Can a bad oil cooler/ oil cooler o-ring cause oil in the coolant?

2002 maxima 3.5L

 

A bad oil cooler, maybe, but unlikely. A bad oil cooler seal, no. Coolant goes through the oil cooler but is contained in metal there are no seals separating the two. Unless the cooler was damaged or rusted through that wouldn't happen. Both of those possibilities seem unlikly to me.

 

Head gasket?

I have a diagnosis on saturday at nissan

 

With a blown head gasket oil can get in the coolant and coolant can get in the oil and cylinder(s). Signs of a blown head gasket are chocolate milk looking stuff on your oil fill cap, white and sweet smelling exhaust, and overheating.

 

I have none of the above listed issues. Just oil in the coolant. Any further help would be appreciated. I am slowly losing coolant and I'm losing oil fast. I go through 3qts every oil change if not 4qts. No visible leaks

 

If the OP's symptoms were occurring on the American-made cars I'm familiar with, I'd say the block is cracked. That aside, it's extremely unusual to have oil in the coolant, but not vice versa. Remember that when the motor is shut down after a run, coolant pressure is maintained long after oil pressure falls to zero. How can a bridge between them not allow the pressurized coolant to contaminate the oil?

 

This is why you don't let women use your car. Must be the oil fill cap *pours it in* LOL

 

Dude are you the real Planecrash? The legend himself?

I've read so much about you!!!

 

^^Haha. ^Mannn, I didn't connect the dots. Planecrash you know the rules, search first ask questions after. This info. is somewhere here.


I absolutely agree. Coolant is likely to be in oil and oil is unlikely to be in coolant after something like a blown head gasket.

That sounds about right as far a oil consumption. High revs and highway driving = lots of consumption. 1 qt. every thousand miles is normal. You know that.

How much "oil" is in the coolant. Could it be contamination or some kind of concoction from something that was added(stop leak)?

 

I just want to add that every car I've ever owned that blew a head gasket - including a Japanese inline 6 - had contaminated oil, but the coolant was clean.

Nissan has a well-known problem with the older Xterras where AT fluid and coolant mix. It's the result of a poorly designed seal in the radiator, and it ruins the trans in short order. The first symptom (if the owner is paying attention) is tranny fluid that looks like a milkshake.

Does the OP have the Nissan diagnosis yet?

 

i believe i saw video where a guy was saying if the water pump or oil pump which are close to each other in the block get worn enough a little bit of can leak in. This doesn't make a true statement but, possibly some info worth looking in to.