Oil in coolant: 2012 GTI 155

[professorman]

I rode for about 4-5 hours yesterday, and my seat was getting hot. When I got home, I see lots of milkshake sludge in my coolant and my oil was low. 1/2 quart brought it back up to the dipstick low mark. I am about to change the oil, so I only needed enough to flush the ski.

I have a leaky ride plate, which I normally top up the coolant about 2-3 times for the season. Its not leaking bad enough for me to worry about it. I read that my oil cooler might be bad, but I am trying to figure out where is my oil cooler. Is that the ride plate or is the oil cooler different?

How do I know if I have coolant in the oil as well?

It was nerve racking riding home. Once, low oil pressure light flashed on, but then it went away and never came back. When I got to the meeting location, there was oil on the dipstick, so I knew I had oil. The coolant was pressurized, but I topped it up a little after it cooled down, before we left to return home. The seat felt hot on the ride home, and would feel cooler when I went faster.

How hot does the engines run normally? This was my first long ride with this ski. This is my 3rd season with it.

 

[skiasylum]

“going through a 4-tec... for oil to get into the coolant but NOT vice versa....oil pressure higher than coolant pressure would be behind the pressure pump through the water pump seal (for which there is also a weep hole on the side of the cover in the event the seals fail, so u'd see coolant or oil from the weep hole)... in the oil cooler... through the head gasket where the oil pressure goes up to the head next to the head bolt in the corner of the head kinda near the coolant cavity of the block... failed PTO cover gasket as the coolant passage and passage out of the pressure pump are next to each other....”

If it is none of the above the block is probably cracked. The guy who wrote this advises his customers if the leak isn’t obvious it can be very labor intensive to find the leak and they are better off looking for a used motor.

If there is coolant getting in the oil the oil on the dipstick and bottom of the fill cap will appear milky and the oil quantity will go up not down from coolant contamination.

As mentioned above coolant pressure and oil pressure is what causes what to mix where. High pressure moves toward low pressure.

 

[ski-d00]

Oil cooler is under your intake manifold and is very different from your ride plate under the pump. You should read the service manual.

 

[professorman]

Oil cooler is under your intake manifold and is very different from your ride plate under the pump. You should read the service manual.

ohh. I just found a video on YouTube that shows how the oiling system works and I see now that it can be the oil cooler.

i want to remove it to test it, but I am not sure if there any o-rings or copper gaskets or anything for the oil cooler. Is there any?

Also, I might have to remove the intake manifold. Do I need replacement gaskets for the intake manifold?

 

[skiasylum]

Now is the time for you to probably download a service manual.

 

[jakempc3000]

ohh. I just found a video on YouTube that shows how the oiling system works and I see now that it can be the oil cooler.

i want to remove it to test it, but I am not sure if there any o-rings or copper gaskets or anything for the oil cooler. Is there any?

Also, I might have to remove the intake manifold. Do I need replacement gaskets for the intake manifold?

Both cooler and intake have o-rings. Rig a hose to the oil cooler and apply pressure. 10-15 psi and let it set. If it is leaking you will know quickly.

 

[acooper]

I just wanted to point out something that I have seen repeatedly on this Forum.
Many times, a "not so simple" issue is discussed in detail by several people. I like to read most of these threads just for the overall information.

At some point skiasylum will advise the person to "read the factory manual".
I have pushed the exact same message in automotive related issued for many decades.

Many Thanks to skiasylum for continuing to say this. It is the bedrock of diagnosis and repair.

 

[professorman]

A combination of reading the manual and assistance of knowledgeable people on forums have helped me fix everything I have fixed in my life. it seems I always have things that are broken. With the help of numerous strangers on the forums, I have been able to save enough money fixing my own things to the point where I can afford to be a Porsche enthusiast. Not because I am rich, but because of the help of the good people of the forums who spend the time to share information. I try to contribute good information to others as well.