Oil in Radiator?

Okay, I got a call from my wife telling me I left a big puddle of "oil" in the garage. So I go out to the parking lot to check my Jeep. First thing I check is the oil level. Dipstick shows I'm about a quart low, but the oil looks clean. So now I'm thinking what she thought was a puddle of oil might actually be coolant. So I pop the radiator cap and there's a blob of yellowish-brown crap inside the filler neck. Oil in the radiator! Is this a blown head gasket? Cracked head? Bad water pump? This is a '99.

Dave

could be the head gasket or head. could be alot things

could also be a cracked radiator and the transmission fluid is mixing with the coolant. the oil on the garage floor could be trans fluid.

i think your going to have get under the xj and look for leaks.

May be time for some "testing" to help you isolate the problem. Tests that come to mind include cooling system pressure test, compression test and leakdown test. A shop can also "sniff" the coolant for the presence of hydrocarbons (combusion byproduct) All of this to help you isolate a problem should you believe you have one...

There is also a dye you can purchase to put in your oil and check for leaks with it by using a black light. Try Autozone.

89xj said:

could be the head gasket or head. could be alot things

could also be a cracked radiator and the transmission fluid is mixing with the coolant. the oil on the garage floor could be trans fluid.

i think your going to have get under the xj and look for leaks.

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Try draining the tranny fluid and seeing if the same crap is in there. If nothing there it doesn't hurt anything (just refill with new fluid before going anywhere!).