[brokenhammer]

In our 2002 Saturn Vue, which we recently purchased, there's oil in the coolant. When the coolant tank's PSI increased too much, excess oily coolant ran out through the pressure relief hose and on to various parts underneath. Can anyone shed some light on the possible causes of this?
The vehicle has about 115,000 miles and is an automatic.
thanks for any help.

 

[kchopper]

Possibly a head gasket issue

 

[Thurman]

Are you sure this is oil or transmission fluid? Go to any local radiator shop and ask them that question and I'll bet you they will tell you the transmission cooler is notorious for leaking on these units. I work for a friends auto parts store and we sell quite a few of these radiators. They are not worth taking apart to try and fix, just replace them in our "throw away society". It could be a head gasket, but eliminate all possibilities before spending any monies. Good Luck, David

 

[47_47]

The oil must be pressurized (~20 psig) to get into the coolant. Do not drive this car. Coolant in the oil will ruin bearings and soften and destroy all rubber components (hoses, tstat, water pump...). The 3.0l had problems with the engine oil cooler leaking coolant externally. I'd also check for TSB's.

Another note, S Series (1.9l) had problems with cracked cam journals and got oil in the coolant. It looked like a slimy chocolate milk shake.