Yellow Foam in radiator reservior

[asadakhtar]

Guys I'm crying my heart out. I almost spent 20 minutes to type the whole insident and when I clicked on submit its not posted and I lost all the text. Shouldnt have done that using iphone
So my problems is that I have foam in raditor. I have got oil cooler removed and checked in a workshop with a pressure test and also refacing of surface. Reinstalled the cooler and again same story.

 

[asadakhtar]

So dear svt experts, here i am again giving another try finding a solution. sorry that i have made this very long for reading

i live in Qatar, bought this shelby 2012 about six months ago with mileage of 70,000 Kilometers.
Before 10 days I went for engine oil and filter replace. The guy at workshop notified me that radiator reservoir is filled with thick black fluid. Dipping finger into reservoir what came out appeared to me foam with oil contents. while i discovered this engine oil was already out in tank. So checked the oil and it was fine, no mixing of water or any symptoms of head gasket. Neither i experienced engine overheat or white smoke.

So they filled fresh engine oil in and following day I had the car taken to a different workshop. According to what this new workshop, problem is because of oil cooler which at first they said needed to be replaced. I didn’t find this part in Ford Ageny or any where in Qatar Market. Ford agency said they can have it imported from UAE market which will take 20 days.

Meanwhile I discussed this problem with another mustang car repair expert and he recommended to go for pressure test of Oil Cooler which will tell if problem really is from this part.

I have the pressure test done which said oil cooler is fine. However, they did some sort of repaid (what it called is surface facing of oil cooler) and re-installed the same oil cooler with new gaskets. Radiator was flushed and new 50/50 coolant/water composition was added and I was advised to drive and observe.

drove to work for three days and have the reservoir checked every morning before starting engine. First day dipped finger and found the liquid normal. Second day it started to get slightly thicker and yellowish. so I called the workshop and updated the situation. They said that it is because of leftover from previous flush and advice to continue driving and come back for another flush after few days.

Third day, coolant in reservoir got really thicker and yellowish. so I have the car taken back to workshop. they were pretty confused after having a look at the foam. They did reflush of radiator and asked me to drive and check if it happened again then have the oil cooler replaced. This last reflush was yesterday.

Can someone here pls tell me what should I do because people here seems to be unaware of the actual problem.

Thanks
Asad

 

[GT Premi]

...
Before 10 days I went for engine oil and filter replace. The guy at workshop notified me that radiator reservoir is filled with thick black fluid. ...

Why was this guy messing around with your radiator if you only took the car in for an oil and filter replacement? Could he have inadvertently (or intentionally) poured a little oil in the coolant reservoir?

Is the oil cooler an oil-to-water type radiator that shares the engine coolant? (I thought it was an oil-to-air cooler.) I think the second shop is on the right troubleshooting track for now. Drive the car for a couple more days and keep an eye on the coolant to see if it continues to get worse. You had a pressure test done on the oil cooler that came back good, so it doesn't seem like there is a leak in it. (Did they bench test the cooler or did they do it while it was still on the car?) It might take even a third flush to clear the system, depending on how much oil was introduced into it and the strength of the flushing agent.

So long as you don't have coolant getting into your oil, your car should be okay for a while. Just check the engine oil daily to make sure it's still okay.

 

[Snoopy49]

Only the 13/14's with the Track Package have the air cooled oil cooler all the rest have the water (engine) cooled oil coolers.

View attachment 2013-14 GT500 Oil Cooling System.pdf

 

[Catmonkey]

What does the oil in the crankcase look like?

 

[Black Cobra '99]

I'm very sorry to hear man, as someone traumatized by the same problem.
Only yours is not that serious, like GT Permi said if its only in the radiator you're safe.

The problem is oil leaking into the cooling system, and the only part that would do that without messing up the oil in the crankcase is the oil cooler.
To eliminate that possibility, its better to get a new one.

 

[RedVenom48]

A failed head gasket could also cause milkshake/foam in the coolant reservoir. An internal failure of the oil cooler could cause this condition too. With high ambient temps, its possible the car was overheated prior to your ownership.

Personally at this point I would go straight to an authorized Ford dealer and let a factory trained technician diagnose the issue. The LAST thing you want is an improper diagnosis on a cooling system where it has the potential to get extremely hot.

 

[asadakhtar]

Why was this guy messing around with your radiator if you only took the car in for an oil and filter replacement? Could he have inadvertently (or intentionally) poured a little oil in the coolant reservoir?

Is the oil cooler an oil-to-water type radiator that shares the engine coolant? (I thought it was an oil-to-air cooler.) I think the second shop is on the right troubleshooting track for now. Drive the car for a couple more days and keep an eye on the coolant to see if it continues to get worse. You had a pressure test done on the oil cooler that came back good, so it doesn't seem like there is a leak in it. (Did they bench test the cooler or did they do it while it was still on the car?) It might take even a third flush to clear the system, depending on how much oil was introduced into it and the strength of the flushing agent.

So long as you don't have coolant getting into your oil, your car should be okay for a while. Just check the engine oil daily to make sure it's still okay.

It’s a large chain of service stations and they usually check all basis things from radiator coolant level to cleaning air filter before releasing the car. There is no way that he intentionally could have poured oil in the reservoir.
This cooler is oil-to-water type. I have uploaded some pictures of this part today in my album on this site. Cooler was removed and taken to another authorized workshop that I was told is expert for pressure test. I have noticed that most of the foam is just on the surface and under that is coolant. I am planning to get a liquid extract tool today and start extracting this creepy foam while continue to drive and observe.
Could this yellow oily foam be a result of cleaning chemical which was added to radiator in addition to composition of 50/50 coolant and water after pressure test?

 

[asadakhtar]

What does the oil in the crankcase look like?

Oil seems perfectly fine and no sign of water mix. I drove to work today with it. Will try to get a pic of oil level check stick and post shortly.

 

[asadakhtar]

A failed head gasket could also cause milkshake/foam in the coolant reservoir. An internal failure of the oil cooler could cause this condition too. With high ambient temps, its possible the car was overheated prior to your ownership.

Personally at this point I would go straight to an authorized Ford dealer and let a factory trained technician diagnose the issue. The LAST thing you want is an improper diagnosis on a cooling system where it has the potential to get extremely hot.

Oil cooler is bench tested and result was ok. i bought the car before 6 months and was not told about any sort of overheat history. although i noticed there is a repair in radiator grill which can be seen from under the car.

I am trying my luck one last time with online shelby forums, after this will send the car to ford agency.

 

[GT Premi]

What kind of radiator repair? There are no pix showing in your profile. However, if it looks like the radiator has been previously damaged and repaired, it's probably bad. The repair probably has a crack in it that doesn't leak until the radiator heats up, which is why it would not show as defective on a cold bench test. I bet if they ran hot liquid through it then pressure tested it, the leak would reveal itself. So just get yourself a new oil cooler and be done with the issue.

 

[asadakhtar]

Only the 13/14's with the Track Package have the air cooled oil cooler all the rest have the water (engine) cooled oil coolers.

View attachment 38239

Can you please share with me procedure of backflush ? I was reading a guy solved similar issue on http://forums.corral.net/

" I had the prob when I first bought my car I backflushed it then changed the fulids 5 or 6 times after random times, commute, high-speed on the highway, etc... I kept my puke tank disconnected because I noticed that much of the guck would float and that helped purge it, it did get really nice and clean after my efforts... good luck!"