Coolant in oil? 12 valve

[surfbeetle]

Is there an easy way to tell if you have coolant in your oil system? On my 1995 12 valve, I checked the oil today and it was much much higher than the safe line on the dipstick. Also the coolant was low. I don’t want to drive and possibly damage the engine if this is the case. I was going to do an oil change so that I would know how much oil is in there and then monitor the coolant and oil levels. Are there any other suggestions? I don’t feel safe driving this truck until I know for sure what is happening. Thanks in advance
Craig

 

[NIsaacs]

It might be fuel. Coolant in the oil is obvious on the dipstick and filler cap. I will be a milky mess, if coolant.

 

[Ozymandias]

For Diesel, pour a couple drops of oil on a sheet of blotting paper. If there is Diesel in it, it will give a distinct pattern.
The Black will stay in the middle, the clear spot grows bigger, means the blotting paper separates the oil from the Diesel. For comparsion drop some oil from a known health engine onto the paper, see the difference.

 

[surfbeetle]

OK I’m going to do the blot test, the oil is not milky whatsoever and there’s nothing in the coolant. If it is in fact diesel in the oil, what is the typical cause for that? Mileage is 237,000, injection pump is the original. The injectors are also all the original ones. The lift pump has been replaced once.
Thanks again for everyone’s advice.

 

[surfbeetle]

Well based on the above and the photo below looks to me like it’s Diesel. My daughter did tell me that she felt that the fuel gauge was going down too quickly so this is definitely it.

 

[Signal73]

I would suspect your lift pump. If you pull it, pull out the plunger and see if there is diesel in the bore.

 

[surfbeetle]

I ordered a lift pump, should be here today, I’m going to change it and drain/change the oil. We’ll see what happens.

 

[GAmes]

Oil analysis is a much better way to determine if there is fuel in the oil. It will also tell you if you have coolant present.

 

[Ozymandias]

Oil analysis is a much better way to determine if there is fuel in the oil. It will also tell you if you have coolant present.

Absolutely - the blotting paper test is only to do that right at the moment, get an instant result.

 

[GAmes]

Just for fun I did a blotting test on my engine oil. It looks the same as the OP's picture. I know it doesn't have fuel in it because A) my oil level isn't going up and B) I just received an oil analysis a couple weeks ago. I've read about the test before and someone responded it is just another internet myth. I'm leaning to myth.

Since his is going up and it isn't frothing with liquid it is a pretty safe bet he is getting fuel in the oil. An OA is in order anyway to gauge the amount of damage that has been done to the bearings. ULSD really does have low lubricity when it is the crankcase.

 

[Ozymandias]

This is from a german car forum, i used google translate for it.
.......................

It is evaluated after the oil drop has been absorbed by the paper for some time
clearly visible circles of different colors have formed:
- The innermost circle is usually the darkest. It shows if soot / contain contamination in the oil
are. And the darker it is, the faster you should look for the cause.
- The next outer circle is hopefully brighter, because it shows the state of the oil as
Lubricant on. The darker, the worse.
- The next outer circle shows if water is in the oil. When water is in it, distinct ones form
Spikes on the edge. Water can be condensed water with a lot of short distance or cooling water
be. The latter should make us fast, because there is the cylinder head gasket
over.
- The last outer circle shows whether fuel is in the oil. The more, the wider the ring. Here
the mixture formation should urgently be examined.
Amazing is how clear the results
to "read". Also an untrained eye
See immediately if something is wrong. Consequently
this test is also for us
Hobby screwdriver usable. One should
knowing that the result all the more
the sooner it is clearer, the warmer it is
is testing liquid and if the result
does not immediately show clear results,
Just help wait, because the longer that
Test paper has time, the test
to perform, the easier it is
Read result.
......................

Im still searching for some example pictures....

