Colour of Oil in water

[Sonya]

Hello,

If the car overheats and burns the head gasket or whatever other fatality, and oil leeks into radiator -- what colour would the oil be? Would it be white like milk or dark like dirty motor oil?

Thank you so much.
Sonya

 

[kilroy]

More than likely the oil would show up as dark floating on top of the antifreeze. In the crankcase though the oil usually turns milky brown, and that is bad, if you see that dont run the engine, you can kill the bearings quickly. If you suspect that your head gasket is blown, you can have a crankcase gase test done on the cooling system to confirm it.

 

[aldive]

Look for a scheen on the surface of the water.

A compression test will fiagnose the possibility of a blown head gasket.

Good luck.....

 

[Sonya]

It was a dark brown sludge with a oily feel. Could you gyts please take a look at my posting -- "Need help in Brazil". That is what happened. I am here in Brazil and there is no one to do a compression test. They would probably blow the car up. I have had one mechanic tell me it was oil and now another telling me it is not oil, but mud that was clooged up in the engine. The second one said if it was oil it would have been white or milky.
Help!!

 

[JDraper]

If you have oil in your antifreeze, it will show up as a chocolate brown with some off white foamy residue.