Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil

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Thu 12 May 2022 20:58
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Charles Oya

Hello all,

Went round to my sisters to check the oil and top up if required. She said the oil she used last time was in the garage.

When I go to the garage the only bottle is a half full bottle of anti freeze! She thinks she used that when she tried to fill the oil her self.

Now from all I can read on the Internet a half litre of anti freeze in the engine oil should just about kill the engine, however she says "IF" she did put this in the oil (she isn't 100% she did) then this was about 3 months ago and has driven it about 1000 miles since.

There is no issues with the start up of the engine or engine performance and the oil on the dip stick is a bit dirty brown but not the dreaded coolant brown milkshake.

Opinions, should this be dead now if she did put anti freeze in? Is her engine likely to just die anytime.

Thanks for any help as the Internet does help much when you Google this issue.

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Thu 12 May 2022 21:14
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Xileno

I wouldn't think the engine would suddenly die but who knows what damage it is slowly doing. I don't know how you could tell, except getting a sample analysed. If she is unsure what she did then I would get it drained and fit a new filter.

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Thu 12 May 2022 22:44
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - bathtub tom

If she is unsure what she did then I would get it drained and fit a new filter.

And then drain and replace the oil and filter again after a few miles to ensure it's all flushed out.

Edited by bathtub tom on 12/05/2022 at 22:44

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Fri 13 May 2022 09:36
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - FoxyJukebox
I wouldn’t worry-but as others have suggested- drain and refill to be sure.
30 years ago a neighbour of mine topped up the oil in her mini with water intended for the radiator.
Her husband hastily drained the contents out -left it overnight-then refilled with Duckhams( remember that?) and it started first time and never gave trouble.
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Fri 13 May 2022 10:16
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - catsdad

Is there a mayonnaise-like deposit under the coil filler cap? Is so this is emulsified oil. This could indicate water/antifreeze has been added. Or it could just be due to condensation from short runs. So, if present, it’s not conclusive. If however it’s absent then it’s unlikely that any (or at least not much) has been added.

However an oil change is cheap relative to a new engine so I would still change the oil anyway as others have said.

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Fri 13 May 2022 12:35
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Andrew-T

I don't know how much water neat antifreeze contains, but if it is largely aqueous it will be under the oil at the bottom of the sump. I would advise an oil change unless you can be certain that antifreeze has NOT been added.

Edited by Andrew-T on 13/05/2022 at 12:36

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Fri 13 May 2022 13:15
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - catsdad

I don’t know the water content either but antifreeze is not a lubricant. While it might settle below the oil in the sump when first added, it will not stay there once the engine is spinning and oil is being circulated. I think it would then emulsify but I am speculating and would be interested in an informed view from one of the more technical backroomers.

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Fri 13 May 2022 13:59
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Bolt

If engine is ok then just get the oil and filter changed to clear bad oil and anti freeze, then a few miles after, do it again, that should clear most of it, hopefully the engine should be ok as I suspect any damage would have shown by now-

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Fri 13 May 2022 18:30
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - John F

As advised, drain the oil and remove the filter, leaving it for a few hours to drain thoroughly before replacing them. Personally, I wouldn't bother to repeat the process - any remaining moisture will evaporate, and glycol is actually a lubricant.

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Sat 14 May 2022 05:01
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - edlithgow

... - any remaining moisture will evaporate, and glycol is actually a lubricant.

On its own. As an addition to your carefully formulated engine oil, it probably isn't.

www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28863/glycol-con...m.

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Sat 14 May 2022 08:39
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Steveieb

Mistakes are not reserved for home maintenance .

I heard of a case near here where a Range Rover owner took his car to a local motorist centre for a winter health check..

Working in the dark on the forecourt in a gazebo in front of the store the young assistant did the usual top ups and checks.

Days after the car was all over the road.

The owner took the car back for investigation and it turned out that the air suspension system had been filled up with Antifreeze .

