Omega Owners Forum

Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 11:42:53

Title: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 11:42:53
i was driving along and saw steam coming out of my bonnet! I pulled over and coolant was running all other the floor!!!

the temperature was only at 90-92 c.

turned off the engine and after aa minute or two it stopped?!

no more leaking and no more steam!? i drove it round the corner and still nothing? temp stayed at a steady 92. drove it home a 3-4 mile journey and now home nothing? :o :-[ :-/

the steam/ leak looked to be coming from the back of the engine bay area?

the only other notes i can add is that there was a little too much coolant in the system an now there about a litre missing and i found a little hose had worked its way loose of the air intake after the air filter. i dont know if this means anything?

please help :( :( :(
Title: Re: HELP! steam and coolant!!!
Post by: RichB on 13 April 2009, 11:47:13
Sounds like it could be the heater bypass valve (HBV)  Check at the back of the engine on the drivers side, right underneath the wiper cover and see if its leaking, try moving the heaters from full hot to full cold as it will probably only leak in one position.  A new valve is about £30 from Vauxhall on Trade Club.
Title: Re: HELP! steam and coolant!!!
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 11:51:42
my matrix is already removed as it was leaking and the pipes bypassed before they pass thru the bulkhead but these werent leaking or wet etc. :-[ by the previous owner, ao never had hot air.
Title: Re: HELP! steam and coolant!!!
Post by: mark.adams on 13 April 2009, 12:31:43
Is the HBV still there? Looks like a black spaceship?
Title: Re: HELP! steam and coolant!!!
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 13:11:42
yes the hbv still there.  further to original post, i split my top hose last week and fitted a new one on thursday in the process went to vx and compleately flushed the system bout 4-5 times til it was clearish water then added a 50/50 mix. i bring this up cos i just opened the coolant bottle and there was white lumpy stuff just around the cap. like wet lumpy flour???

im not sure its not mayonnaise also there nothing round oil filler cap or at bottom of dip stick, but i did just stick a piece of kitchen rollin the coolant tank and its coming up dirty brown. considering i just flushed system in thurs does this mean i got oil in my water?

please anyone help!
Title: Re: HELP! steam and coolant!!!
Post by: star_whites on 13 April 2009, 13:18:07
Sounds like your oil cooler has had it. When the oil cooler fails it puts oil in to the water but not normally the other way round.  >:(
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 13:23:49
were is the oil cooler? cos my car was fully loaded and i bumped quite badly down a curb with a significant scraping banging sound?
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: star_whites on 13 April 2009, 13:27:18
The oil cooler is in the center of the V section in the middle of your engine, so there is no way you could damage that by dropping down a kerb. If you say that you have just flushed the systed and there is no water in the oil then I would definatly say your oil cooler has had it.
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 13:33:08
ok is that expensive? difficult to replace? :'(
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobG on 13 April 2009, 13:34:43
About £100 for parts and http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1221081908 :y
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobseyMV6 on 13 April 2009, 13:34:53
You wouldn't have damaged oil cooler by bumping down a kerb, oil cooler is sat down inside top of block and to find this between heads with two pipes running to it. sadly they all come to an end  :(
Around a 3.5 hour job and only £115 for parts from vauxhall.
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: star_whites on 13 April 2009, 13:36:47
Biggest problem when doing the oil cooler is leaving it 24 hrs to allow sealant to set before running the engine otherwise is straight forward. Once you have taken the plenum and injector rail off its a doddle to get too.
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 13:48:15
and will it be obvious once taken apart that this had gone/blown?

i suppose i will have to flush the system again. already done it twice this month due to a split top hose. >:(  :-/ :'(
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 13:50:15
what would happen if i keep running the car in the mean time?
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobseyMV6 on 13 April 2009, 13:51:51
Only way to check would do a pressure test on the old cooler, your'll need to do at least two flushes when fixed  :(
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobseyMV6 on 13 April 2009, 13:52:47
Could blow head gasket  :-/
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 13:55:03
OK! i dont think i will drive it around then.

thanx :y
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 14:03:08
can i buy a second hand oil cooler or does it have to be new? and were would i buy one from?
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobseyMV6 on 13 April 2009, 14:07:07
I wouldn't bother with seconed hand as they come out of the engine and start to rust quick where out of the water and you don't realy won't to do the job twice as it's not that enjoyable  ::)
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobseyMV6 on 13 April 2009, 14:08:20
Also you will get new seals etc with new cooler
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 14:19:02
ok so i suppose i have to buy one from vauxhall.
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: RobseyMV6 on 13 April 2009, 14:24:19
I've done 3 in least 8 weeks and got them all from vauxhall.
Made better now the old type
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 13 April 2009, 14:35:45
ok thanx chaps with any luck i will order the part tomorrow from vauxhall.

thanx for the help :y :y :y

my oil level is fine so there cant be too much oil in there. but does all this explain why i had a sudden coolant leak? ive lost 3/4 of my coolant tank/resevoir?
Title: Re: HELP! steam, and oil in coolant? i think
Post by: kingplym on 14 April 2009, 14:57:52
i have just come from the vauxhall stealers and they wanted £350 inc. vat for the oil cooler for my 2.5 v6, without sealant!!! >:( >:( >:(

were can i get a oil cooler for £100 as posted by others?

im just above north london

any help please :'( :P :'(