Is coolant supposed to be thick and gold?

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by slogans7

Thanks, I'll have it flushed tomorrow. I have stupidly used coolant other than Porsche coolant, so I hope that's all it is. My biggest fear is that there's oil leaking into it.

Why is it overflowing? Was it overfilled? That's way different than what I had in mind from your description, that realy looks like a coolant/oil mix to me. I wouldn't start that car again until you get it looked at.

[JFP in PA]

If all your coolant looks like that, you are going to need more than a simple "drain and refill". That looks more like an intermix issue (coolant/oil), which would mean that somewhere in the system, oil is getting into the coolant. That would need to be located and corrected, then the system would need to be cleaned out throughly with a cooling system cleaner like Prestone, until only clear water came out of the system. Then, and only then, could you refill the system......

[slogans7]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

Why is it overflowing? Was it overfilled? That's way different than what I had in mind from your description, that realy looks like a coolant/oil mix to me. I wouldn't start that car again until you get it looked at.

I got a new cap and didn't put it on properly this morning. After work, I put it on properly and had no overflow on drive home. Temp stayed 180-190* in 82* weather.

I pulled the oil dipstick and found the oil was low 2 qts. There wasn't any evidence of goo on the dipstick.

I'm taking it to my mechanic and I'll let you know what he comes up with.

[jacabean]

that looks like intermix . bad news

[JoeFromPA]

In my somewhat limited experience with oil + coolant, they don't blend together smoothly because coolant = water based and oil = oil based. There's no emulsion.

Though it'll look like chocolate milk, it won't be a smooth even consistency and you'll see oil seperation. I can't see any in that photo.

Though you certainly could have an issue with oil getting in your coolant, it seems odd that you JUST CHANGED YOUR COOLANT with non-porsche-approved version and now this happens. If you didn't notice abnormal coloring in the coolant when it came out, then it would be odd to suddenly be down 2 quarts of oil due to it being leached into the cooling system (which, by the way, would be over-flowing if it absorbed 2 quarts of oil).

I could be missing alot of info, but I'm guessing the following:

1. The photo is distorting the look of the coolant a bit.

2. You mixed two coolants together and they created that color and density and are in the early stages of gelling.

Let the mechanic look of course - but this is my guess.

[slogans7]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

In my somewhat limited experience with oil + coolant, they don't blend together smoothly because coolant = water based and oil = oil based. There's no emulsion.

Though it'll look like chocolate milk, it won't be a smooth even consistency and you'll see oil seperation. I can't see any in that photo.

Though you certainly could have an issue with oil getting in your coolant, it seems odd that you JUST CHANGED YOUR COOLANT with non-porsche-approved version and now this happens. If you didn't notice abnormal coloring in the coolant when it came out, then it would be odd to suddenly be down 2 quarts of oil due to it being leached into the cooling system (which, by the way, would be over-flowing if it absorbed 2 quarts of oil).

I could be missing alot of info, but I'm guessing the following:

1. The photo is distorting the look of the coolant a bit.

2. You mixed two coolants together and they created that color and density and are in the early stages of gelling.

Let the mechanic look of course - but this is my guess.

Very logical analysis, my friend. I did put in distilled water and a bit of Prestone prior to this situation occurring, after the red dashboard warning light came on and I found my coolant level was really low.

The colors in the photo are accurate. The stuff (which seems to rise to the top of the coolant liquid and bubbled out first when I took off the cap to readjust) seems perfectly "mixed" - not what you'd expect from oil and water.

My temp seems to stay between 180-190. I don't know what is considered normal. My longtime mechanic is really busy and I can't get in until Tuesday. I spoke with him and gave him all the details, and he assured my the car will be OK until then, as long as it doesn't overheat. So I'm driving with one eye constantly on the temp gauge.

What temp do you guys usually see?

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by slogans7

So I'm driving with one eye constantly on the temp gauge.

ouch...

which "cap" did you put the coolant into? yellow (like the color of the coolant) or blue (like the ocean)?

it's your car and you can drive it if you want to, but personally i would not have started or run it at all. flat bed it to the shop and walk / bike / call in sick.

even if it's not oil/coolant mixing and is "simply" the wrong coolant it's not doing anything good.

[slogans7]

Originally Posted by tonycarreon

ouch...

which "cap" did you put the coolant into? yellow (like the color of the coolant) or blue (like the ocean)?

it's your car and you can drive it if you want to, but personally i would not have started or run it at all. flat bed it to the shop and walk / bike / call in sick.

even if it's not oil/coolant mixing and is "simply" the wrong coolant it's not doing anything good.

I got a new blue cap from the dealer. And I'm driving it as little as possible. Thanks.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by slogans7

Very logical analysis, my friend. I did put in distilled water and a bit of Prestone prior to this situation occurring, after the red dashboard warning light came on and I found my coolant level was really low.

The colors in the photo are accurate. The stuff (which seems to rise to the top of the coolant liquid and bubbled out first when I took off the cap to readjust) seems perfectly "mixed" - not what you'd expect from oil and water.

My temp seems to stay between 180-190. I don't know what is considered normal. My longtime mechanic is really busy and I can't get in until Tuesday. I spoke with him and gave him all the details, and he assured my the car will be OK until then, as long as it doesn't overheat. So I'm driving with one eye constantly on the temp gauge.

What temp do you guys usually see?

It's your car, but I wouldn't be driving it around if I knew there was something wrong with the cooling system.

[slogans7]

Took it to my mechanic and here's what happened.

1. The oil cooler (which apparently sits on top of the engine) had an internal leak. Since the pressure is higher than that of the coolant, the oil leaked into the cooling system, producing the sludge. They had to flush out the cooling system four times to get the stuff out.

2. The threads on the coolant expansion tank, being plastic, had just worn out. So even with the new cap I had bought, the coolant leaked out the top.

Looks like the bill will be about $2000. Bad, but not as bad as a blown head gasket or other serious problem.

Thanks to everyone that responded to my question.