 

[surfbeetle]

Well myth or not, something was causing the oil level to rise. I did an oil change as it was about time anyway, maybe it was just me, but the oil did smell more like diesel than used engine oil. So who knows. I also changed the lift pump, what a pain as I didn't have the kit that puts studs and nuts in place of the bolts. I will continue to monitor the oil level and see what's happening. At some point, I will probably do an oil analysis but right now with fresh Rotella in it, there's nothing to analyze. It's not our primary towing vehicle anymore, mileage driven is much less than it used to be. It's basically been put out to pasture with my 16 year old driving it to and from school, she loves it as none of her friends can drive a stick.

 

[Ozymandias]

I still believe in this short test, they even sold kits with several pictures on it in germanys car parts stores.
For on the spot test they work.

How did your test sheet look after a couple hours?

 

[GAmes]

Just because it is marketed doesn't make it legit. There are truckstops that have while-u-wait oil analysis. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. I'm packing for a trip, but when I get back I'll do a blot test on the four engines I change oil in. One of them will be from the diesel engine with a 10% mix of fuel in it. My gut feeling is there won't be a discernible difference.

 

[Ozymandias]

Just because it is marketed doesn't make it legit. There are truckstops that have while-u-wait oil analysis. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. I'm packing for a trip, but when I get back I'll do a blot test on the four engines I change oil in. One of them will be from the diesel engine with a 10% mix of fuel in it. My gut feeling is there won't be a discernible difference.

Please do, I'm also interested in the result, if there shows a difference from 100% used oil and 10% diluted one.
After a couple hours the blotting paper should show different.
Otherwise- Myth busted.

Oh, almost forgot, just 1 big Drop of Oil - not splatter over.

 

[GAmes]

All the oil will have plenty of miles/hours. I'll do a diesel oil test with and without fuel.

 

[Joe Mc]

So after new LP if fuel still present in oil, next possible culprit(s) IJ pump leak or injector(s)? A bit curious about mention of low coolant in beginning of thread, but no follow up on that.

 

[surfbeetle]

So after new LP if fuel still present in oil, next possible culprit(s) IJ pump leak or injector(s)? A bit curious about mention of low coolant in beginning of thread, but no follow up on that.

I don't know what the cause of the lower coolant level was. It could be a leaking 24 year old ORIGINAL heater core or it could simply be that the temp was different than when I checked it last time. I really don't know but we are monitoring it. I will be checking the oil again this evening as my daughter will have driven about 100 miles since Sunday evening when I did the lift pump. I wrote about coolant in the original post because I thought maybe it was the oil cooler leaking but I guess that goes from the oil to the coolant and not the other way. The coolant is still green and not milky at all, I think it's safe to rule out the oil cooler. Since I'm not independently wealthy, my daughters drive older cars and I require that they check the fluid levels weekly and I try to drive them every few weeks so we can keep on top of any maintenance issues. Plus who in their right minds gives a teenager a new car that they won't appreciate?

 

[Joe Mc]

Since I'm not independently wealthy, my daughters drive older cars and I require that they check the fluid levels weekly and I try to drive them every few weeks so we can keep on top of any maintenance issues. Plus who in their right minds gives a teenager a new car that they won't appreciate?

BINGO and I certainly can/do relate. Pretty cool your daughter likes to drive the old gal because no one else knows how to drive a stick! Here's a thought, how many school-age girls (let alone boys) get the awesome chance to drive a 95 Diesel "stick" all the time = not many. Good luck and please keep us posted. I'm interested in what the outcome will be. Hopefully nothin too big. Keep em` on the road!

 

[GAmes]

Here it is as promised. The drops are from the four engines I have. One drop is from an 11 HP Briggs & Stratton lawn mower that hasn't had an oil change since last fall, obviously no filter. One is from a Chev 350, about 5000 miles on the oil, 10W30 conventional. One is from my wife's new Hemi, I'm assuming it is synthetic, 9000 miles. The other two are from my Cummins. 10W40 conventional, about 8500 miles, one with a healthy dose of diesel-enough to smell. I took the pictures in shade and full sunlight. Who can tell me which is which?

Edit; I sent a text to Big Papa telling which is which.