First off let me say Hi. I am new to the Forum and of course what brought me to you folks is a problem. Something like a kid going home to family I guess.


I own a 1995 Saturn SL, with a SOHC 1.9l engine and I have reached the limit of my Engine problem solving skills with this one. I have Oil not just leaking, but gushing into the Coolant system. I say gushing, because a 25 mile drive loses me a bit over a quart of fresh oil. No smoke in the exhaust and no water in the oil, but of course lots and lots of creamy water/oil foamboiling out of the overflow when I shut the car off.


I just replaced the head gasket hoping that that would fix the problem and the old gasket had turned to powder where the water jacket is blocked by the gasket, but no evident cracks in the head and again I say, no water in the oil nor smoke in the exhaust. Tis a perplexing thing. The car runs great, and doesn't really overheat until it has of course overflowed enough water/oil mix of foam to lower the water level to critical. Any ideas??

Oil pressure typically runs at 40 to 60 psi, coolant at 12 to 15
psi. You may have porosity in the block or cylinderhead or
another bad gasket. If its the head gasket, the breach would have
to be where the oil goes from the block into the head. Its a
small passage. You should be able to see the trail. There
maybe some erosion here from the previous leak, a new head gasket
wouldn't necessarily fill this in. Check bot the block and head

I am no expert by no means, however, there could be warpage in the head which could cause this.I would, if you havent already, have the head checked by a machine shop.

More likely than not a cracked head.

Thank you for the replies. Let me take the opportunity to relate my thinking, not in argument, but to refine. I agree the oil to water pressure differential allows oil into the water while the car is running, but what happens to that differential when the engine is shut off? I don't believe that the water pressure drops dueto the natural heat of the engineand in this case the latent and superheat of the foam and air within the head. I don't even have beads of water from condensation on the oil fill cap.


I looked for cracks and tracks and found none and no corresponding evidence of tracking on the head gasket or carbon buildup from compression and combustion leakage as in a warpage. Perhaps my thinking is wrong about the water pressure, but it just seems there would be some evidence of water in the oil with a head problem or even a block crack.Unfortunately this is a dailydriver and time to investigateis limited by necessity and necessity driving me to find the best places to look for and fix the problem. Thank you for the ideasand I may be back out in the garage.

Have you checked the compression?