There seems to be a slight and I stress slight film of oil in my coolant. It is clear (not brown). If it was my head gasket wouldn't I have brown oil floating on top and a bit more than just a slight film on the top? Could it be something else maybe? I can also smell coolant through my vents ever since I changed it (about 2 months ago). I use mobil 1 5w-40 oil and I don't seem to lose any significant amount of oil between changes, maybe a quart, but it has always been like that.
Thanks
Dave

 

If it was your head gasket I believe it would be coolant in your oil, thats what happened recently to my beater Mazda, I think

 

see if theres coolant in your oil....

 

2000fbp,
If you are concerned about a possible head gasket leak, I'd suggest getting an oil analysis done on a sample of your oil by a place such as Blackstone Labs. If it is going to pop, better to know sooner rather than later.
But yes, most of the cars I've seen with a head gasket on the way out had all kinds of crap in the coolant and an equally nasty foamy substance in the oil.
Bogatyr

 

Burning a quart of oil is normal ? :ugh:

 

serious... my accord has 115kmi, driven very hard through its life and its *never* consumed any oil

 

:werd:

my old accord didn't start consuming oil until about 140k, but I started delivering pizzas about that time and racked it up to 160k before I left 6-8 months later. Even then, it lasted 15k more miles before the motor went.

 

I didn't mean I 'consume' a quart of oil between changes but when I change my oil every 3000 miles I never get 4.2 quarts out. I always get 3 or a little better. Every honda is like that. Or for that matter all high revving engines. If you fill up with 4 chances are you are not going to get exactly 4 quarts back out of a high revving engine such as my si. They do burn oil in the process. Anyway, you guys bring up a good point about coolant in the oil I was thinking backwords. However, I just changed my oil 5 days ago and it was clean as a whistle.

 

ahh... dont foget the filter has a good .5 quart of oil in it when u pull it out

 

All engines consume oil, at least a half a quart between regular oil changes. This oil that is burned off comes from the cylinder walls and a little through the valve guides. Worn out or not all engines consume oil. Anyone that tells you different is a cornhole.