I have 2000 Monte Carlo SS that for some reason has oil in the coolant resevoir but my oil is clean. Anybody know what might be going on? Thanks. 3.8 v6 by the way.

 

If you loosen the drain plug just enough for a small amount to come out the coolant would be in the bottom of the oil pan if its there.

 

Are you currently using or has there been dex-cool in the car? May not be oil, may be the "normal" dex-cool sludge. Seen it thousands of times. You have to really stay on top of dex-cool if you decide to use it. Just because it says "long life" doesnt mean its better. Regular maintenance of the cooling system still needs to be done. You can try to flush the system, but that usually takes between 3-10 times to get it all out. That stuff is nasty and is hard to get rid of. I'll stick with good ol poluting green in all my cars.

Worst case though, could be an intake/head gasket leak or possibly timing cover. It doesnt always mix both ways. Do what the last poster said, check your oil at the drain plug. Then flush and refill your cooling system. Keep an eye on all fluids. watch temperature, crawl underneath and look for any visible leaks, etc.... lots and lots of things to look/check for.

 

Thanks Guys!

 

Yup, common problem with V6 with nylon gaskets & dex-cool. There is a class action suit to settle this problem:
http://www.girardgibbs.com/consumercases.asp

 

That problem has been around w/60* V6's for years. The funny thing is that people blame Dexcool, but don't pay any attention to how GM redesigned the gaskets which IMO point to poorly designed gaskets and not the coolant.

 

The way I understand it is that the one of the OAT chemicals in dex-cool, 2-EHA, is a plasticizer and softens & deforms gaskets causing the leaks. GM needs to step up and acknowledge a poor design (nylon gaskets used in conjunction with dex-cool) and offer relief to owners.