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1999 PATHFINDER WITH PEANUT BUTTER LOOKING FLUID THROUGH RADIATOR, HOSES, COOLANT RESEVOIR, AND HEATER CORE. ALSO THE OIL FILLER CAP AND WALLS INSIDE THE FILLER TANK HAVE THE SAME STUFF. I’M ASSUMING IT’S MOTOR OIL AND NOT TRANSMISSION FLUID BECAUSE IT IS ALSO JUST IN THE OIL FILLER TANK AND I CHECK TRANSMISSION DIP STICK AND CLEAN. AND ALSO WHEN DRAINING THIS FLUID OUT OF THE RADIATOR I SAW, NOT ALOT BUT OCCASIONALLY, A LITTLE BUBBLE OF RED TRANSMISSION FLUID GOING OUT WITH IT.
QUESTIONS:
1. DO I HAVE THIS RIGHT THAT IT IS MOTOR OIL?
2. DOES THAT MEAN IT IS THE OIL COOLER OR HEADGASKET? I’M THINKKING ITS OIL COOLER LEAK BECAUSE DRAIN AFTER DRAIN IT WOULD STILL KEEP COMING HEAVY FROM THE RADIATOR LIKE IT WAS BEING PRODUCED THERE. NO BUBBLES IN RADIATOR AND ALSO NO SMOKE FROM TAIL PIPE.
3. I’M CONFUSED ON TH OILD COOLER. DOES MOTOR OIL AND TRANSMISSION OIL PASS THROUGH THE OIL COOLER. ONLINE THEY ARE SAYING ITS FOR TRANSMISSION, IF SO THEN WHY AND WHERE AM I GETTING MOTOR OIL FROM?
4. BEST INFO ON FIXING THE ISSUE
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Replies
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Unless some after market oil cooler was installed.
Your year vehicle only has a transmission cooler internal with in the radiator, providing it is a automatic.
My thought is either:
A bad head gasket.
Cracked head.
Cracked block.Wow lovely.I read that also that it was internal but when looking at the front it looks like their is one on the outside right in front of the radiator and just a little bit smaller than the radiator. Too late to go out and take pics. will do tomorrow.
My next questions:
1. You’re saying headgasket because the same fluid is in the oil tank?
2. how does oil get in the radiator, motor oil?
3.how difficult and time consuming is it to replace headgasket? can i do myself?
4. can a stop leak formula be okay if replacing the headgasket is not doable? i bout a bottle of Bars head gasket at pepboys the other day. I think it was $25.Odds are it’s just a blown head gasket. Do not use some of that stop leak or nothing like that you’ll just cause more problems and block passages. Eric the Car Guy has a video about this on his YouTube channel and shows how it just clogs up all the passages for the coolant. If you’re not mechanically inclined or have no experience with automobiles I would suggest having a mechanic do it . taking off the head and trying to do it yourself with no experience can lead to a lot of trouble.
Wow lovely.I read that also that it was internal but when looking at the front it looks like their is one on the outside right in front of the radiator and just a little bit smaller than the radiator. Too late to go out and take pics. will do tomorrow.
[color=orange]Ok, just so we’re all on the same page here.
I assume you have something similar to this mounted in front of your radiator:[/color][color=orange]This is a air cooled unit that is commonly used.
It can be used for either engine oil or transmission fluid.[/color][color=orange]The difference is how and where it is hooked up.
For cooling engine oil you usually have a “sandwich” install, usually in front of the oil filter to plumb a oil feed and return.[/color]As I stated these are usually air cooled unit, so unless it is some variant that is water cooled, there would be no way for coolant to merge with this type of unit.
[color=orange]Again ,as I stated these types of coolers can also be used to cool transmission fluid.
[/color]You’ll need to make sure exactly how your is installed on your vehicle
My next questions:
1. You’re saying head gasket because the same fluid is in the oil tank?
I assume you mean the radiator over flow tank, but yes2. how does oil get in the radiator, motor oil?
There are coolant passages in the engine / head(s) that are near areas where oil flows3.how difficult and time consuming is it to replace headgasket? can i do myself?
[color=orange]That all depends:
If you have never done something like this you’ll need to educate yourself and have the tooling available.
Thankfully there is YOUTUBE, you should be able to find instructional videos explaining the procedure.
But there are things that are required to be done:
Replacing torque to yeild head bolts (if so equipped)
Checking for flatness on the head(s) and block
Machine shop time and expense if required.
Again, the procedures should be found on YOUTUBE.
A service / repair manual will be very helpful.[/color]4. can a stop leak formula be okay if replacing the headgasket is not doable? i bout a bottle of Bars head gasket at pepboys the other day. I think it was $25.
I wouldn’t suggest it, if you plan on keeping the vehicle for any length of time.I think you get the idea.
No argument with the signs pointing to head gasket or cracked block/head, but do not disregard the “little bubble of red” coming out of the radiator. When the transmission fluid cooler is integrated with the radiator, it introduces the possibility of old coolant corroding a hole through the radiator into the ATF cooler, wreaking havoc on both the cooling system and the transmission. The 2005-2010 XTerra is notorious for the “Strawberry Milkshake of Death”, so I would not quickly discard the possibility of the same thing happening to a 1999 Nissan SUV.
No argument with the signs pointing to head gasket or cracked block/head, but do not disregard the “little bubble of red” coming out of the radiator. When the transmission fluid cooler is integrated with the radiator, it introduces the possibility of old coolant corroding a hole through the radiator into the ATF cooler, wreaking havoc on both the cooling system and the transmission. The XTerra is notorious for the “Strawberry Milkshake of Death”, so I would not quickly discard the possibility of the same thing happening to a 1999 Nissan SUV.
Agree..
Though I would not suspect the same reasoning as the 2005-2010 Xterra situation.
Considering the age and not knowing the vehicle maintenance history.
It may just be a failing transmission cooler due to age and use.
Which will need to be replaced in order to avoid transmission issues.
FWIW,
You have 2 cost effective choices:
Replace the radiator ( my first choice, repairing a failed transmission cooler is not worth the cost or effort )
Remove the transmission cooling lines from the radiator and install a external transmission cooler.
One item to make note, the vehicles age.
The radiator though working for now, may not have a lot of life left in it.[quote=”samavi” post=193264]I read that also that it was internal but when looking at the front it looks like their is one on the outside right in front of the radiator and just a little bit smaller than the radiator.[/quote]
Does your car have AC? From what you describe, that sounds like the air conditioning condenser.
It is better to change the oil initially, so that you do not have to change the battery later =) Just a lot of people have difficulties with the selection of oil and here, of course, it is better to immediately contact a specialist or read the relevant articles to choose exactly the right oil, which is necessary. For example I am very glad that I was able to find information about it, for example you can also study if you need about best oil for cummins 6.7 https://carfluidsexpert.com/best-oil-for-cummins-6-7/ . I’m very glad I found it, here you can pick up this or that position. I hope I was able to help someone else with the selection.
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