Oil in coolant, no coolant in oil

2003 Tacoma XtraCab 4x4 2.7L I4 manual trans 250,000+ mi.

Seems to be running and idling well, temp normal. Light brown oily mousse in the radiator and overflow reservoir. Engine oil is normal. Typically head gaskets go bad at the cylinder the coolant from the water jacket to get into the cylinder and eventually into the oil but the oil is clean.

Any thoughts?

 

Oil pressure is higher it can push into the coolant.

cracked head oil to coolant

It only takes a little Bit to make a mess

 

Yep......you got a problem. Suspect it is either head gasket or fractured head.

 

Thanks for the insight.

I called my mechanic with the symptoms and he suggested possibly a cracked block. What’s the possibility of the cracked block vs cracked head?

Won’t be able to take it in for him to test for a couple of days (wife is out of town with 4Runner babysitting grandkids).

 

IMHO.

Cracked head is more likely. Although, casting flaws can happen......so a cracked block is possible.

 

Thanks. A cracked head seems a little better than a cracked block (at least from a $$$ repair/replace perspective).

Anyone have any thoughts on new vs rebuilt heads? If rebuilt, any particular company that stands out pro or con (I live in the Riverside, CA area if that makes any difference).

I’ll update this thread as things unfold.

 

Mine 2.7 3rz head gasket failure...
Went thru same thing......oil in overflow ect....
Used barr's stop leak....6mo later start leaking again...

had white smoke....hard hot restarts.....but did not get water in oil until very end....

replaced mine with new heads......so as not to go back......

 

Well, took my Taco to my mechanic. $2k if it’s just the head gasket, $4k if it needs a rebuilt head (if one is available somewhere), $6k if it’s the block (complete rebuilt engine if one can be found). The catch is the relative rarity of 2.7L I4 rebuilt engines or heads or blocks. I’m also finding, compared to back in my day when the cost of parts was about equal to the cost of the labor to r&r them, current labor costs are what drives the repair bill up so high (nobody repairs things any more, it’s cheeper to replace things).

O’Silver_Taco, your temp fix of the Barrs Leak. My understanding is that it goes in the coolant and formes a “clot” where the coolant is leaking out . If the “oil in the water” symptom indicates that the higher pressure oil is being forced INTO the coolant, how does the Barrs Leak work if the coolant isn’t leaking out? Is there a similar product to put in the oil?

 

You might want to look into a JDM used engine. Get a 2.7 and replace all the parts from the outside of your present engine.

 

OMG....please do not use a product like Barr's Leak.

It'll gum up more than just the leak. Then it will leave you with more problems.

 

Thanks Knute for the feedback on the Bars Leaks. I’ve used the coolant version successfully in other vehicles back in the day, but coolant systems don’t have the close tolerances that the lubrication systems have. Using Bars Leak (oil version) seemed a little sketchy in the first place in light of the few thousanths of clearance in the bearings that the doctored oil needs to be pushed through. I’m just exploring all possibilities.

Thanks for the shout on JDM Engines JudoJohn. It jogged my memory. I remembered them from back in the day when I was looking for an engine for a Civic or a Corolla/Prizm. There Ontario, CA facility is about 25 miles from me. I’ll call them tomorrow to see what they have.

 

News flash. I just got ahold of JDM Motors. They have not been able to find the 2.7L engines for at least 6 months and have had to return deposits to customers that have ordered them.

I guess my next path to explore would be from a boneyard.

 

Is it possible to stuff a more common larger displacement engine in the hole???

 

It's possible, but not practical, as there are a lot of components that will also need to be changed- transmission, transfer case, driveshaft, mounts, exhaust, ECM, wiring, radiator, etc,

 

ONly reason I used BARR'S stop.....is I had an old radiator and I blocked off the heater core.....
I would suggest not using unless you can do this.....


Ultimately I had to buy a short block from these guys over a year ago....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304064243126

 

nobody repairs things anymore…

If I can get the parts I repair rather than replace, again, if I can get parts. Finding things as simple as bearings that arn't made in China or a special tool that actually works as designed and doesnt break, that’s the problem.

 

Ok, more updates.

I googled the 3RZ-FE engine and found quite a few outfits that sell the used Japanese engines. Several of them had them for $1500-$2700 (complete engines as they came out of the vehicle). I also found YotaShop.com that does first class rebuilds (all OEM parts), but they’re a little pricey ($5500 for a long block, and I would still have to swap all the external engine parts).

I also reached out to Bars Leaks support regarding their oil stop leak. Seems like it’s designed for seepage leaks not pressurized leaks. Below is their response.

“Thank you for reaching out to Bar’s Leaks Technical Support with reference to having oil entering into the coolant/antifreeze of your Toyota 2.7L. This is a most difficult leak to seal and probably can’t help because of the combination of oil pressure / oil film at leak area. Being honest it is a very low percentage we can help. if going to try a product go with P/N HG 1 Bar’s Leaks Head Seal after doing a complete flush of the cooling system with a radiator flush product to get it as clean as possible.”

After all this, I’m coming to the conclusion that, even though I have the skills to do a rebuild or R&R the engine myself (as a former fleet mechanic that has rebuilt several engines), I have to resign myself to the fact that OldTacoDude is no longer physically able to do the work himself and it will cost more to have someone else do it than the truck is worth. I’ll probably cut my losses by selling my Taco to someone who can do their own work and buy another vehicle (my wife and I really need a full size pickup (rather than our 4Runner) to pull our travel trailer).

Anyone interest in buying a fixer-upper?

 

PM sent sir.