To be fair the motorist centre paid for the suspension system to be drained and refilled etc.

Total cost £13.000

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Sat 14 May 2022 09:15
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - John F

Mistakes are not reserved for home maintenance .

I heard of a case near here where a Range Rover owner took his car to a local motorist centre for a winter health check..

Working in the dark on the forecourt in a gazebo in front of the store the young assistant did the usual top ups and checks.

Days after the car was all over the road.

The owner took the car back for investigation and it turned out that the air suspension system had been filled up with Antifreeze .

To be fair the motorist centre paid for the suspension system to be drained and refilled etc.

Total cost £13.000

This is nonsense. You can't drain or 'fill up' an air suspension system. It is sealed.

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Sat 14 May 2022 14:49
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Steveieb

I would be interested if other back roomers would like to comment John. All I know the fluid for the suspension system was topped up by mistake and the bill came to around £13 k which the motorist centre paid after they accepted resoonsibility.

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Sat 14 May 2022 15:06
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Bolt

Cant say i know these but gather they are air suspension, and would assume they can be topped up if you get an air bag leak or valve leak, if they were sealed and you got a leak you would be a bit stuck

Dont these lower suspension when the door is opened to assist entry or exit which if leaking couldnt do.

Please correct if wrong ???

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Sat 14 May 2022 15:50
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Xileno

A quick search of the LR forums suggests that the suspensions system is air but the Dynamic Response System (whatever that does) has fluid. When the DRS goes wrong, it shows as a suspension error. Maybe this is the confusion?

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Sat 14 May 2022 17:44
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Bolt

A quick search of the LR forums suggests that the suspensions system is air but the Dynamic Response System (whatever that does) has fluid. When the DRS goes wrong, it shows as a suspension error. Maybe this is the confusion?

Could be as that can be topped up according to google, and its an anti roll device (presumably hydraulic dampers on the anti roll bar ends) controlled by computer so it doesn`t roll on corners, all clever stuff lol

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Sun 15 May 2022 08:34
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - edlithgow

Cant say i know these but gather they are air suspension, and would assume they can be topped up if you get an air bag leak or valve leak, if they were sealed and you got a leak you would be a bit stuck

Don't think you being "a bit stuck" is considered a big problem at Landrover, Rugged Expeditionary Vehicles RnotUS Anymore stylee.

IIRC that was exactly the objection offroading guru Andrew Saint-Pierre White had to them.

IIRC again, you can get cheap manually adjusted (about 100 US for the airbag) air suspension kits for trucks but they wont do the dynamic stability thing.

I would guess it has air springs but uses hydraulic fluid to interlink them. Movement of the fluid between the "springs" could be controlled by valves and sensors giving dynamic terrain adaptation and anti-roll capability.

I would assume the alleged mis-fill refers to such hydraulic fluid.

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Sun 15 May 2022 09:17
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - bathtub tom
I would guess it has air springs but uses hydraulic fluid to interlink them. Movement of the fluid between the "springs" could be controlled by valves and sensors giving dynamic terrain adaptation and anti-roll capability.

I think that accurately describes the hydragas sysyem used by British Leyland nearly fifty years ago: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolastic

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Sun 15 May 2022 09:35
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - Steveieb

Really grateful to all your contributions which help to explain the damage to the Range Rover .

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Sun 15 May 2022 10:04
Saab 9-3 - Anti freeze in the oil - John F

Really grateful to all your contributions which help to explain the damage to the Range Rover .

There appears to be no fluid in the Range Rover air suspension system. It is very much like the system in my Audi A8. Four air bags, a high pressure reservoir, a compressor, various sensors and an electronic valve control unit which sends the filtered air to where it is needed. Here is a diagram......

www.landroversonly.com/threads/air-suspension-comp.../

As said above, it looks as though it's the Dynamic Response System, which is a sort of add-on to the system, that got the antifreeze.

Edited by John F on 15/05/2022 at 10:13

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