I have oil in my radiator reservoir tank what should I do

Tiny
JANETCAR
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 48,000 MILES
What should I do if I have oil in the radiator reserve tank. My car is running absolutely normal. The oil on the dipstick is clear and normal and still on the full mark. There's no smoke out of the tail pipe. Could someone have put oil in the radiator
Thursday, October 13th, 2011 AT 3:06 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
FIXITMR
  • MECHANIC
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What color oil? A lot or a little?
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Thursday, October 13th, 2011 AT 3:12 PM
Tiny
FIXITMR
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Also look at tranny fluid dipstick color
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Thursday, October 13th, 2011 AT 3:28 PM
Tiny
JANETCAR
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The color of the oil on the oil dipstick is light tan and clear I cant't find the transmission dipstick. Could you tell me where it is? The color of the oil in the radiator reservoir is clear but there was a thick chocolate milkshake colored **** on the bottom of the cap
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Thursday, October 13th, 2011 AT 4:04 PM
Tiny
FIXITMR
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Oops! Sorry, your car has no trans dipstick.
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Friday, October 14th, 2011 AT 6:17 AM
Tiny
FIXITMR
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Used to be oil in anti freeze meant cracked engine block. The car you have is famous for bad intake gaskets. The car you have also is infamous for generally bein built cheap and poorly designed. Have you had to replace lower front control arms/bushings yet?
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Friday, October 14th, 2011 AT 7:05 AM
Tiny
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No. What are lower front control arms/bushings? THis is what I had done to the car today. A shade tree mechanic friend of mine checked out the fluid in the radiator reservoir and he said that the anti-freeze was old and had thickened up. The last time the radiator was flushed and the anti-freeze changed was probably in 2004. I have had to add anti-freeze about 2 years ago cos a squirrel ate a hole in the bottom of the reservoir and my car overheated. So he flushed the radiator with a radiator cleaner and put in new anti-freeze and I had him check the transmission fluid which was way low. (He didn't want to believe me when I told him there wasn't a dip stick. He pulled the cap off and tried to feel some in there but you could only stick your finger or a thin rod in to the opening an inch or two.) He added a little over a pint and then could get some on the rod when he put it in the opening. So, I drove the car about 15 miles on the highway and it ran fine. It sounds smoother and quieter. Of course I'm not sure this bandaid fix is what it needed. But if it is a cracked block wouldn't some oil be missing? When I check the dipstick its right on full where it always is. And of course I just noticed I'm due for an oil change. (I'm much better about keeping the oil changed. Please send me your opinion and answer my questions. I will send some money when I can.
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Saturday, October 15th, 2011 AT 2:08 AM
Tiny
FIXITMR
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Well, I was following your judgement on things since you seem to have some knowledge of cars and it's impossible to make a 100% accurate opinion unless it all matches up with many personal experiences. I knew about the anti freze gunking thing but your description convinced me otherwise. And I tend to long windedness in the evening anyway. The thing to do know is drive it and see what happens. He could be perfectly right about it since he has first hand corroboration. I am telling you that you are gonna have more problems down the road but they are solvable. That front bushing problem is never gonna go away since it is a design mistake, or rather a combination of bad design and materials quality. You will hear a clunking noise in front to tell you they are failing/failed. The intake gaskets are replaceable with BETTER ones that will last. As far as trans being way low I dont know what you tell on that 1 yet. If you have no leaks on ground, and it's not the stuff that's in the radiator, your good to go for now. Anything else you'd like to know?
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Saturday, October 15th, 2011 AT 4:10 AM

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