Coolant and oil mixing

[93wolfsburg]

Longtime VW/Audi owner and shade tree mechanic making my first jump into the Porsche ecosystem. I've acquired a non running Boxster. The PO had swapped in an 03 motor (m96.23) into an 01 (m96.22) and couldn't get it running thanks to information on this site I was able to realize the DME differences and swap pins around to get it running.  I only had it running for a few moments when it started forcing coolant out of the coolant reservoir. Being the first car I've had with engine in the middle and radiator in the front I just assumed the cooling system hadn't been properly burped since the motor swap was done. I took the cap off and started it again, now I get chocolate milk flowing out and immediately shut it down. 

 

Next I took the oil filter off and was met with more of the same, darker chocolate milk colored vs the caramel color that was coming out of the coolant reservoir but clearly mixing. I drained the rest of the oil out of the motor and wasn't much more encouraging.  

 

I've seen on here the oil cooler is suspect in situations like this and I'll be pressure testing that later today.  I'm concerned its more head gasket related given how quickly after starting it forced its way back through the cooling system, but I'm wondering if that's a common failure point for these motors? Is there anything else I should be looking for as I try to find the source of the mixing?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[JFP in PA]

Welcome to RennTech 

If you have a head gasket failure, it would be the first we have ever seen as the heads and engine case are an aluminum alloy while the head gasket is steel, so case or head failures are more common.

 

Common intermix areas are the oil cooler, cracked cylinder sleeves, or a cracked head.

 

Good luck...........

[93wolfsburg]

Thanks for the weclome!!

That's great info to have and makes perfect sense. Looks like i need to get after it with the boroscope if the oil cooler is not leaking.

 

amazon should be delivering my bentley manual this afternoon so hopefully should get an idea of how this all goes together

[93wolfsburg]

Some good news! It appears the oil cooler leaks like sieve. I have a new one on order. 

[JFP in PA]

14 minutes ago, 93wolfsburg said:

Some good news! It appears the oil cooler leaks like sieve. I have a new one on order. 

If you haven't already, change the oil cooler order to the "S" model; that cooler is nearly twice the size of the base cooler and fits right in.  Once of the best longevity mods you can do to one of these engines .

[93wolfsburg]

Thanks for the tip! The order hasn't shipped yet so I'll see what I can get that altered.

[93wolfsburg]

oil cooler seems to have sorted things out on the mixing.