ThisMax2NV

I had just checked my engine yesterday and noticed that there was some oil in my coolant resuivor. Its not alot and there is a thin film of oil on the top. It looks like engine oil. I asked my co-workers and I got 3 responses that sound reasonable and more likely.
1st is a blown head gasket. I properly broke in the car to 1000 miles. the only harsh thing I have done to it was the Dyno.

2nd is during the consturction process of the engine the grease and other lubricatns used were left behind and thus when the engine is hot and driven passes through the whole engine and since oil and water dont mix the oil ends up on top.

3rd is a broken radiator.

Please help I dont know what to do. Im gonna drain the radiator on Monday and see if the oil still ends up in the coolant.

Please any and all responses and opinions are strongly suggested.
Thanks!!!!!!

BuddyWh

If you have valid warranty still I only have one suggestion... don't do anything. Don't even drive it except to the dealer. Don't take any chances cause you probably won't like the bill and I just bet Nissan will do everything they can to stick it to you.

Leave the contaminated coolant in, removing the oil removes your evidence something is wrong. Yeah... it could just be left from manufacturing, but still have the dealer look at it. Let them tell you it's OK, just to cover yourself in case it pops up again, worse, later on. Once they tell you it's nothing, change it. Or make them... it sounds doubtful you dumped oil in the radiator, so it must have been in there from the factory (if indeed nothing is wrong) and it shouldn't be there!

Otherwise, get a good mechanic to run a compression test, for a start, that will help to identify if you have a blown head gasket. Change coolant anytime you want, but it won't help if there really is a problem. There is no snake-oil in a bottle to help, you will need a mechanic to repair somthing. Also check your oil... does it have water in it? If it has a lot then it will be creamy brown color.

Besides head gasket... do you have auto tranny? your ATF cooler could be leaking in the radiator (I don't think you said for certain it was engine oil.) Do you have an oil cooler... I remember seeing a pic that showed what looked like a coolant jacket around the oil filter mount (but I think this was a 2k2.) My Rodeo has the same setup for an oil cooler. That could be leaking.

BuddyWh

ThisMax2NV

The engine oil has no water in it. I checked that already it looks normal and isnt even dark looks like it came straight from the bottle.
I have a 5spd manual trans.
If the head gasket were blown would there be any sounds that it would make? I have noticed that when I shut off the car that it makes a whining sound and a click kinda like my dads nissan truck and my bros 240.
I have checked the coolant after driving to and from work. There seems to be no more oil comming out to the coolant. It stays as the same day in and out. I also was told that if the head gasket were blown that the car would be producing smoke? If so then mines not.
Anyways thanks for the help any other help would be helpul.

BuddyWh

Not meaning to scare you... it probably is nothing at all. But you don't want to take a chance with this, take it in to Nissan and let them look at it, it'll cost you nothing but a little time. What you will get is a record that you told them and they had a chance to look at it early. What you do NOT want is it going really bad at 65,000 miles, (losing compression, blowing steam, water in the oil) and then Nissan claiming you drove it with a condition you should have known was bad and that voided warranty.

If it really is bad... you'll know with a certainty within warranty, so preserve it! And not only that, you may have given them an opportunity to prevent anything really bad if they decide to re-torque the cylinder heads or something!

BuddyWh