Water in Oil, Oil in Water

[Moab4x4]

Headed for the mountains and got hot quickly. I nursed it back downhill, but damage done. :{ :{

I think this has been going this direction for a while now. Hindsight tells me the scum in the radiator and my overheating this summer were due to same issue. Probably why the truck was sold to me in first place... ??...

Oh well... Now the need for advice. . What to do? Where to start?

Before watery oil, truck odometer had 187k miles and was not working = ?? miles. Best guess from carfax data = ~240k. Engine had noticeable blowby that Cummins mechanic friend said was nothing to worrry about. Leaked front and rear main seals and a few other places. Oil pressure 40 high, 25 low hot. I got 16 mpg hwy, ~13 loaded at 75.

Truck smoked on startup and when cold. made haze when cool, no smoke when hot. (Unless I wanted to. ). I was going through a quart of oil every ~300-500 miles. I think it leaked most of that.

My instinct tells me that I probably blew a head gasket and should go through the entire engine at this point. What does all the sagely advice say?

How is this going to be compared to an old gasser engine?

Thanks for all the ideas guys. What do I do??

 

[Phil Stuart]

Moab,



I'll throw this in for you.



It could be the head gasket or the engine lube oil cooler. I have heard of the oil coolers rupturing and doing the same thing you described (water in oil/oil in water). Others will respond with good advice too.



Phil

 

[Paychk]

I second the oil cooler, I bet it ruptured or the gasket went. I would start looking there first.

 

[Moab4x4]

Thanks guys, I'll start with the oil cooler.

 

[ARhine]

Did you ask this on DTR as well, just curious if it is the same person.



The oil cooler is in the block below the thermostat housing if you need to know where to locate it.

 

[Billywj]

i went through that to and it was a head gasket

 

[Moab4x4]

Did you ask this on DTR as well, just curious if it is the same person.



The oil cooler is in the block below the thermostat housing if you need to know where to locate it.

Nope, I must have a twin.

I drained the oil from the radiator (just enough to make a mess ) and the water from the pan and had ~ 1/2-1 cup of water in the pan.

Before I take much of the truck apart I have a few Honey-Must-Do's to take care of. It will probably take another week to get those taken care of.

In any case, the replies and searching the archives has alleviated most of the panic.

I like the reply in an earlier thread that this may be the excuse to BOMB the beast! HMMM I will have to check the piggy bank for this one.

Thanks

 

[Katmandu]

The oil cooler is in the block below the thermostat housing if you need to know where to locate it.

Anyone have pics or diagrams of the Oil Cooler setup ??

 

[dpuckett]

At 240k, on a pickup tis old, leaking main seals is no big deal. I replaced every seal and gasket in my 91 (315K) except the pan gasket between 245K and 285K. It is a part of age, and acids from the oil eating the seals and gaskets. Look at some farm semis- they make the exxon-valdez spill look like something you dripped in the driveway from a quart bottle.



As for you water and oil mixing, I'd start at the oil cooler assembly, as that is the lesser involved of the two. If that doesnt cure your problem, move to the head gasket. If you plan to BOMB, a thicker gasket would not be a bad idea- lowers your compression ratio so you can stuff more air in with the added fuel. They come in . 010 and . 020 inch over thick. ANd get the Cummins gasket- not Felpro, et al. There was a Cummins/ Felpro comparison a while back in thsi forum, and the difference was astounding. Astounding from the standpoint that anyone who saw the two side-by-side would NOT choose Felpro.



Daniel

 

[cerberusiam]

FWIW, the engine oil cooler is behind the oil filter boss. You need to remove the filter mounting to access the cooler.

 

[PSchwering]

Does this work?

 

[Katmandu]

Does this work?

Excellent!

 

[PSchwering]

That's the first time I have tried to post pictures- I Didn't know if I was doing it correctly or not... ... ... ... ... ... ... P.

 

[Greenleaf]

Hey guys! Don't any of you read the magazine? The last issue had several page article dedicated to this very subject.

 

[Katmandu]

Hey guys! Don't any of you read the magazine? The last issue had several page article dedicated to this very subject.

I haven't even received my 1st issue yet.

I would be NICE if TDR had the magazine On-Line for Subscriber Access. I think that would save ALOT of money in printing/publishing/mailing fees.

 

[Greenleaf]

I "think" that some of the articles (or all of 'em) are available to use here on the site. I'm not sure how to access them but have, in the past, read an article or two on the 'puter. Same as printed on the glossy pages of the magazine.



Pastor Bob would be the one to ask or perhaps some knowledable subscriber will reads this and reply with more info... ... ... ... ...



Scott

 

[Katmandu]

Just got a call from the Service Manager who confirmed it had a blown head gasket.

I'm going to talk with the Sales Manager tomorrow AM to ensure that the Dealershop is going to cover this repair 100%.

Lord help him if he gives me any grief.

 

[Moab4x4]

Thanks Daniel, for the heads up on the cummins head gasket. After testing the oil cooler, I pulled the head... blown gasket. I also found enough scoring on 3-4 cylinders to make me want to bore it out to clean it up and go from there. Will start the project in the late spring.



Katmandu, good luck with the new headgasket!



RE: oil drips. . I have an old MF backhoe that I park in different spots on my gravel driveway from time to time so that it will be evenly oiled someday.