Oil in coolant in a 95 2.8D

[V.W.Dave]

My guy from across the street from me come running over today as I got home from work for me to have a look at his Lux (95 SR5 duel cab 2.8D) It is 100% on road lux and never really leaves town so its not lived a hard life. Engine has 380ks on it. At 300ks the head was replaced ( I don't know why) by a toyota dealer. Has not missed a beat since and the oil has been changed since new every 10000 ks or 12 months. Last oil change was a little over 2 months ago. Checked all fluids at this time and coolant was fine.

In my 12 yrs of working on cars I have seen my fair share of coolant and oil mixing for a number of different reason but I have never seen this.

He drove to and from work today (10ks away) got home shut it down. No oil to be seen anywhere near where it was at this time. 1 hour after getting home he started it up and moved it to the back yard to load up some wood for his mum. He left it running when loading it up (15 mins) then drove it back out the front. When he got out and walked back to shut the gate to find a huge black trail of oil. Looked all over the engine to find no oil leaks around the engine bay. The oil was over flowing from the reservoir tank and running out from behind the headlight.

Now I have seen plenty of oil filled coolant systems but they always seem the make the oil in the coolant go grey/brown this is pure black and he checked the fluid levels 2 days ago and they were all fine. It isn't mixed in at all (I know oil and coolant will not completely mix but you know what I mean)

Now the engine is still running great. It is not blowing any smoke.

I spoke to a mate that has worked for Toyota as a mechanic for 10 yrs and he said he has only seen something like this one other time and it was a cracked cylinder wall.

I was going to start and hope and cross my fingers with a oils cooler re-seal but hmmmm yahhhh.....

Let me know what you have come across and should I stop wasting time and pull the head.

[McLarryBob]

Hmm sounds like you're in a bit of a pickle. Is he a clue-ey bloke? Could he have been trying to top up engine oil and filled used engine oil into the coolant reservoir and be too embarrassed to say so?

Maybe not but just and idea...

[V.W.Dave]

He is a air cooled engine mechanic. Runs a small business..... He is farily switched on. Plus think about what you just said if he topped the coolant up with oil it wouldn't be black it would be the fresh brown color mixed with coolant not Black.

[McLarryBob]

Well not necessarily if he had only just recently filled up the overflow it would be floating on to of the water and being at the top wouldn't it dribble out first?

Anyway... I guess it's not that because he sounds a bit cleaver.

Good luck with your pickle!

[samdumbert]

I would check the o-rings on the oil cooler

[woodbutcher]

I would be looking at the oil cooler first as well not just the orings but even the copper cooler inside the block as have heard of them splitting before where abouts are you as i have a spare cooler here as when i turboed my 2.8 changed the cooler for the surf one