Oil in the coolant

1,785

Asked by Jeremy Nov 02, 2014 at 08:53 AM about the 2000 Ford F-150 XLT Extended Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

1200 miles from home with truck running hot, missing and oil in the coolant.  4.2v6
manual transmission.  I have the skills to fix almost anything but I have nothing but basic
hand tools with me now, no garage to work in, no help and no access to another vehicle
for parts store runs.  Truck runs for now.  Just needs to last me a couple more weeks.  
Any suggestions?

6 Answers

63,195

Is there coolant in the oil? If not and you just need to get home . Go to church and pray. And if you want to increase the odds. Do a compression test and replace the head gasket that is leaking. Go to YouTube and watch a video on how to do it. See if you have the tools and knowledge.

3 people found this helpful.
201,085

Yes sounds like blown head gasket. I don't advise this a a perminate fix but in a situation like yours you might want to try one of the "fix in a can" (for head gaskets) products in your cooling system just to get you home. Now be advised that this stuff normally ends up causing other issues like stopped up heater cores and such but if you lucky it will at least get you home. Again in a normal situation I would not ever use this stuff.

1,785

At a hotel right now and draining the oil or coolant are not an option. Still no sign of coolant in the oil (knock in wood) no gooey build up on the oil cap, oil level going down and not up. Put another 150 miles on it today with no performance issues but it did start to run hot, never actually overheated. Gonna find an oil change place and an auto parts store tomorrow. Gonna try sealer on both sides along with an oil change and coolant change. If I were home fixing it would not be an issue, I was an ASE certified & Chrysler certified tech years ago. So used to doing things the "right" I was unsure how to do an effective bandaid. Sounds like I was on the right track. Going to be a month or 2 before I can fix the truck right but only a week or two to replace the truck entirely. Hate to scrap a truck I was going to pass down to my kids but if she doesn't make it through this buisnes trip she's gonna need to go. Wish me luck!

1,785

BTW In Texas for work. Plugged heater core wouldn't be a big deal until I return to Ohio. Then my hands will freeze to the steering wheel.

201,085

Use caution flushing the cooling system. I would advise not to flush it in your case due to you could break other items loose and may cause other issues. Just drain the coolant. Then I would try k&w block seal. Using it requires that you run it in vehicle for certain amount of time(till heats up and circulates thru out all areas. Then to drain cooling system again to allow sealant to cure properly with no pressure on it. For best results do just as can advises. I used it once with a cracked head.(20 something years ago) it worked well and got my truck going.(I was a broke a$$ young adult). I drove it for three more years gave to a buddy of mine and he drove for another five years without any furthers issues from that leak. But as stated above I only advising this to you cause of your situation. You must be heading down for the refinery and chemical plant construction starting to ramp up in Texas. If so drive safe and work safe.

80

I know this was an issue from several years ago, and Jeremy said OIL IN THR COOLING SYSTEM, not water or cooling in the oil. If there is oil in the cooling system, The problem could reasonably be an internal leak on the oil cooler, which uses the cooling system to cool the oil. this is usually can be checked by looking at the resevour tank, if theres 2 hoses running from it, 1 hose runs to the oil cooler, a ruptured gasket, or faulty cooler would most likely be the culprit...….just sayin !

8 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

F-150

Looking for a Used F-150 in your area?

CarGurus has 173,362 nationwide F-150 listings starting at $1,900.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2000 Ford F-150

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    OJ
    Reputation
    42,600
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    16,040
  • #3
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    15,890
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4,348 Great Deals out of 122,254 listings starting at $1,995
Used GMC Sierra 1500
1,968 Great Deals out of 71,538 listings starting at $1,900
Used Ford F-250 Super Duty
1,328 Great Deals out of 53,542 listings starting at $1,999
Used Toyota Tundra
1,099 Great Deals out of 29,037 listings starting at $3,000
Used Toyota Tacoma
2,205 Great Deals out of 55,286 listings starting at $3,499
Used Ford F-250
183 listings starting at $11,500
Used Dodge RAM 1500
61 Great Deals out of 1,757 listings starting at $3,495
Used Ford Mustang
1,062 Great Deals out of 20,798 listings starting at $1,100
Used Ford Ranger
593 Great Deals out of 23,403 listings starting at $1,995
Used Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
1,044 Great Deals out of 40,911 listings starting at $2,995
Used GMC Sierra 2500HD
546 Great Deals out of 23,400 listings starting at $3,995
Used Ford Explorer
2,469 Great Deals out of 59,151 listings starting at $999

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Ford F-150 For Sale
137 Great Deals out of 90,014 listings starting at $25,969
2023 Ford F-150 For Sale
803 Great Deals out of 9,341 listings starting at $19,113
2022 Ford F-150 For Sale
861 Great Deals out of 7,579 listings starting at $16,021
2021 Ford F-150 For Sale
925 Great Deals out of 9,613 listings starting at $12,990
2020 Ford F-150 For Sale
606 Great Deals out of 5,677 listings starting at $8,777

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.