You’ve got oil in your radiator? Is it supposed to be there? How did it get there? All great questions if your friend just asked you how to deal with oil in their radiator because you know it definitely is not supposed to be there.
Your radiator is supposed to contain coolant to help keep your engine cool because an overheating engine can cause a lot of damage. Coolant is made up mostly of 2 things, water, and glycol. Water is chosen because it is great at transferring heat. In fact, water is almost 4 times better at transfer heat than engine oil is! The glycol is in your coolant, in various forms depending on what type of coolant your vehicle uses, keeps things from freezing in the winter.
Since water is so much better at transferring heat than oil is, it’s important to remove any oil from your cooling system ASAP!
How do You Know if You Have Oil in Your Radiator?
Pop the cap!
When your car is completely cooled down of coarse, simply opening the radiator cap or cap on your coolant reservoir will quickly tell you if you have any oil in your system. Since oil is lighter than water most of the oil in your cooling system will float to the top of your radiator or coolant overflow tank. If you see an oil slick floating on your coolant it’s important to clean out your cooling system to make sure your engine doesn’t overheat.
Flushing your cooling system is a pretty easy DIY project so you should consider tackling it yourself. If you’ve got oil in your radiator you need more than just a garden hose to clean your cooling system. BlueDevil Radiator Flush and Oil Degreaser is a 3-in-1 cooling system cleaner that will flush your radiator, degrease the system and removes any rust build-up to restore your cooling system to its full potential.
If you’re wondering how easy BlueDevil radiator flush and oil degreaser is to use, check out this quick how-to video so you can be sure you’re ready to get the job done.
You can pick up BlueDevil Radiator Flush and Oil Degreaser at one of your local auto parts stores like:
- AutoZone
- Advance Auto Parts
- Bennett Auto Supply
- CarQuest Auto Parts
- NAPA Auto Parts
- O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Pep Boys
- Fast Track
- Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts Specialists
- S&E Quick Lube Distributor
- DYK Automotive
- Fisher Auto Parts stores
- Auto Plus Auto Parts stores
- Hovis Auto & Truck Supply stores
- Salvo Auto Parts
- Advantage Auto Stores
- Genuine Auto Parts stores
- Bond Auto Parts stores
- Tidewater Fleet Supply
- Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts
- Any Part Auto Parts
- Consumer Auto Parts
Pictures Provided By:
radiator_cap.jpg – By Zenstock – Licensed by Getty Images – Original Link
BlueDevil Products can be found on Amazon.com or at AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, O’Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA, and other major auto parts retailers.
31 responses to "How to Deal With Oil in Your Radiator"
31 Comments
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if you flush the oil out the radiator what about the issue that cause the oil to enter the radiator line
Gerard-
Unfortunately, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the radiator. A hard part repair may be your best option.
Thank you!
-BDP
So, the head gasket repair you sell only stops coolant from getting into the oil but not oil getting into the coolant? You guys also sell a product called oil leak stop. I assume that wouldn’t fix a leak traveling to the coolant area of the engine? If this is the case then I just wasted a bunch of money.
Joe-
You are correct, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the cooling system. The BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer is only intended for water/coolant leaks and the Oil Stop Leak would be intended to treat leaking rubber seals/gaskets. Unfortunately, there isn’t a product on the market that will seal a head gasket that is leaking oil into the radiator. Please contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 so that we may assist you in getting the warranty on the product.
Thank you!
-BDP
How does oil get into the radiator in the first place? I have the same problem. Could it be that it was due too much engine oil which was even causing my car to smoke. I had to drain some out yeaterday and the smoking stopped but this morning I noticed oil in the radiator.
Phil-
Usually, oil getting into the radiator would indicate a blown head gasket. Oil is leaking into the water jacket and making its way through the cooling system into the radiator. Unfortunately, a hard part repair may be your best option.
Thank you!
-BDP
i have an oily looking substance under my radiator cap, but engine oil is good. my car is overheating in less than 10 minutes. what you think the problem is?
Sherman-
Based on your description, we recommend trying the BlueDevil Radiator Flush & Oil Degreaser to remove the oily substance you’ve found in the cooling system. Have you noticed any other symptoms, such as lack of power or idling roughly? Feel free to contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 with any other questions.
