Why is there A light brown oily gunk in the radiator?

Asked by BobbysworldOnly Feb 28, 2020 at 03:36 PM about the 2006 Buick Terraza

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Thick light brown oily gunk mixed in with
antifreeze. Did pressure test on radiator, Held
pressure fine. No leaks anywhere. Head gasket, is
ok. No crack in block. Has no oil cooler so it can't
be that. But tranny oil cooler is built into the
radiator I'm told. PLEASE HELP!! WHAT DO I TRY
NEXT??

2 Answers

27,540

Sometimes dexcool antifreeze can get that foamy looking stuff in it, if air gets into the system. Also, Your oil pressure is usually higher than the pressure cap on cooling system, so you would get oil into cooling system before coolant into oil, just my opinion. Is there any coolant in your oil? There is nothing that says the tranny lines in radiator can't corrode, If you think the leak is transmission fluid. I'm just thinking out loud, good luck.

2 people found this helpful.
350

YOU MAY HAVE AN OIL LINE LEAKING INTO RADIATOR LINES OR TRANSMISSION LINE. ALL ABOUT TROUBLE SHOOTING.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Racer_X
    Reputation
    110
  • #2
    TransAm77
    Reputation
    60
  • #3
    lincolnscott49
    Reputation
    50
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

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.