Coolant in oil

1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE
200,000 MILES • 5.7L • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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JASON ODELL LEE MCPHETRIDGE
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
It was four degrees outside I started the SUV drove three miles to the store it started to get hot but never reached the red. Overheated in the drive it shut off an would not start. next it started ran okay until I shut it off it, then it would not start again. drained the oil it was gunky. is it cracked block or head gaskets? I can run the water through the radiator and water will come out the oil drain plug.
Feb 3, 2018 at 3:16 AM
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ASEMASTER6371
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 52,796 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Good morning.

Water going through that quickly indicates a failed block from the cold. Possible that it froze and cracked the block.

Even if it was just the head gasket, the fact that coolant is in the oil mandates the engine be removed and overhauled as the bearings are now contaminated and need replacement as well.

The smart thing would be to replace the engine with either a used or rebuilt engine.

Roy
Feb 3, 2018 at 5:06 AM
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