If your Saturn ticks when first started and there is oil in the antifreeze what is the problem and is it safe to drive?

Answer 1

Change your oil, and oil filter!! You do not want to drive the car with low oil pressure. It can cause big problems in the feuture.If the car has over 100k miles on it, it is recommended to put in a thicker oil. Usually the "ticks" that a Saturn makes when cold are the hydrollic lifters not pumping up all the way. This can be a symptom of a few things.1)your oil could need to be changed (if it is diluted or thin it causes low oil pressure at low RPMs, and the lifters don't pump up)2)your oil filter anti drainback valve malfunctioned, causing the oil at the top end of the engine do drain to the oil pan when shut off the previous time. 3)you could be low on oil. (probbaly not it because it only does it when cold)4)there is some debris in the oil that got through the oil filter and is stuck in the lifter causing it to take longer to pump up.Also... Check to see if the low oil pressure light comes on when you first turn on the key.(to IGN not to START) If the bulb is blown replace it. If the low oil pressure light was working properly, you probbaly did not hurt the engine.

AnswerAlso change your coolant if more oil shows up in the antifreeze later you could have a craked head or blown head gaskit. take it to a shop and have them do a pressure test on the coolant system. If there is a leak in the system that they cannot see it is probbaly internal. (craked head, blown head gaskit, or craked block) If this is the case and it is still under factory warranty take it to the dealer and have them fix it. AnswerThe only way its possiable to get oil in your coolant is to have a cracked block. A blown head or head gasket will put water in the oil not oil in the water. The clicking noise is your lifters. Change your oil and add an additive if nessary AnswerWith a cracked block or head OR a blown head gasket, it is possible (depending on where the crack in the head/block or where the break in the gasket is) for you to get (a) oil in the water and water in the oil, and/or (b) water into the cylinder (steam out the exhaust). In the case of (b), you also normally get a STRONG flow of bubbles (which quite often will smell of exhaust gas) out of the radiator neck with the cap off and the radiator full. You also would have to add water very often to an engine with (b). With (a), which means the oil and water passages have become 'open' to each other, oil flows into the water in a running engine (because oil flows through the engine at 50-80 psi, water at 14-18 psi normally). But, when you turn off the engine, oil pressure drops to 0 while water pressure (which is due to heat) remains above 14 psi for as long as 30 minutes or more. Therefore, water then flows into oil passages and from there to the oil pan.