How Do I Determine if Coolant is in Engine Oil?



I think coolant is contaminating my van's engine oil.

The oil on the dipstick looks black as it should, the oil on the bottom
of the filler cap was more brown than black, but not milky. The engine
slowly loses coolant over a period of 30 - 45 days. The temp gauge
never climbs, but I know the coolant level has dropped because the
heater starts blowing cold air when the engine as at idle. You only get
warm air if the car is being driven. I never see any leaks, or find any
coolant on the ground. The cooling system was pressure tested. The
mechanic said it held the pressure fine. The vehicle is a 1998 Ford
Windstar with the 3.8L engine, 140,000 miles.

My questions:

1. Is the oil on the bottom of the filler cap telling me the coolant is
in the oil?

2. Would I have to send an oil sample to be analyzed to be absolutely
sure the oil is getting contaminated?

3, If the mechanic determines that coolant has been contaminating the
engine oil for the past few months, would I be tossing money away to
get the van fixed due to damage the coolant may have done to the
engine?

Thanks in advance for any advice

.



Relevant Pages

  • Re: (OT) Any experience with Japanese Domestic Market engines?
    ... I've been noticing a heavy sludge in the radiator and the overfill ... I drained the oil into a catch pan then poured it into the recovery ... I found them in the coolant to a greater extent than the ... I looked for bubbles on the dip stick as the engine was running, ...
    (alt.autos.toyota)
  • Re: How Do I Determine if Coolant is in Engine Oil?
    ... > I think coolant is contaminating my van's engine oil. ...
    (rec.autos.tech)
  • Re: 91 Cressida smokin (sometimes)
    ... > to be coming from the area where the exhaust pipe meets the engine. ... > Have I been "burning out the gunk" ... Regular dino changes and some Lucas oil last year, ... As my coolant seems to ...
    (alt.autos.toyota)
  • Re: rhythmic hesitation in 93 SL1
    ... > The coolant is supposed to be flushed and changed every two years. ... filter and oil change. ... The engine temp gauge on these things is weird, ... > make sure you have not blown the head gasket or cracked the head when it ...
    (rec.autos.makers.saturn)
  • Re: Bad news, possible cracked head
    ... the antifreeze to the orange colored coolant that's made for cars with ... because the engine did burn some of that up. ... Keep a log of oil and fuel to determine consumption ... The tread hit the car in front of me, ...
    (rec.autos.makers.saturn)