Black Oil In Coolant - Avensis 2.2 D4D

[Saa]

Hi,

I am new to this forum, so please be gentle with me ;-)

I've got a 2006 2.2 D4D Avensis done 120k miles, I had the head gasket replaced by a local garage about 3months ago and the car has been fine up until last Friday when the 'Low Oil' message appeared, and on checking the coolant reservoir I was shocked to find it full of black oil. Before I had my head gasket repaired I used to get greyish sludge where the oil and water had mixed but now its as if oil had been poured into the coolant, its not sludge like.

Any suggestions as to what the issue could be, I can't believe the head gasket has gone again well I Praying it hasn't.

Thanks

[waqar_lionheart]

I generally don't like giving bad news but it looks that way.

Regards,

Waqar

[Saa]

Thanks for the reply Waqar.

The reason why I though it might not be the head gasket is that theres no sludge just neat black oil and theres no back pressure in the reservoir. I had a similar problem with my Ford Galaxy a few years ago, oil in the coolant, and it turned out to be the oil cooler.

Does the Avensis 2.2D have an oil cooler and if so, has anyone come across similar issues with it?

[My first toyota]

Sounds like head gasket issue to me.

[Druid Boy]

Ok, so not wishing to add to your woes too much I'm not sure that your local garage should have replaced the head gasket to start with. There is a known issue with these engines and I do not think it can be remedied by simply replacing the gasket. It relates to carbon build up and gasket shuffling - there is loads of info on here but I can't remember the details.

If you are lucky your local garage can and should replace the gasket again as it should not have failed in this short a time.

However, if your original head gasket failure was due to the known fault (1) they shouldn't have replaced it (2) you probably don't have much of a come back on them and (3) you have a big problem with your engine and bank account because the work required to repair this is extensive and expensive and your car has done too many miles to qualify for the extended warranty Toyota put in place to cover this fault.

I think you may need some professional/legal advice here. Are you a member of the AA or similar? They may be able to advise you about what to do. Possible professional negligence claim here on your local garage.

I have assumed that your local garage is not a Toyota dealer.

Sorry my friend. This doesn't look like its going to be easy to resolve.

[David ex alfa]

Hi I do speak through experience , I ha the same prob on my 2.2 , this turned out to be the oil cooler and seals where fixed to the block ,after replacement of cooler and seals and several flush outs the oil is no more at a cost of £620 ouch !! , this was not the end of the story though excess pressure in coolant system the 3/4 engine now being fitted at 126k I'm out of all warren tees , Toyota have helped out with a trade price on the engine . Oh how I love this car (not) cheers good luck !!!!

[waqar_lionheart]

I would also check the oil cooler mate as it is a much cheaper fix than head gasket. Also it is more likely to have failed after first head gasket failures as opposed to a new head gasket failing. I dont know where this is located though in your model.

[Saa]

Thanks all for your replies, I suppose the logical way to progress this is to try the cheapest fix first, process of elimnation, as I suspect there isn't a way to definitively prove which has failed, i.e Oil Cooler or Head Gasket.

I don't have the excess pressure in the coolant only oil, so going by that oil cooler maybe the the culprit, however that isn't very cheap either £360 and its only a dealer part.

David ex Alfa - you had a similar issue, were you get sludge build up in the coolant or was it just black oil in the coolant?

Also did the gaskets on the oil cooler fail or was it the oil cooler itself, just wandering if its worth trying to try changing the gaskets first, a Toyota parts person suggested I could try that as a first fix.

Thanks

[waqar_lionheart]

I suppose its worth replacing the gaskets, BUT I would get a cooler from local scrappy than buy one from toyota. I dont think it ll be a major issue. By the way, is your car making temperatur and is there any smoke of any kind? You might get the odd condensation as its a bit cold now but check excessive smoke at start up and when car is warm. From experience, white is head gasket, blue is burning oil. ALso check for white muck/goo/jelly/gunk whatever floats your boat on the lid of your engine oil filler cap. If its there, its an indication that these two are getting mixed up somewhere which is a damn sure sign that you have water in oil and generally associated with blown or blowing head gasket, otherwise i think your oil cooler might be the culprit.

