I have an issue with low coolant and water in my oil. The motor seems to be fine at this point. I did change out the intake value cover gaskets, and the coolant is circulating, any suggestions?

 

stop driving it and get the head gasket leakdown tested for a leak. Coolant in the oil will wash out the bearings and take out the engine

 

i agree if it looks bad a flush is in order, however luckily in the newer 3.5l they finaly fixed the intake problem so it might not be leaking i had a low coolant light about 6 months ago and toped it off and its still fine. one thing to keep in mind is coolant does evaporate over time so if its only alittle low you probably dont have a leak, although a pressure test would be a good idea just to be sure

 

What MalibuKen said.

I don't know if the 2006 motors were as prone to lower intake manifold problems as my 2000 3.1 V6 is/was, but I'd hold off on a flush if the Dexcool looks good and drains good. OTOH, if it's sludgy, a good flush is highly recommended (and you should have changed it already! Shame, shame! *wags finger at Chandra*)

(That finger wagging is in good humor, I hope you know ... )

RwP

 

Thanks RalphP and Rodents. I think a flush would be better! I will not be driving the car for about a month in Jan (will be out of country) - So would it be wise to top it off for now and get the flush done when I return? I stay in Amherst, MA - and its is cold and snowy during January.
Any further advice to keep the car safe during my absence? My car remains parked in open area - there is no covered garage, where I live.

 

Any further advice to keep the car safe during my absence?

Call around and see if any shop will keep your car while you are gone and do the coolant........and whatever else needs to be done..... while they have it.

Some places the shops will do the storage for free just to get your maintenance business.

 

While not necessarily a cause for immediate concern quite yet, the coolant is low for some reason. Do you have any idea of when it was last checked? You CAN just top it off, sure, and that should keep the message from coming back unless there's a leak starting to develop. However RalphP is correct that it would be a good idea to drain and fill the system as you are around the 5 year service interval for the coolant. Unless the system is run low on coolant for a while, there should be no real reason to perform a flush. Dexcool doesn't behave well once air gets in the system but you probably weren't that low yet.

 

RalphP is correct that it would be a good idea to drain and fill the system

Make that 3 votes FOR.

 

If it's never been drained and refilled, I'd seriously consider doing that.

At best, Dexcool has a 5 year life span (and IMO, that's being extremely generous!)

I'd do a drain and fill and keep a good weather eye on it.

RwP