Oil in water

1997 FORD MONDEO
150,000 MILES • 1.6L • 4 CYL
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MARTMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Frothy brown liquid in radiator overflow bottle.
Mar 26, 2019 at 1:35 AM
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SCGRANTURISMO
  • AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
  • 4,897 POSTS
Hello,

This is usually a sign of a blown head gasket. It could also just be sediment that has collected in the overflow bottle over time. The latter would be true if you were mostly water in your vehicle's cooling system instead of antifreeze. Pull the engine oil dipstick and look at the color of the motor oil. If it looks like oil, or is black, it's probably not a blown head gasket. If it looks like coffee creamer or the color of coffee with cream and sugar in it, it's probably a blown head gasket.
I have included a few links down below for you to go to.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/head-gasket-blown-test
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-cooling-system
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/coolant-flush-and-refill-all-cars

Please go through these guides and get back to us with what you are able to find out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros
Mar 26, 2019 at 9:27 AM
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