Chocolate Milkshake Oil

I have an 05' 4RUNNER 4.0L , I do my own oil and filter changes, I decided to go to Costco to have my oil and filter changed 5w-30 Synthetic, after the oil change the guy doing the work called me in the shop and showed me my dipstick it was like a milkshake obviously coolant was in the oil.

I drove it to my house and did a block test, to see if there were exhaust gases in the radiator. ( no indication of gases in the radiator, the chemical was blue) before this, every couple of weeks I had to add coolant to my reservoir. This problem has me stomped ! So I decided to take it to the Toyota dealer to do a diagnosis, The Toyota tech. drained the oil and flushed it with a Toyota engine flush and replace the oil with 0W-20 and told me he pressurized the cooling system to 100 PSI, I said "You did what?" 100 PSI? why so much?, cooling systems are usually NO more than the 15-17 max PSI I told him" Even my little 13-year-old daughter knows that!" My 4RUNNER has 223K on it ,I bought it new and always changed the oil every 4.5-5K miles. It doesn't have a misfire and no white smoke out the tailpipe. Stomped ! The Stealership charged me $505.00 to do this work, to diagnose. And just took it right back to them after driving it for around 8 miles, and checked the oil and coolant in it . I'm thinking could it be the oil cooler gasket fail?

 

The oil should have been far ''milkier'' BEFORE the oil change. Right afterwards, it should have been pretty clear. It's possible the oil change ''tech'' never bothered to watch the oil drain and only saw the coolant contamination when he checked the dipstick for the oil level.

100PSI is nuts though for cooling system testing. Doesn't the oil cooler use a complete separate cooler and not the radiator though, mixing there would be impossible. Head gasket issues can mix coolant with oil but never involve the actual cylinder so you may not see combustion products in testing.

 

I believe it does use a separate oil cooler? The smart TOYOTA adviser told me "It uses the radiator to cool the oil" They also had on my work order 3.4L FI engine. LOL . I told them that it was a 4.0L VVTI. He said "It doesn't matter" Exactly the oil should have been milky before the oil change, but why after the oil change? STILL STOMPED. I'm pretty confident with engines, although not a mechanic.

 

A leak down test would put some air pressure into each cylinder, and then you look for air bubbles coming out the radiator cap

I'm betting this is the test the dealer tech did

 

On the invoice I paid, and when spoke to the tech. he said " he did a coolant test 100PSI fo 10 minutes and held pressure " Wich makes NO sense to me" .

 

I don’t even think that’s possible

 

I don't either ! And this is a big Toyota Dealeship in Ontario Canada, I used to be a Sales Manager for Toyota in the States. Surely that doesn't make me a mechanic, but I do know my way around engines for a long time.

 

I can't remember seeing a pressure tester that goes over 30-35 psi

Who the hell knows what they attached to what

 

Agree ! 100%

 

Very possible but without a coolant leak into the cylinder, completely useless if the coolant system leaks into a oil passage at the head gasket. And there would be no combustion products in the coolant either if that test was done.

 

I was just at the Toyota Dealership, and made them Change the oil to 5W-30 , when they used 0W-20 ! They told me to drive it for a week, and see if coolant gets into the oil, and bring it back , according to the Foreman Mechanic, he even asked the tech “why he used

$54 0W-20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0W-20 oil”!

 

OP said the coolant level has been going down slowly I believe. My money is still on a HG. Chemical block test can often pass even with a slow HG leak

The leakdown test would still be useful in this situation. If it passes then you could start looking at the oil cooler

 

I agree with you!

 

I’d love to see the stock radiator hold 100psi

 

So would I! Lol . When I just spoke to the Brainiac Tech , who did the pressure test, I’m front of the Foreman, I said if you put 100 PSI , you would blow all kinds of hoses , my heater core etc. His response was “ I accidentally put the wrong numbers on the final work order “ lol. I told him my 13 year old daughter wouldn’t do that “!

 

Dealer used 0W-20 because that is what they have in bulk probably. 100PSI maybe he meant 10PSI.

 

He said 15 lbs, after I confronted him in front of the Shop Foreman. I made a big deal about the wrong weight oil used . And made them change it to 5W-30 . The service guy tried to tell me I asked for it! BS I did I have been doing my own oil changes since new , except for the last one at Costco. And do all my own service. No Stealerships !

 

Didn't realize Costco started doing oil changes again ? I know they used to offer that service pre 2016ish?! Good job OP correcting dealership on motor and oil ...seems we have to everything ourselves if want it done right.

 

Asheville Toyota service has been great to me.
On a recent road trip I stopped at Santa Fe, NM Toyota for the oil change and tire rotation. They suggested a lot a of work was not done at 60K and I needed to get it done now. Plugs, EFI, etc. BS. I had had it done when due.
Not all dealers are honest.