I have oil in my coolant bottle but no coolant in my oil. Just had the intake gaskets replaced due to minor oil leak. I'm almost possitive the oil wasn't there before. Engine seems to run smooth and lots of power. Is there anywhere else other than intake/head gaskets that oil can get in coolant?

I had that happen after over filling the oil. It spat out of the dipstick all over everything... On top of the coolant tank is a hard place for it to land other wise unless a leak bounced and drained off of the bottom of the engine hatch.

sorry. I meant there's oil in the bottle.

call raylar,,,ray will help u out,,,he,s one of the good guys

Usually the only way you are going to get oil in the closed cooling system coolant of a Merc 496 is to have a head gasket or cylinder head problem where the engine's compression is forcing oil into the closed coolant system under pressure. Do a compression and leak down test of the cylinders and you can try pressurizing the coolant system with a Stant or Snap On pressure testing tool to about 15psi and see if it leaks down over a period of hours.

There is no other place that engine oil comes close to the cooling system unless the block is cracked and that woulfd generally show coolant in the oil, not oil in the coolant.

Best Regards,
Ray @ Raylar