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Vs ecotec, losing water and oil but not visibly leaking

Riley_44_

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I got a vs ecotec, ive replaced the radiator, top and bottom hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, and water pump.
But the overflow tank keeps losing water and isnt visibly leaking.

I topped the oil up and went for a drive and checked it again and it was about a half inch below full.
Drove the car the next day and checked it when I got home and it was about a half inch above full.
And the overflow tank was nearly empty.
It also stalled twice while i was driving.
But started back up.

I had the plenum chamber fully cleaned, and it has oil in it now??, and what looks like metal shavings??

Any ideas what could be the problem??
 

Drawnnite

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so you checked oil and it was at say half.
drove it and you lost coolant but gained a lot more in the oil?

is the oil milky or coolant-ish?
could be inlet manifold gaskets if it is the case
or something else that is allowing the coolant into the oil
 

greenacc

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Did you bleed the cooling system of air after all the new parts were fitted ?
Do you always check the levels parked on flat ground? How long does the system hold pressure for after switching it off after a good drive - long enough to warm up properly.
 

Riley_44_

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so you checked oil and it was at say half.
drove it and you lost coolant but gained a lot more in the oil?

is the oil milky or coolant-ish?
could be inlet manifold gaskets if it is the case
or something else that is allowing the coolant into the oil

Yes, lost some coolant and gained fluid in the sump.
The oil is not that milky or coolant-ish.
When you drive it hard, it blows alot of white smoke, so i think its burning oil??
 

Riley_44_

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Did you bleed the cooling system of air after all the new parts were fitted ?
Do you always check the levels parked on flat ground? How long does the system hold pressure for after switching it off after a good drive - long enough to warm up properly.

Yes, cooling system was bled completely, when car starting getting hot, i double checked and bled it again and there were no air bubbles.

It gets alot pressure in the hoses really quickly, cant even squeeze the hoses a little bit because of the pressure, and it holds pressure for a little bit 45min-1hour roughly.

And i always check all fluids on flat ground
 

greenacc

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If it is definitely blowing smoke and not steam then yes it's probably burning oil. The cooling system sounds OK from what you said.
Does it always start OK or make any kicking / popping sounds when starting ? Wondering if it's a head gasket a bit of coolant could leak into the cylinder and will be noticable when starting.
 

Riley_44_

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If it is definitely blowing smoke and not steam then yes it's probably burning oil. The cooling system sounds OK from what you said.
Does it always start OK or make any kicking / popping sounds when starting ? Wondering if it's a head gasket a bit of coolant could leak into the cylinder and will be noticable when starting.

It does
make something like a kicking/popping sound when you crank it, and it runs a little rough when you first start it. And it is definitely smoke its blowing.
 
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greenacc

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What do the spark plugs look like ?
 

moneypit

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Seems like the classic case of the lower intake gaskets gone. If there is water dissapearing and oil getting higher it is at least that. If you have around 200K on the clock or over and no record of the LIM gaskets being replaced, well they would be due.

So how many times has it overheated? That can also lead to the head gaskets going as well. Preasurising of the cooling system can be a symptom

Oil floats on water, so sometimes you don't see the water until you drain the oil. That happened to me. Are you getting mayonayse looking stuff under the oil filler cap? It also will acumulate under the rocker covers. Very easy to whip one off to check.
Also do a compression test to check the head gaskets as well.

How many K's has it actually done? these things are getting on a bit age wise.
 
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