?
Any further thoughts?
Cheers
Laurence
The engine has approaching 150,000 miles on the clock - still drives like new and pulls like a train. I've just checked the levels again - I'm pretty sure the coolant level is dropping steadily, but there's hardly any movement in the oil level. What puzzles me is, where is the coolant going? There's no sign of the cooling system being pressurised (no sign of bubbles when I rev the engine with the filler cap removed). Finding oil in the cooling system is consistent with the oil pressure being greater than the coolant pressure and finding its way into the cooling system through a leak path, rather than the other way round (ie, the coolant presumably isn't leaking into the lubrication system). So where might the coolant be going?
Any further thoughts?
Cheers
Laurence
Laurence7 said:
Thanks for the feedback Simon.
The engine has approaching 150,000 miles on the clock - still drives like new and pulls like a train. I've just checked the levels again - I'm pretty sure the coolant level is dropping steadily, but there's hardly any movement in the oil level. What puzzles me is, where is the coolant going? There's no sign of the cooling system being pressurised (no sign of bubbles when I rev the engine with the filler cap removed). Finding oil in the cooling system is consistent with the oil pressure being greater than the coolant pressure and finding its way into the cooling system through a leak path, rather than the other way round (ie, the coolant presumably isn't leaking into the lubrication system). So where might the coolant be going?
Any further thoughts?
Cheers
Laurence
If the head gasket really has gone, then it could be out of the degas bottle cap or being taken into the cylinders and ending uo coming out of the exhaust.The engine has approaching 150,000 miles on the clock - still drives like new and pulls like a train. I've just checked the levels again - I'm pretty sure the coolant level is dropping steadily, but there's hardly any movement in the oil level. What puzzles me is, where is the coolant going? There's no sign of the cooling system being pressurised (no sign of bubbles when I rev the engine with the filler cap removed). Finding oil in the cooling system is consistent with the oil pressure being greater than the coolant pressure and finding its way into the cooling system through a leak path, rather than the other way round (ie, the coolant presumably isn't leaking into the lubrication system). So where might the coolant be going?
Any further thoughts?
Cheers
Laurence
GavinPearson said:
If the head gasket really has gone, then it could be out of the degas bottle cap or being taken into the cylinders and ending uo coming out of the exhaust.
HG blow doesn't necessarily mix oil with water, but it's common. The garage should be able to check to coolant for the presence of exhaust gases, which will confirm it one way or another.Gassing Station | Engines & Drivetrain | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff