im getting oil in the water of a 1.7 d.t.i vauxhall van y reg 2001 vauxhall say it needs a new engine, someone else said a new pump, has someone else had this problem and fixed it.

DAVE PRESCOTT, February 2006

ok i have asked a lot of of owners of astra g 1.7 dti mines the isuzu and they all say the oil cooler is the problem and the best fix is to bypass it,but is that ok, why did vauxhall fit it when people say its not needed. am i missing something here or what will it run fine?

Graham, August 2017

i find oil in my Radiator why what is the couse of that .

Nndwamato Freddy Netshithuthuni, January 2017

If the oil in the header tank is black, odds are the oil cooler has failed. Diagnosing a 'blown' head gasket or cracked head is a little more difficult as it depends exactly where the damage is...If its between a combustion chamber and the coolant chances are it will pressurise the coolant header tank with ensuing water loss....If the damage is between an oilway and the coolant, oil will be forced into the coolant and depending how bad the damage is it may allow coolant to leak back into the oil when the engine is not running, this will give a creamy deposit on the oil filler cap and eventually lead to the engine oil being contaminated and turning a little like thick brown cream. A cracked head can also give similar symptoms but usually results in pressurisation and constant water loss.
The coolant system pressure is around 10-12psi whilst the oil pressure will average around 35-40psi so it is unlikely that the coolant would be able to overcome the pressure differential except when the engine is not running.
There are of course a myriad of examples that will contradict these basic diagnostics but on average the most likely is the one that is the most common.
And no you can't use a secondhand head gasket!

Benny, April 2016

Ive changed my cooler and flushed system and mines got oil in again.turbos got oil in aswell any ideas

bambam, May 2015

.coolant has greater pressure than oil when engine is
running,so will always mix with
oil if it is a fault with head gasket,. not oil to coolant.

pete, October 2014

justin farr . your a top man . you have stoped my head bouncing big time .

matt parlor, February 2014

for all those clever scare mongers out there,i notice that no one has asked the question "what colour is the
oil"? creamy like salad cream,which will also show on your oil filler cap, indicates head gasket ,while black
oil in your expansion bottle will show that its not mixing with water before it gets there ,as "tate" rightly suggests it leads to the oil cooler.

chris dee, April 2012

get your oil cooler cheaked its a common problem

tate, June 2010

ive been a mechanic for vauxhall for 17 years 99 times out of 100 this fault is due to a very common and prone faulty oil cooler which is attached to oil filter housing at rear of engine. very easy to fix. new cooler is £70 from vauxhall or you can simply bypass the unit by joining the inlet and outlet pipes to and from the cooler with a bit of 15mm copper piping. (oil cooler not really essential) if you cant be bothered to do this you will find your car/van will run on and on with no ill effect. water in all on all 1.7 dti engines is most definately nearly always caused by this.

justin farr, February 2008

I have a ASTRA 1.7DTI HATCHBAK and i have the problem like the oil is mixing with the water and some mechanics are saying i need a new head gasket but i don't know where to get one from can anyone tell me any websites where i can buy a new or second hand head gasket please reply to me back at raz.786@hotmail.co.uk

ALI, June 2007

MAKE SURE ITAS NOT transmission oil in th radiator from a ruptured radiator cooler

bg, March 2006

I have seen the intake gasket do the same thing as a head gasket ,,had engine been run hot >? if so proably a head gasket blown ....not a easy job on a van

bg, February 2006

What you have is the Head Gasket gone. It has to be replaced , is a major repair..

George, February 2006