Scumbags, and how to get used oil out of a coolant header tank.

[Baka]

Today a couple of guys viewing the B7 I'm selling, decided to put used oil in my header tank, and squirt some up the exhaust whilst I wasn't looking. Then try and convince me my car was broken and I should sell it to them cheaply. Good times.

So, has anybody got any tips for getting a bunch of old engine oil out of a coolant header tank? Thanks.

 

[Rich76]

Would need to drain it out and wash the system through with clean water

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

The oil should be floating in your header tank. Can you just siphon it out?

 

[A4snake]

If it hasn't been ran just clean out the header tank (remove it if necessary), if its been ran then you can buy coolant system cleaner/degreaser from places like euro car parts, specifically designed for situations where engines have had oil cooler failures or silicone pouch's burst etc

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

Even if he has run it it's an expansion tank, the water doesn't run back into the engine more than has been expanded. And the oil will be floating on the top and shouldn't have gone in.

 

[A4snake]

Even if he has run it it's an expansion tank, the water doesn't run back into the engine more than has been expanded. And the oil will be floating on the top and shouldn't have gone in.

If its ran from cold it can and will draw coolant from the coolant tank, as it circulates around the WHOLE system, the coolant in the header tank doesn't just sit there getting stagnant!

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

If its ran from cold it can and will draw coolant from the coolant tank, as it circulates around the WHOLE system, the coolant in the header tank doesn't just sit there getting stagnant!

So what is in engine when the header tank water isn't? Does a vacuum occur?
And the oil would be the last bit to go in. Do you think the header tank completely empties on start up????

 

[A4snake]

So what is in engine when the header tank water isn't? Does a vacuum occur?
And the oil would be the last bit to go in. Do you think the header tank completely empties on start up????

How could it possibly empty when there's a coolant return line in the same tank?? whatever gets taken from the tank is put back in through the return line whether its from circulation or expansion, my advice was sound and included minimal risk of contaminating the rest of the system, don't see the issue?

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

How could it possibly empty when there's a coolant return line in the same tank?? whatever gets taken from the tank is put back in through the return line whether its from circulation or expansion, my advice was sound and included minimal risk of contaminating the rest of the system, don't see the issue?

The issue is it's an EXPANSION tank. It holds the excess water that is created when the water heats up AFTER it has run for a while. Its not part of the general circulatory system.
I tell you what, go and boil a kettle. How much does the water expand until it starts to boil? And then what level does it return to when it cools?

 

[A4snake]

The issue is it's an EXPANSION tank. It holds the excess water that is created when the water heats up AFTER it has run for a while. Its not part of the general circulatory system.
I tell you what, go and boil a kettle. How much does the water expand until it starts to boil? And then what level does it return to when it cools?

So when a silicone pouch that's fitted inside the VW/Audi expansion tanks ruptures...as they do, how does it end up blocking the matrix? which they do.

 

[CHEZ]

Today a couple of guys viewing the B7 I'm selling, decided to put used oil in my header tank, and squirt some up the exhaust whilst I wasn't looking. Then try and convince me my car was broken and I should sell it to them cheaply. Good times.

So, has anybody got any tips for getting a bunch of old engine oil out of a coolant header tank? Thanks.

The Miss Marple in me would like to know how you know they did this?

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

So when a silicone pouch that's fitted inside the VW/Audi expansion tanks ruptures...as they do, how does it end up blocking the matrix? which they do.

????
If you mean this, it's a silica bag that seems to be in (mostly) VW Golf engines, put in to extend the life of the coolant. The bags have been known to burst (10 worldwide!!!!!) and it's the silica that can block the matrix.
And that will be in water suspension, that flows back into the engine AFTER it cools.

Next.

 

[A4snake]

????
If you mean this, it's a silica bag that seems to be in (mostly) VW Golf engines, put in to extend the life of the coolant. The bags have been known to burst (10 worldwide!!!!!) and it's the silica that can block the matrix.
And that will be in water suspension, that flows back into the engine AFTER it cools.

Next.

I knew you'd gone to google it as it took you so long to reply

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

And? Doesn't make me a bad person.
Its only because I've never heard of a silica bag. Common fault then???

 

[A4snake]

And? Doesn't make me a bad person.
Its only because I've never heard of a silica bag. Common fault then???

Sorry,im just having a laugh mate, to be honest the silica bags aren't hugely common, ive seen only 2 where they had contaminated the system, and was a major PITA to get that out of the system,both cars lost there heaters,VW sell a special cleaner specifically for that issue and it worked very well and they were well aware of the issue, not sure if they still use them on the newer cars.

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

No worries mate.
I've never heard of them, but I've had Audis for years.

 

[Mo-S3]

Buy a new expansion tank £40-50 new and cheap on ebay. I dont think you will be able to ever clean it thoroughly

 

[Bristle Hound]

????
If you mean this, it's a silica bag that seems to be in (mostly) VW Golf engines, put in to extend the life of the coolant. The bags have been known to burst (10 worldwide!!!!!) and it's the silica that can block the matrix.
And that will be in water suspension, that flows back into the engine AFTER it cools.

