Carltina wrote::D Thanks Dutch guy. Yes, I guess the ice would break the weakest links first, hence the water pump and oil cooler. However, after they admitted the first replacement cooler was no good and it turned out I also needed a new water pump aswell cos it was still overheating and no heat in cabin, the van did not overheat for much longer- maybe 25-30 miles, rather than about 4 miles and only after this longer run did the coolant keep disapearing and then filling the dipstick and gone all milky.
What you're saying is, the oil cooler may have burst inside hence oil in the water and water in the oil?
Yep...it's exactly as "the dutch guy" said....the oil cooler is basically a small radiator with oil on one side and coolant on the other...however, the oil pressure, (up to ~70psi-ish).... is always higher than the coolant pressure (which is up to ~15psi-ish),... when the engine is running, and if the cooler passages are split, the oil will always find it's way into the coolant side....but when the engine is turned off, obviously there is no oil pressure and the coolant pressure stays at ~15 psi for quite a while until the engine slowly cools down, (this could take an hour or more), this is when we get coolant finding it's way into the oil...hence "milky oil" syndrome.
If we don't use a suitable "anti-freeze" in the coolant and since plain old water easily freezes in cold weather, when it does freeze it expands ~15% by volume....if it's enclosed and can't get out it'll take the weakest point in the system with it, the freeze plugs in the head/block, the heater matrix, (which is also a small radiator), the oil cooler and the water pump are usually the first things to suffer.!! As you've found out. Fill a plastic bottle of water to the brim, screw the top back on tight and put it in the freezer overnight and see what the result is in the morning...this is exactly what happens to your engine....something's gotta give.
Lord Knobrot
2008 2.4L RWD 170+PS 6-speed 350 LWB High Roof.
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather, not screaming like the passengers in his car..!