Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Mixing coolant and oil Sage

[moremph]

Ok i have a 96 that i have got wrangled into working on.



Last spring it poped a head gasket, and had some other oil leaks with 130k miles the owner decided to pull the motor to have it fixed and freshened up. I dont know what all was done to it, I dont really know what to believe, but it was fixed for a little while. Except it leaks around the powersteering pump now. but that was the owners fault when he reinstalled the thing.



Fastforward a few months. The thing is mixing both ways now. and puking milk all over my driveway when he stops by the house. He said it was the oil cooler and his grandpa was gettin a good used one from a guy at work. Put the cooler in changed all the fluids like 2 times still mixing. He has run it a little moving it around etc not much. :--).



Now it is my turn i get to fix it. How can i troubleshoot the problem. I need to figure out where the problem is. Hate to pull the head and the gasket be good. Here are my ideas



1. Pull oil cooler and pressure test? How do i go about doing this?



2. Pressure test the coolant system check for coolant seepage



3. Cylinder pressure leak down test. Check for cracks in the cylinder. Can i do this with my compression gauge?



Thanks for the help and ideas



Travis

 

[Andy Redmond]

Oil cooler:

Plug in or out with an expanding rubber plug and then adapt one so that you can air it up. 60psi is plenty to find a problem. Its the most simple to r&r, remove the altenator, bracket and oil filter after draining the coolant down and have at it.



You might try to re'torq. the head bolts. Then clean the muck outta the valve covers and see what happens, after an oil change.



The pressure testing is a great idea, a Joe D tip-n-trick it to remove the injectors and look for leakage into a specific cylinder.



I don't see why the leak down wouldn't work as long as you have the proper adapter for the injector (KD tools). If the valves/seats etc. are worn, this might be a concern if of where the wear/crack is for that cylinder at its TDC (valve closed position).



Good luck and let us know what you find.



Andy