the engine is still almost new. it was a remanufactured crate motor. holds good compression, and there are no apparent leaks. i'm still amateur with this style motor. after doing some homework on the parts, i've only come up with the possibilities of the head gaskets not getting a good seal between the water and oil jackets, and maybe the transdapt oil cooler. anybody have any clues? all help is much appreciated.

 

Head Gasket... Maybe intake but normally head gasket.

 

I second that.

 

the oil cooler may be leaking. are you losing coolant? is the oil in the coolant or the coolant in the oil or both?

 

And don't keep driving the car. Running with coolant in the oil = ruined bearings.

 

thanks all. so far the gaskets look like they were holding a good seal. not 100% of course, but saw no kind of signs of one passage leaking to any of the surrounding.

when i change the oil, i run the motor for about 5 minutes or so. check the oil and the coolant, and it looks fine. i'll come out and check it the next morning, and sure enough the oil will be a milky color. when i check the coolant, it's still just the regular green from the water/antifreeze mixture. so i know for certain no oil is reaching into the coolant system, just the other way around. the transdapt oil cooler is the stock one for the vehicle, too if that helps any.

i'm currently in the process of putting it all back together. could it be possible that the coolant could be mixing in with the oil through the throttle-body? like i said before, i've never dealt with a newer generation chevy motor, so this is all a learning experience.