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digisatman

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Dec 16, 2006
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W211 270d My engine oil needed top up today, I just opened the bonnet and from the manual it said it was on the right hand side. I opened the cap and put oil in however just realised that only half a litre went in and filled to the top. I thought this was very strange and realised that this could not be the engine oil compartment. I quickly got a syringe and started taking the oil out and eventually green stuff came out when i look in the manual this may be the coolant system compartment? there doesnt appear to be any oil left in it now, what should i do , please help!!
 
thats not good... I wouldnt drive the car as it wil get all mixed in the system... The coolant will need to be drained off..
 
The experts will be along soon. If you have the majority of the oil out I'd say a coolant change would sort it out no worries. I guess the oil would have floated on the coolant so your syringe should have got most of it out. Over to the experts.
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Experts have posted. Follow their advice not mine. Trailer job to the workshops unless its washer fluid.

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If you are lucky, you may be able to do the following:

Clamp all the hoses connected to your expansion tank, disconnect them all (from the tank), and then remove the tank itself for thorough cleaning with a detergent to get all the traces of oil out.

Then put it all back together and top up the coolant...

The problem with draining all the coolant out is that any traces of oil in the expansion tank will then be dragged down into the deeper workings of the cooling system. The method above prevents contamination of other system components.
 
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W211 270d My engine oil needed top up today, I just opened the bonnet and from the manual it said it was on the right hand side. I opened the cap and put oil in however just realised that only half a litre went in and filled to the top. I thought this was very strange and realised that this could not be the engine oil compartment. I quickly got a syringe and started taking the oil out and eventually green stuff came out when i look in the manual this may be the coolant system compartment? there doesnt appear to be any oil left in it now, what should i do , please help!!


oops.

Oil filler is in the middle in the big plastic cover. If you've put it in the flip-up plastic black lid that's the washer fluid, anything else is either coolant, brake fluid or power steering fluid.

If you've just stuck some oil in your washer fluid it shouldn't be the end of the world, the other three are gonna be a problem.

If it were me and it's the washer bottle I'd just slowly pour ten litres of water into it which should cause all the oil to flush out of the top. Anything else is trailer it to workshop time.
 
Hope you get this sorted. I once topped the power steering fluid up in a pug 306 with coolant water. It was not a good mix!

At least you have realised nice and early so hopefuly not too much damage other than pride!
 
quick question.....

was the cap a screw one or a 'flip' one?

If it was a screw type then you've most likely put oil in the coolant - see corned's instructions and don't drive the car until you've done it

If it was a flip type - just flush it out as it was most likely the the screen wash
 
Quick picture of engine bay indicating said filler cap would confirm everyones' suppositions?
 
The washer fluid and coolant are on the right... im sure he must have put it in the coolant as the washer fluid has a big yellow illustration of a windscreen on it!
 
The washer fluid and coolant are on the right... im sure he must have put it in the coolant as the washer fluid has a big yellow illustration of a windscreen on it!

Good news is that if the engine has not been run the contamination will be local. Probably best to remove expansion tank and clean out with strong detergent solution.

Bad news is that with time and heat engine oil reacts with the coolant to produce a sludge which eventually becomes a rubbery substance that can produce blockages. So you need to get all traces of oil out ASAP.

Nearly lost a Vauxhall V6 engine to that many years ago. Wet engine oil cooler vomited oil into coolant, producing a black sludge that blocked radiator and just about everything else. I think all that happened in about 10 minutes. Oh how I rejoyced at the decision to take an extended warranty.
 
yes Corned advice is what i would of done too..... but i woudlnt have done that in the 1st place....! in addition i would remove the pipes from the bottom of the header tank and let it drain and then i'd empty the rest of the cooling system from bottom of rad and engine. this way the main contamination is drained before everything else so it wont drain all way thru the pipes.

how did you mistake a plastic header tank for the engine oil? :rolleyes::doh:
 
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On a postive note, oil in the coolant isn't as bad as coolant in the oil or filling the fuel tank with petrol instead of diesel.

And I guess if he hasn't run the engine, once it's cleaned up and the coolant is replaced there will be no damage either :cool:

Could have been worse :)

Will
 

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