Milky coolant but clean oil and no overheating.. 2.0t

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by DunkinBiskits

theres is definitely SOMETHING wrong if hes got milky coolant. what kind of advice is that youre giving?! wrong thats what

That's why I asked if it has real green coolant in it. If it does then something is wrong, but if it has tapwater in it then it might be OK, assuming the oil stays good.

[canis]

Originally Posted by Samwell

Well, here's an update.

Took all of the milk out, flushed it once, twice, filled it with clean clear water. Ran it until hot. Drained it, flushed it twice. Filled it with 50/50 mix. Drove it a few times. Level is settled at max line and the water is still blue, albeit a little cloudy but okish.

A little white smoke on start up but considering its 0 degrees here, nothing extreme. I'll keep an eye on it over the next few days and report back.

Actually, I did the same to ours only the other day. Just like you describe, except over the course of a couple of days. Now the nights are getting cold, I decided to drain it out rather than put anti-freeze in. I needed to do a thorough flush though, because I've got no idea what colour the anti-freeze was last year, and a very tiny leak on the radiator meant it had become very diluted from repeated top-ups. Didn't want to risk it turning into a coagulated mess internally. I don't know what happens if you mix anti-freeze colours, I just know everyone advises not to.

I know I should fix the radiator. But it's a really tiny leak, and only leaks when hot, and since it's aaso old I figure I'm more likely to do it more damage by trying to heave it out. So until it gets worse I'll just live with it.

Our V40 doesn't have an oil cooler. The spare engine does, it's a year younger. Looking at it today, it looks like changing it might well involve removing the sump. That'll mean new oil, so that'll be £20-30 for a start. Might as well do the filter too, so prob'ly another few quid there. And if the unit is broken, you'll need to stump up for a replacement. If the sump has to come off, that'll need gasket-sealer stuff. Financially, it's a lot more involved, and time-consuming. I think you made the right choice by changing the coolant. Just annoying it had to happen in winter time, since it'll probably take a few flushes to get all the corrosion out, if that's what it was.

You'll just have to keep an eye on it. Hey, if it's keeping the engine cool - golden! By summer time you'll be more familiar with the car, and probably need an oil change anyway. Investigate it more thoroughly then. Nobody wants to be lying under a car in this weather!