Thread: Oil In Antifreeze

Ok guys I really really don't think it's my radiator. I am not loosing no tranny fluid and it looks clean but I'm losing oil AND COOLANT. I aint been driving the car, but my wife used it the other day to go pick the kids up and that is when the codes came up. The car is parked right now and I'm going mess with it this evening see if I can figure some things out. But I do NOT THINK it is tranny fluid mixed with the coolant. I will some pics if that will help maybe. The car does have like 200,000 so I may just be about to the end of the line with the motor. But it felt good and strong still lol... Any ways thanks guys and Im from Macon MO FordMan77

If you are loosing coolant and can't find an external leak (like the coolant elbows) then I would suspect the LIM gaskets are leaking. Have they ever been changed that you are aware of? If not, then it would be time now before any permanent damage to the motor is done (i.e.- spun bearings). The "milky" description you gave of your coolant in the rad on the first post leads me to think this. And no, headgaskets are NOT common, in fact rarely ever unless super overheated and beat on.

200K on these motors is not really much if they are maintained. I had 200K+ on my 00 GT when I caused #1 piston to turn into confetti (my fault- not the motor). Swapped in a used one w/ 130K on it and it still runs like a top. My 95 Bonneville has 195K on it and pulls just as good for being N/A.

Take a look at where the LIM, head and block meet up. If you see a black edge in there then you have the stock plastic gaskets that fail. GM sells some aluminum ones that will keep this from being a problem again.

I don't know I got a ton of maintaince records with it and will look but when I took off oil cap it's got a nasty looking residue in the neck of it. I see it looks to be possibly leaking some oil from the lim so it may be the corporate. Where should I go to get the better gaskets? And any tips to do this

Good that it's parked. Don't want to risk the bottom end blowing up.

Yes, go to the dealer to get the gaskets. They're not any more expensive than anywhere else and they do seem to fit better. You will also need injector o-rings and coolant elbows. Get some RTV for the 4 corners of the LIM and some thread sealant for the LIM bolts. If you want to change over to regular green coolant now would be the time. Just flush out the system to remove ALL the dexcool and refill w/ green. Get enough oil and filters to to TWO changes and an extra quart to wash out the lifter valley once you get it apart. This will ensure you remove all coolant from areas it's not supposed to be in and not destroy the bearing in the motor.

There is a how to on here, just try a search for "LIM gasket replacement". It's been done a bajillion times and we can all help if you get stuck. It's not that hard if you just take your time. BTW, there are 2 hidden bolts on the LIM once you remove the S/C. One is up front towards the trans side, and the other is on the backside left corner. Usually there is a pool of oil covering these bolts and people try to pry the LIM up w/o removing the bolts.