Thank you!
-BDP
Not mentioned but should have been. Oil can get into your cooling system ( radiator ) ( reservoir ) via your oil cooler ( system ). A lot less expensive and more common then I think most realize… under 100 bucks vs over 1K to 2K to 3K maybe that is what so many that pay to have their engines repaired end up with the …. you need a new head gasket..vs it;s your oil cooler… that will be 140 total sir / mam !
I have the same problem with my 94 Chevy K1500. what part of the cooling system needs to be repaired?
I will surely take your advice. Thanks
Oil is found on the radiator reservoir but not getting into the sump though it needs to oil shortage. What’s the possible cause and solutions
Omokeni-
Oil getting into the radiator may be a sign of a blown head gasket. Unfortunately, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the cooling system. Replacing the head gasket in this instance may be your best option.
Thank you!
-BDP
I have oil in my radiator and inside the reservoir,but there’s no oil spot on the dipstick or any overheating problems whats could it be?
Everton-
Oil getting into your radiator and other parts of the cooling system could indicate a blown/leaking head gasket. Unfortunately, we do not manufacture any products intended to stop oil from getting into the radiator. A hard part repair may be your best option.
Thank you!
-BDP
my car has pulling power and is not overheating i do have oil in my water bottle i have flushed is with deagreaser two times it still comes back
Amza-
Unfortunately, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the water. BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer is only intended to treat water/coolant leaks. Replacing the head gasket may be your best option.
Thank you!
-BDP
Oil spots on my shoes from under dash after driving , car is a Chrysler 300 hemi 2007
Sheila-
Thank you for asking about your Chrysler 300. Are you able to identify the color of the oil or spot where it is dripping from? Please contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 so that we can get a little better understanding of the vehicle’s condition and be able to make any appropriate recommendations.
Thank you!
-BDP
Found little amount of oil in my radiator and my oil is shorting
No signs of overheating, no low power but I see blue smoke coming out of the exhaust
Mayor-
Unfortunately, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the radiator. Your best option may be to have the leaking component replaced.
Thank you!
-BDP
Oil in engine cooling system but no water in oil pan or cylinders is a good indication of a leaking oil cooler in the radiator. This was the problem with my 1999 Chevy 3500 truck.
Charles Conrod – I have the same problem with my 94 Chevy K1500. what part of the cooling system needs to be repaired?
Sir, I’m faced with similar problems with my vehicle 300 model 2005. My radiator is oily and we lose the vehicle’s bottom plate and found that the transmission or gear oil is creamy and we don’t know how the water got to the bottom plate. Your advice please.
Ma’aji
Ma’aji-
Based on your description, it sounds as though coolant may be getting into your transmission fluid and vice versa, transmission fluid getting into the radiator. Your best bet would be to bring the vehicle to a certified ASE mechanic for a proper diagnosis and hard part repair.
Thank you!
-BDP
i have oil in my radiator. i keep checking the oil level all good. now over heating in slow traffic, any help appreciated. thanks Bridget
Bridget-
The BlueDevil Radiator Flush & Oil Degreaser would be the perfect product to help remove the oil from the cooling system. Unfortunately, we do not manufacture a product intended to stop oil from getting into the radiator. If the problem persists, you may want to bring the vehicle to a certified mechanic for possible repairs.
Thank you!
-BDP
I see oil in my radiator I changed the gasket but still the problem there
Noble-
We’d recommend using the BlueDevil Radiator Flush & Oil Degreaser for the problem you’ve described. The product contains a surfactant which allows it to be able to remove oil. Feel free to contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 with any other questions.
Thank you!
-BDP
In fact I bought the very product you mentioned, ran it in my car for maybe a half hour until it began to overheat and then I took that as a sign to stop, let it cool for a few and drain it again. It took some of the deposits but the problem is there is still some oil. So while your product does help, claiming it’s as easy as just running a bottle of that through is certainly not 100%. Mind, I have replaced the damaged parts that led to this, so we’re still just dealing with a finite amount. But it’s going to take a little more.
Dylan-
Depending on why it overheated so quickly, it may have been worth repeating the same procedure with just water to remove any additional oil/debris still trapped in the system. Please contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 for further assistance.
Thank you!
-BDP