This sounds suspiciously like they forgot to put oil back in after they drained it.
Hate to say it, but it might be a cracked block with oil leaking into the water jacket.

 

This is what I got out of it just now (the four on the left) and there's more. I was able to get a better look into the reseviour and it looks like the entire back corner towards the firewall is caked in this stuff. Does anyone think this could be water wetter? He didn't mention that he put any of that in it but how could it keep getting in there and not affecting my oil level? Just to be on the safe side I'm gonna park it until I can find out for sure what's going on.

 

On Monday I would call NAPA in Fortville and ask for Aaron Vail the owner. (317)485-5114 I am not sure if he does work on other peoples vehicles but I do know he works on his own drag car. If he does not do any outside mechanic work, I am sure he can give you a good reference. He races at the same drag strip I do.

 

I live 5 minutes from there and drive right past that NAPA every day to and from work! I actually bought a gas cap from there a little while back... Thank you! I will definitely stop in and see him Monday!

 

Fawn2793 everyone here has given you accurate information. I agree with there suggestions. The only thing I will add is that the low coolant sensor does fail on these cars and the oil in your coolant can clog the sensor. I disabled my coolant sensor till I got a chance to replace it. However this is small potatoes until you get the mystery of the oil in the coolant diagnosed and fixed. Check with the guy at NAPA. If P343 recommends him then I know he is a straight up guy!

 

Have you had a chance to clean out the coolant bottle?
Here is another idea, try to wipe a rag around the inside neck of the radiator. If the oil is coming from the radiator (and not carelessly dropped in the bottle) there should be residue (I would think). Plus maybe remove that thin hose from the radiator to the bottle and blow it out, see if my crud is in there.

Something just feels fishy to me but without being right there, hard to put the pieces all together.

 

Hey guys... I wanted to give you all an update on what's happened since my last post. So after I talked to Eric at Napa he suggested I give my mechanic a chance to make it right and if he tried to charge me to fix it, to call him back. Well, before I could do that, I stopped at a gas station and left my car running but when I came back out there was a ton of (what I thought at the time was smoke) just rolling out from under the hood. I shut the car off and opened the hood and realized it was steam because I instantly smelled the boiling coolant and heard it running onto the ground under the car. I couldn't really tell where it was coming from but I could see water running down one of the pipes that kind of arcs over the front engine and the water was just boiling as it was running down the pipe. It looked like it was coming from somewhere close to the power steering pump because everything over on that side of the engine was wet. So I had it towed to his garage and I'm thinking the worst but, he calls me that day and says it's just an upper radiator hose, no big deal and he'll have it fixed that day. So I asked him about the oil in the coolant and kind of just explained it away as "left over from changing the valve cover gaskets and crank case seals" and said it wouldn't effect the performance of the engine or the function of the coolant. So, my question is, why did the radiator hose burst when he just had my car 2 weeks before that and the service sheet he gave me said he inspected all of the hoses and they were all fine. Also, right after this happened, I squeezed the larger radiator hose on the front of the engine to see if there was pressure in there and there was... I could hear the coolant moving and gurgling inside the radiator each time I squeezed the hose which indicated to me that there wasn't a breach in the coolant system but, I guess if the hose that ruptured was connected to a different part of the engine then it wouldn't affect that larger hose in the front of the engine? So anyway, all said and done, he charged me a total of $220 to fix the busted radiator hose and that included a $110 tow charge and the hose (Part C71850) cost $22.48, labor was $75 and $5.99 for .5 gallons of antifreeze. Also, I think it might be worth noting that 8 months ago, the first time worked on my car was when the water pump went out so he also inspected the entire coolant system then and said all was fine. So, I don't know that to think but I'm glad my car is finally running again. He's a really nice guy and has had his shop for many years so I don't want to accuse him of any wrong doing if it's just pure coincidence that in the almost 3 years I've had the car, I've not had any issues with it until the water pump went out 8 months ago and since then he's had my car in there twice. And, before he worked on it the first time it leaked a very minimal amount of oil but he did change the oil pan gasket seal and then a few months later I have another leak that's worse than the first one... I wish I had the time and tools to work on it myself because then I would only have myself to suspicious of .


Thanks everyone for all your help and advice... I really appreciate it!


Brandy

 

Hi Brandy. So glad to hear you'r e Monte is back on the road and you got things worked out with your mechanic. Sounds like a lot of coincidental bad timing. As for the radiator hose, it's hard to judge condition at a glance. How hoses look on the outside is not necessarily a indicator of their condition. They may have been all original hoses and they do last longer than they used to. Personally, I would have replaced all the hoses while the coolant was drained since they are likely the same age and condition, but that's just me being my own mechaniic looking for peace of mind. Hose leaks can be deceptive until they finally let go, sometimes hiding under hose clamps and such. The charges seem reasonable and it sounds like you and your Monte aren't boiling over anymore...Lol.
Glad it worked out for you.

 

glad you got it sorted out what you have gone thru is why I do all my own mechanic work myself . I prefer to fix things before they break. after a car reaches a certain age and mileage its best to replace all the things that could possibly lead to tragic failure . that's how I see it . but anyhoo....glad yer back up and running!!

 

gonna try a test putting a rubber glove over rad cap and see how much pressure it builds to check headgasket...