Hey guys. I'm new here and have a problem with my 96 3.8 camaro. I have "Oil" in my cooling system!? I was told that I have a intake gasket problem. Took it all apart and there is no breach in the gasket that would tell me that oil is getting into the cooling. It is engine oil for sure. Brown sluge. Everyoneelse I talk to says they have had problems with water in the oil, but that's not what mine is. Anyone have any suggestions please.?
Thanks, Pat.

 

Are you sure its oil? The factory coolant is orange, called Dex-Cool. It's known to gunk up and turn brown if it's not flushed out every so often.

 

Since a 3.8 has no pressurised oil out side of the block if you are getting oil in the coolant it would be something in the block between the oil and coolant passaged... Very uncommon issue. I hope musicman is right or maybe it a blown head gasket and it just exhaust cruding things up.
Sorry about the intake, you should have posted here. There is no oil pressure in a intake and there is no way oil could spash in a coolant system and not have coolant pouring into the engine.

 

How long have you owned the car? Maybe someone before you put in some of that Bars Leak garbage. That stuff looks like oil sludge to begin with.

 

What music man said is very common. More common I have seen in S trucks. Mainly customers would complain about no heat in the winter. Is your oil level low? Maybe just flush and fill the cooling system.

 

My dad bought the car new. Nothing added to it that I know of. It's brown sludge. Not red in color at all. Does not seem to be tranny fluid. All the water hoses are oil soaked and have turned soft. I am going to have to replace All of them. Going to start putting it back together this weekend.

 

Like MusicMan said, after awhile the coolant starts to look like coffee w/ nasty gunk in it.