Best Regards,

Waqar

[Saa]

Hi Waqar, I've got no temperature issues, or blue or white smoke from exhaust and no jelly/sludge like substance in the coolant or rocker oil filler cap. Just had black oil as explained before in coolant.

Does anyone know where the Oil Cooler is and how is easy is it to change the gaskets ?

[waqar_lionheart]

I dont know on your car but some other models have it sitting between oil filter and the sump.

Regards,
Waqar

[Druid Boy]

Oh I so want this to be the oil cooler and not the head gasket.

Fingers crossed for you.

[Saa]

Yes I too am praying it is the oil cooler.

Btw is there any chance that this could be a cracked head, what are the the symptoms of a cracked head, is it water in the oil?

I've ordered some 'O' gaskets for the oil cooler, see if there are any tell tale signs of failure and if so order a new one. I couldn't believe the cost of them £353, thats incredible for such a small part but when they got u by the short n curlies there's not many options ;-)

I'll update you all as to how the outcome.

Thanks

[Druid Boy]

As I understand it, if your head gasket has gone you are going to get overheating and loose your coolant, not have your oil replace your coolant like you have.

Failed oil cooler sounds logical.

[Saa]

Thanks Druid Boy for yor info. Its not overheating but when the oil fills up in the coolant it starts splutter out of the overflow pipe which I guess is cos of capacity being exceeded in the coolant system.

I'm awaiting delivery of parts and will then tackle this, though I've still to find where the oil cooler is, I'm hoping its bolted onto the oil filter housing and its a straight forward job.

[Druid Boy]

This may help

Go to page 9.

LUBRICATION.pdf

[Saa]

Thanks for the info re lcoation of oil cooler, I was expecting it to be a small round unti with 2 inlets for the coolant, this looks completely different, at least I can locate it now.

I'd like ur thoughts regarding testing the oil cooler, this is what I was planning on doing, remove the 2 coolant pipes that connect to the oil cooler and connect them to each other so bypassing the oil cooler, then flush the contaminated coolant and fill with clean water, then run the engine on idle and check if the coolant is being contaminated or not.

Is the oil cooler really necessary in UK? - I will replace just wonder if the oil cooler is an overkill - just me having a moan really ;-(

btw I found the correct diagram for the oil cooler in my Avensis, here's the link :-

http://www.japan-parts.eu/toyota/eu/2010/avensis/adt270l-awfeyw/1_273560_004/tool-engine-fuel/1503_engine-oil-cooler

[Druid Boy]

Is there a way to disconnect the coolant pipes and then block one off and connect say a foot pump or bike pump to the other and try to pressurise it? If it is leaking into or from the oil system the pressure would drop as the air escapes. Just a thought as it doesn't involve changing the coolant or running the engine at risk.

Failing that strip it off and have a good look at it on the bench.

[Saa]

Hi,

Thanks for your suggestion Druid Boy, the oil cooler is really hard to get to, so will probably get a garage to replace with a second hand one.

Sorry have been busy with work, have the car parked up for the last 2 months, still trying to source a second hand oil cooler, just need to ensure that I get a good one.

Prices vary greatly I've had quotes from £80 to £180.

I'll update once I've sourced one and replaced it.

Has anyone actually replaced an oil cooler themselves or is it always best to leave this to a garage?

Thanks

[Saa]

Hi All,

Just an update regarding the oil cooler in coolant problem I had, I eventually managed to get around to replacing the oil cooler, and all looks good for now. I had a few issues with the oil pressure switch, which I had to replace, I managed to over tighten it and in the process cracked the oil cooler housing, had oil gushing out from the housing...Arghhhhhhhh!!!!!!.

Cost me 65 quid for a replacement from breakers.

Anyway looks like the problem is solved for now.

Just have a small problem where its not accelerating at all, its very slow though at standstill it revs up ok, but when driving through the gears its very, very slow, doesn't pick up at all... Maybe I'll try searching the site for this issue.

Thanks all for your support and help

Cheers

Saa