RGB Posted July 12, 2021 Report Share Posted July 12, 2021 Hi, I've recently taken on a 1.0 Lupo which has oil getting into the coolant tank. There doesn't seem to be any coolant mixing with the oil and the car hasn't been overheating and seems to run fine. The head gasket was replaced around 2 years ago so was hoping it wouldn't be that but it doesn't sound too promising. Has anyone had this issue before or know what it could be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) Yeah usually a leaky head gasket. But. It could be that everything is just fine and they simply didn't flush the cooling system properly after reassembly. Depending on how much oil there is, bung in a dishwasher tablet and drive around like that for a few days. That should dissolve away the oil. Once cooled down, check if there's any oil still floating in the header tank. If there is, bung in another tablet and repeat... Once there's not a trace of oil on the surface (when cold), drain the system completely- when the thermostat is open. So loosen off the lowest hose in the system, so it's easy to just pull it off. Warm up the engine without the coolant filler cap on. Then when the fan comes on, carefully, without burning yourself, pull off the hose and dump the coolant and gunge that comes out with it. Turn off engine. Allow to cool down, refill with fresh water and repeat until the water that comes out is clear. Then seal the bottom hose, add fresh antifreeze (purple or pink) and top up with deionised water. Good to go for another 5 years But if oil reappears after a few days, then you have a leaky headgasket. You could try retorquing the head, as the seal that fails is the pressure feed to the valve assembly. Usually made of copper or a soft metal if it's a quality gasket. Crush it down a bit more. And welcome to club lupo 👍🏻 Edited July 13, 2021 by mk2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ObjectiveAway Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 8 hours ago, mk2 said: bung in a dishwasher tablet and drive around like that for a few days. Wow, I know a lot of silly tricks, but this is very clever. NB don't try to use hand washing dish soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted July 13, 2021 Report Share Posted July 13, 2021 (edited) That's a @Rich special that is Or maybe @RAB? Can't remember... Edited July 13, 2021 by mk2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 I'll have that credit thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted July 14, 2021 Report Share Posted July 14, 2021 👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGB Posted July 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2021 @mk2 Thanks very much for help, will give that a go and fingers crossed it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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