89 V6 oil in radiator, no oil on dipstick?

[procellyparts]

Hey guys I have a 89 V6 Camry auto with 97K miles on it. I've had the car for 19 years now and I love it. The cars always been good to me but i've recently run into some problems. . The car seems to be getting oil in the radiator and its a dark green, brown color. The overflow tank is a dark green brown color. When I check the oil, it shows NO OIL on the front of the dipstick where the levels are, but the back of the stick shows oil . The car seems to run fine, it doesn't smoke and never overheats, the car operates normally. The car was sitting for a few years (5-6?) in NJ and its now in FL so it has a nice amount of rust and a few dents, but im looking to fix the body and re-spray it this summer. Since i've moved to FL it picked up a decent amount of mileage in a very short time. The engine has very small oil leaks (lots of leaks fixed by toyota couple yrs ago) and im sure it is leaking transmission fluid but in small amounts because it's all over my driveway. Is it safe for me to keep driving the car like this? Should I replace the Headgasket? The timing belt was done at 70K and waterpump at 77K and has had a tune up at 77K also. Really need advice as to what to do, I love the car and i do not want to see it go. (I'd love to do a 3SGTE swap ). I have 4 other cars so the camry can take time off to be worked on.

Thanks guys.

[TTercel]

Sounds like a blownhead gasket....

[procellyparts]

How can I tell if the Headgasket is definetly gone , also is it hard to do? ( I have mechanical backround).

[toyomoho]

Could be just coolant gone bad, have seen some ugly coolant. Flush the coolant system including overfull tank. Also check the overflow tank coolant hose (and other hoses) which can breakdown inside and cause a brown substance to show up in the coolant system.

Change the oil and filter. Add the correct amount of oil then see what the dipstick shows.

[scribby]

Also check your inside your oil cap to see if theres any white residue in it, thats a sign that coolant is getting into your oil.

[procellyparts]

I pulled the 3 front plugs today, they had ash deposits on them so i cleaned them and reinstalled, I also pulled the front valve cover and inside it was very clean with just regular oil. I changed the oil recently and flushed the coolant. The dip stick showed no oil on front but showed oil on the back, but when I drained it the regular amount of oil came out. when i pour in new oil and check it before starting, it shows oil on the dipstick exactly where oil level should be, but when I start it, shut it off and check it, it shows no oil on front. Someone said it could be my transmission causing pressure to build up and get motor oil in coolant, but for sure i have a trans leak (looks like pan) i need to fix, but toyota has replaced it 3 times and it still leaks! !

Please help.

[ycartf]

I have seen coolant get into the oil in the case of a blown head gasket but have never seen where oil went into the coolant to the point of it being low. If I am correct, the pressure of the coolant is the greatest where they come into close contact (or actual contact in the case of a blown head gasket) so it would be low and not the oil (from those I have seen this on). I hope this helps.

I SALUTE THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR OUR FREEDOM!!

Tracy

[marc780]

Someone said it could be my transmission causing pressure to build up and get motor oil in coolant

I've never heard of such a thing (in 30 years worth of car-work). I don't see how its possible. I think i'd ask somebody else for advice -