I was out checking my fluids and the first thing I checked was the overflow container.I have oil in my waterIt's blended quite well and yes it looks like a milkshake!Any Ideas.This is an 82CE with 59,000 num match car.It's a real nice car and it gets trophys everytime I show itIs it something like a blown headgasket.For right now it'sI have to get this beautiful car back where she belongs(the road!!!!)But I'm going to have to lean on you all for help on this.I've taken apart the top end on other OLDER cars that didn't have all the stuff this Vette has.I've got a 1982 shop manual and a 1982 assy.manual.Please tell what to do and right now money is a consern so we need to take that into the game also.Thanks

sounds like a head gasket to me.

Oil in the water could mean a couple of things. Is there water in the engine oil, tho?

What color is the oil/water in the overflow tank?
If it is a chocolate milkshake, that is engine oil.
If it is a strawberry milkshake, it is trans fluid.

If you have trans fluid in the water, it's the cooler inside the radiator that has developed a leak. This could be rectified by installing an external trans cooler.

If you have a chocolate milkshake, that's not good at all!
Could be head gasket failure, or...horrors...cracked head or block.
IF your car has an engine oil cooler, it could be damaged, causing the oil/water to mix. (I don't think it does have an oil cooler, but I'm just throwing out scenarios...)
More diagnostics are called for first. Check for water/coolant in the oil, and in the trans. If there is evidence of coolant in the engine oil, pull the sparking plugs out, and see if any coolant runs out of any of the holes, or if some of the plugs are wet. If you get coolant out of a couple of plug holes, side by side, you have a head gasket problem. (This would only be valid if there is a large gasket leak, and the coolant has partially filled the cylinders while sitting.) If you have a couple of plugs that look kinda rusty, head gasket.
If you see NO conclusive evidence of coolant in any of the cylinders...it may be a crack in the block.


btw...if you have done heads on other cars, the Vette is not that different. Just a pain to lean over them sexy fenders long enough to pull the heads!Adams' Apple2007-01-07 17:59:42

  Need to run a block check...You would need to have it done by a mechanic with the proper tool...........

A check of the compression of each cylinder might show something.   Sounds like a head gasket!!  Any change in performance?  Foam on the dip stick as well?    I had an oil and water problem with a non-vett engine and it was a head gasket.  No real change in performance but the breather cap was full of foam and the dip stick tube foamed up like a steam engine.  I did the work myself and it only cost me the parts (fairly cheap)  

Whatever you do..... DO NOT START THE ENGINE... If you have water in a cylinder and you crank the engine, it will do major damage, rememmber water does not compress. I hope it's an easy fix, Good Luck.

Yeah...pull all of the plugs before doing ANYTHING else! Guess I should've stressed that earlier...

Well it might be a false alarm.I DO NOT HAVE WATER in my oil.Dip stick is clean oil and nothing else.Don't flame me to bad,I put a bottle of bars leak in my overflow tank a couple of weeks ago.I was doing some trouble shooting with my cooling system.I forgot about that.I guess I should have put it in radator.It was late last night and I did't have time to look any futher.I'll get back with you all later to night.By the way the engine runs better than it ever has.just had a small tune up

Boy...don't YOU feel silly now?
Good to hear it's a false alarm!!! But...why the Bars Leak in da first place? U gots a raditater leak, too?

I gotta leak somewhere.I think heater core.Yes I feel silly.It also makes me feel 19 and stupid again.I'll get back later.Should I remove the bars leak?