coolant in my oil pan - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

headcrank · 03-20-2005, 09:58 PM

hey all, hope someone can help me. I just replaced my head gasket and did a timing chain kit, oil pump replace on my 1983 Celica gt w/ 22RE, gaskets, etc. I filled 'er up w/ oil and coolant, after which (w/ out starting) I noticed some brand new coolant dripping out of the oil pan plug. As I was messing w/ trying to get it started I rechecked & saw that it had stopped. I was hoping it was just some of the coolant that I had spilled during fill up. Well after I started it I had cappacinno in my oil pan (AGAIN!@!!). The coolant obviously ran directly into the pan; can this be something w/ the water pump? PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS SOMETHING SIMPLE!

***Tercel GTS*** · 03-20-2005, 10:10 PM

Did it get oil in the water before you did the work too?

headcrank · 03-20-2005, 10:56 PM

you mean water in oil, right? yes, originally i blew the headgasket which prompted the partial rebuild. i removed & completely cleaned the oil pan. after that the oil was CLEEEEAN due to 5 qts of brand new oil & filter. after i ran it for a few minutes & checked the dipstick & noticed the problem, i drained out all the old oil. then i poured a couple of fresh quarts into it w/ the plug still out, just to clean it out a bit. i put more water into the radiator & pressurized it (w/ my mouth). no coolant came out anywhere! i blew pretty hard- i don't know how much pressure the real testers create but i wouldn't think that much. the timing chain cover was NOT worn through, plus i put the new tensioner & metal guide in. doesn't make any sense the way the water just flowed right in w/ out the engine running.

***Tercel GTS*** · 03-20-2005, 11:19 PM

Did you have the head rebuilt and what all was done to it? The pressurisers can push more than 25psi, about enough to blow the end off a stock aluminum radiator. I'd take the valve cover off, the spark plugs out and the oil pan off then get one of those pressurisers. Refill with water and pump rill ya hit 17psi or the water starts spraying. With those 2 covers off you should be able to tell where it's coming from. Turn the engine after you hear spraying to see if it went into a cylinder.

headcrank · 03-21-2005, 07:43 AM

nothing in the cylinders, that's for sure. before it started i turned it over for quite a while (unitl i figured out that i had TDC on the wrong #1 stroke). i had removed all the plugs twice to check fuel & they were wet but w/ gasoline.

~r

Supersprynt · 03-21-2005, 12:21 PM

You have problems with your headgasket, its either not sealing or faulty.

***Tercel GTS*** · 03-21-2005, 02:36 PM

I love how some jump to the conclusion without diagnosing... Let me know when you get a chance to use a pressurizer and what you find. I've done several 22/20r rebuilds and very familiar with that engine. You may luck up and have the timing cover gasket not sealed.

Pineapple · 03-21-2005, 04:32 PM

Maybe its not leak? Just spill when you pull the head?

fredk · 03-21-2005, 06:51 PM

did the timing chain wear a hole in the timing cover?

headcrank · 03-21-2005, 10:32 PM

well i used a pressure tester & not a leak. So i changed the oil 3 times & it seems to have gone away. could there have been that much crappy oil left somewhere? i removed the oil pan & the previous owners must have NEVER changed its oil. the pickup was completely sealed shut w/ ****, as was valve area. i cleaned out the oil pan completely. i've driven the car all around today but just home after the last oil change. i will update this tomorrow- this seems like a REALLY strange occurance. runs great!

thanks for all the replies, btw

~r

Pineapple · 03-22-2005, 09:44 AM

Even after you drain the block, you still got some coolant and oil inside. If you have the pan on when you pull the head, you'll get oil and coolant in there.

headcrank · 03-22-2005, 05:56 PM

Well i'm clueless. compression checked out perfect on all 4 cylinders. pressure tested the cooling system the other day- fine. a friend of mine who owns a shop told me it is likely a cracked block. don't know how this could be, but maybe:
after i first purchased it i drove it quite a bit, put hundreds of miles on it. all was well until one day i revved it up (tried to clear some hesitation) which ended up blowing my head gasket. w/ 137k on it & the poor maintenance of the previous owner it was no wonder.
WHEN I PULLED THE HEAD one bolt in particular could hardly be pulled out. there was so much **** (i figured burned oil) on it. i finally got it out. did the previous owner perhaps use some type of sealant that eventually sealed the leak (which must be small where ever it is).
i have changed the oil 5 times and finally didn't add any coolant just so i can start from scratch. my mechanic friend also told me he was surprised that i didn't spin a bearing since coolant totally f&(!'s them up.
I reread the crappy Haynes manual & they specify putting sealant on the top left bolt of the oil pump, which i did today. no change.

ANY WAY TO FIND THIS STINKING LEAK? ANY WAY TO NARROW DOWN THE CAUSE? i only paid 5 bills for the car (pre meltdown) and there is no way that i am throwing a new engine in it. at the same time I AM NOT GIVING UP!!!

too bad there isn't a dual purpose coolant/ oil out there. heheh, problem solved!

~r

headcrank · 03-22-2005, 06:08 PM

btw, the timing chain did not wear a hole through.

headcrank · 03-25-2005, 05:39 AM

Well she's fixed! i used the bars leak 'repairs blown head gasket' stuff and it worked GREAT! you have to wait 12- 24 hours to complete the process & when i changed the oil the nest morning there was little to no water/ coolant in it (it was hard to tell since i was using the same container for the coolant as the oil changes). so i followed the instructions, flushed the coolant system & changed the oil and voila! a perfect running 22RE!

~r

Pineapple · 03-26-2005, 12:59 AM

If you just replace headgasket and its blown, maybe you didn't tight the head bolts correctly or the gasket is faulty or installed wrong. I'll tear the engine apart again to check everything.