Next.

These silica bags were put in 8V A3/S3/RS3's, current model Golf's, current Leon & Leon Cupra's. Basically all VAG MQB platform cars (& probably other VAG cars too)
Great idea that one - not!

PS My 2018 Leon Cupra had one of the these silica bags in the expansion tank which I carefully had to 'fish' out

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

These silica bags were put in 8V A3/S3/RS3's, current model Golf's, current Leon & Leon Cupra's. Basically all VAG MQB platform cars (& probably other VAG cars too)
Great idea that one - not!

PS My 2018 Leon Cupra had one of the these silica bags in the expansion tank which I carefully had to 'fish' out

Well you live and learn.
Never heard of them, and supposed to extend the life of the coolant? What is the coolant lifespan anyway?

 

[RAF_S7]

So, getting back on track......

How did the OP cotton to what this pair were trying to do?

and can’t you just drain and flush the coolant?

 

[Baka]

Hey, it's quite a well known scam that I should have cottoned on to sooner. One distracts you asking about the spare wheel, whilst his friend puts dirty oil in the coolant, then the other distracts you asking about the engine, whilst one squirts something up the exhaust. You go for a test drive and 'oh no, it's broken, sell it to me cheap'.

I know they did it, because there's fresh dirty oil sat on top of my header tank, that wasn't there 30 minutes before they showed up. Whatever they put in my exhaust had a slightly sweet, 2 stroke oil smell, so clearly nothing that would come out of the car normally.

I was a qualified motorcycle mechanic but I'm disabled, and can't work on my own cars any more. The car is SORN and uninsured, due to me swapping to another car just before lock down. So I've either got to find an mobile mechanic who can fix it on the drive, or as I'm doing right now, try and sell the POS for a grand and just cut my loses.

I was wondering, as this is a common scam, if anyone had figured a way to deal with it easily. If skimming the tank, or isolating, removing, cleaning and replacing the header tank would be an option, because I can't crawl under the car and drop the coolant.

 

[CHEZ]

Hey, it's quite a well known scam that I should have cottoned on to sooner. One distracts you asking about the spare wheel, whilst his friend puts dirty oil in the coolant, then the other distracts you asking about the engine, whilst one squirts something up the exhaust. You go for a test drive and 'oh no, it's broken, sell it to me cheap'.

I know they did it, because there's fresh dirty oil sat on top of my header tank, that wasn't there 30 minutes before they showed up. Whatever they put in my exhaust had a slightly sweet, 2 stroke oil smell, so clearly nothing that would come out of the car normally.

I was a qualified motorcycle mechanic but I'm disabled, and can't work on my own cars any more. The car is SORN and uninsured, due to me swapping to another car just before lock down. So I've either got to find an mobile mechanic who can fix it on the drive, or as I'm doing right now, try and sell the POS for a grand and just cut my loses.

I was wondering, as this is a common scam, if anyone had figured a way to deal with it easily. If skimming the tank, or isolating, removing, cleaning and replacing the header tank would be an option, because I can't crawl under the car and drop the coolant.

Could always use a wet Hoover like a vax etc, and suck it all out from the top of the expansion tank.
Then clean it out with kitchen roll when empty.
Should get most of it.

 

[Baka]

Hey Chez, Thanks, I found a video on removing the header tank, which seems doable.

So I'll try clamping off the coolant hoses, pulling the header tank and cleaning it out.

If the craps gotten around the system already I'll end up paying to get it flushed and refilled anyway, but it's probably worth a try.

 

[RS3 S.]

Could you not get a length of rubber tubing & a squeeze type bottle & draw it out that way?.

 

[Dunedin]

You could try using a Turkey Baster to remove the fluid, sorry to hear your trouble, hope you get sorted

 

[rum4mo]

Very handy things turkey basters, I tend to have type different types, one with a long thin metal end and one with a larger end, one for removing fluids and one for dusting!

 

[Baka]

Hey, thanks for the tips, I was looking at turkey basters on eBay!

Luckily a chap from Brighton who flips cars has bought it. So he can clean it up and polish a few quid into it.

 

[Bristle Hound]

Very handy things turkey basters, I tend to have type different types, one with a long thin metal end and one with a larger end, one for removing fluids and one for dusting!

@rum4mo - Don't really know what to say about that ^ ...

 

[rum4mo]

@rum4mo - Don't really know what to say about that ^ ...

Ahhh, I like my Turkey basters, the one with the bigger diameter "end" gets used to remove as much old brake fluid as I can from the reservoir, the one with alloy small diameter longer end is handy for blowing dust away from some areas before taking things apart - anyway that one saves me wasting too much of my aerosol air dusters, thing is remembering where I've stored them, two brake fluid changes coming up, they will be back in use soon!