Coolant in engine oil, but engine has not been overheating

Tiny
SG183
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 JEEP CHEROKEE
  • 4 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 219,000 MILES
About 3 days ago, I was checking my oil level, was about to make the drive an hour away up to a ski resort.
I noticed that there was this, almost milky, creamy, light brown colored gunk where I put my dipstick.
I thought, okay, I will take it in to get an oil change, whatever.
I changed the thermostat the day before the oil change.
But when I took it in the mechanic refused to work on it and said that this could indicate a blown gasket.
I had no idea. My thermostat may have been broken, so I didn't notice any overheating.
Saturday, February 8th, 2020 AT 2:21 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Just because it is not overheating doesn't mean it is not a head gasket issue. Unfortunately these signs do point to a head gasket issue and not anything to do with the thermostat. That may just be a coincidence.

Here are some guides on how to determine if this is the issue:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/coolantantifreeze-in-the-engine-oil

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test

Run through this info and let me know what you find and we can go from there. Thanks
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Saturday, February 8th, 2020 AT 2:49 PM
Tiny
ASEMASTER6371
  • MECHANIC
  • 52,797 POSTS
Good evening,

Just to add to the question, GM had issues with the 2.5. The back bolt on the cylinder head on the driver's side is a stud. They had issues with that bolt stretching and the head gasket leaks coolant into number 4 cylinder.

The remedy was to remove the head, replace the gasket and to replace the bolt with an updated bolt.

Roy
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Saturday, February 8th, 2020 AT 3:11 PM

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