Help: Oil in Coolant / Overheating Issue

[UTL1098]

Here's the story: my AC compressor isn't functioning properly. I decided to try and add some R134a myself to see if that would get it going again (it has turned on randomly). Well, the bottle I used contained some oil/sealant. It now appears that oil made its way into the coolant. As I was driving to work today, the car suddenly went into limp mode, then advised to turn the engine off to avoid overheating.

Edit: Spoke with my friend who is an SA in Sacramento. It seems that possibly the water pumped stopped working, and that oil in the coolant is motor oil.

[brusk]

I don't see any way that your AC is related to oil being in your coolant. Those are completely different systems that don't have any common ties unlike coolant and engine oil could.

How much oil are you talking about?

[UTL1098]

That's exactly what I thought. It just seems it's a very random coincidence that my water pump failed right after I decided to experiment with the A/C issues. Not sure on the amount of oil yet. I'm considering just doing a flush and seeing what results. I also had the common WP symptom of the fan going to max. Headed to Disneyland for the weekend and won't be able to deal with it until Monday. Great start to my trip...

[tracer bullet]

Agreed I know of no connection between the 2 systems either. It's possible a 3rd thing has affected both of these, but I can't see these affecting each other.

I sincerely hope you don't have oil in the coolant, that'd normally be from compression getting in there from a bad head gasket or a cracked head.

[theinfamousdrew]

Just a thought....the seal on the oil filter housing gasket might have gone.
both oil and water pass through this

[UTL1098]

I just had the gasket on the oil filter housing replaced less than 5k miles, and the gaskets on the oil cooler, but I suppose the overheat may have caused it to blow again.

[mdputnam]

Another little, "hold the phone here" adding refrigerant because you think it may be low isn't a prudent approach to ac system diagnosis. You can over charge the air conditioning system with refrigerant, which at best decreases the efficiency of the air conditioning system.

[UTL1098]

I understand, but right now the AC system is the least of my worries.

[UTL1098]

Tomorrow I plan to drain the oil and check if there's any coolant in it. If not, it's possible the oil in my coolant reservoir is from the oil filter housing gasket job a few months ago, which would be the best-case scenario. Assuming that is the case, I'll replace my water pump, thermostat and flush the cooling system.

If there is coolant in the oil, I'll be praying that I opted for the mechanical breakdown insurance from my credit union (they were closed today). If not, I guess I'll have to cut my losses and part it out, as a new motor isn't an option.

Any other suggestions on how to proceed?

[scassio]

How did this get resolved? I'm going through an oil in coolant situation now myself, changing both oil filter housing and oil cooler gaskets, as well as draining and flushing the coolant. There shouldn't be any coolant in the oil system as oil pressure is greater than coolant pressure and high pressure wins.

[mr.fabulous]

head gasket

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by theinfamousdrew

Just a thought....the seal on the oil filter housing gasket might have gone.
both oil and water pass through this

Can you add a bit more detail? I'm not aware of what you are talking about.

[Mr Rooty Von Tooty]

Originally Posted by mdputnam

Another little, "hold the phone here" adding refrigerant because you think it may be low isn't a prudent approach to ac system diagnosis. You can over charge the air conditioning system with refrigerant, which at best decreases the efficiency of the air conditioning system.

You can get a connection with a gauge. It'll will tell you the amount of refrigerant in the system.

Also it isn't uncommon for the factory to under fill a system. Over time the system can lose a slight amount of refrigerant even if there aren't any detectable leaks.

[Stewy_604]

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

head gasket

^^^ This. Likely suspect with oil in the coolant.