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blown head gasket or blown turbo?

Brunoboy

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Apr 25, 2008
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My coolant is brown, like capuchino, but my oil has no traces of coolant what so ever. compression was checked at 150 across the board......I have ARP headstuds with a MLS headgasket all torqued to spec. I do know the seals in my MHI S16g are done because i do get oil in the intake side of the compressor housing and i have slight in and out shaft play. So the question is, Can a blown turbo mix the oil with the coolant? Thanks
-Shane
 

Okayplayer

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Jan 14, 2010
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255
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Denver, CO
Maybe you have a cracked turbo cartridge, or, you have old antifreeze, maybe a flush is in order. Do you have any evidence of cracking on the outside of the turbo cartridge? Could be internal. It doesn't really sound like a headgasket if you are holding at 150 psi...
 

grocery_getter

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Jun 20, 2004
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Kent - industrial suburbs of Seattle, WA
There are plenty other places where oil and coolant can mix in a stock motor. Check your oil cooler sandwich element. Oil has a higher operating pressure than coolant. Coolant with a stock coolant cap maxed out at 13psi, while operating oil pressure is higher than that. You are more likely to see oil in coolant and not coolant in oil.
 

Brunoboy

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What's a oil cooler sandwich element? And it's not a stock motor....
 

Xcelerate

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Jun 17, 2011
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North jersey
It's the oil cooler where the oil filter screwed in. It has a coolant that flows thru it and its a common breakage when it's overtorque. All 91-up has this. I believe 90 is the only one comes with external oil cooler.

So check it or better yet bypass the Coplant going thru it. it's a common problem
 

jepherz

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Aug 8, 2004
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KC, Missouri
Quoting brunoboy:
What's a oil cooler sandwich element? And it's not a stock motor....



He meant close enough to stock. You still have the stock oil pump configuration, you still possibly have the sandwich oil cooler, etc. If you have a built 4g63 it's still likely to have all of the same oil/water contamination points.

I doubt it's the turbo as I believe that would require the casing of the center section to crack as mentioned above. From your compression test, it doesn't sound like a headgasket either, though. Could be your stock sandwich cooler or maybe you can do a leakdown and look for bubbles in the radiator?
 

Brunoboy

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Apr 25, 2008
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San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
I had a Jdm motor that had an external ofh cooler.... Took that off but ran a ported ofh instead. The Jdm water pipe did not have coolant pipes to route to the ofh so I have no coolant going to the ofh at all. Next suggestion?
 

alansupra94

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Mar 3, 2010
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Probably would be at the turbo then. That is the only place I could think that it would mix.
 

broxma

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Nov 16, 2009
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San Antonio Tx
There isn't a way for coolant to mix with oil in the turbo unless the center cartridge is cracked. The coolant is entirely closed within the casting of the center cartridge chamber. The only way in or out for the coolant, is the banjo fittings. The seals on the turbo are only for the oil. It is more likely the head gasket IMO. The high pressure oil feed for the head is on one corner of the head around a head stud, and there are several coolant passages right near it. It is entirely possible for oil to go from the oil feed to a coolant passage without affecting the seal at the top of the cylinders. OFH is suspect if water cooled obviously. Not sure if there is coolant at the front case cover or not. Someone else might know.

/brox
 

Brunoboy

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Apr 25, 2008
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thanks for all the replies, Nico is going to help me with another compression test and a leak down this weekend. I will report back.
-Shane
 

GSX_TC

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Apr 7, 2011
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Houston, Texas
i bet its from someone over tightening the oil filter. that'll crush it in the inside and mix the oil with the coolant.
 

Brunoboy

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Apr 25, 2008
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San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
Nico and a couple others that checked it out said it's rust -__-
 

Brunoboy

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San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
i do run anti freeze, but for awhile while it sat, i left the radiator and thermostat off and the car sat outside.
 
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