• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Why me? Blown head gasket?

David Womby

David Womby

Well-Known Member
Local time
6:58 AM
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Messages
223
Reaction score
190
Location
Florida/Nova Scotia
I only got this car back on the road a month or two ago after rebuilding the front end. I went to top up the coolant this morning and it looked a bit dark. See the pic.
Head Gasket (2).jpg


On the lower right, the large area is fresh coolant. The blobs on the left are coolant from the radiator filler.

Pretty sure that's oil in the coolant and means a head gasket gone. no sign of coolant in the oil so far.

David
 
Tony 69 said:
Could be rust from the block.
Or the trans cooler portion of the radiator.
Click to expand...
No oil or transmission cooler inside the radiator on mine. There is a separate transmission cooler. Rust? I'll look again but it seems unlikely. Coolant was all clean looking last weekend.

David
 
If it just started maybe the oil will sit on top of the coolant after it sits a while. If you take the radiator cap of and stir it with a screwdriver (?). If it’s milkshaked you know you’re done. Hopefully that not the case.
 
Tony 69 said:
If it just started maybe the oil will sit on top of the coolant after it sits a while. If you take the radiator cap of and stir it with a screwdriver (?). If it’s milkshaked you know you’re done. Hopefully that not the case.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I just ran out to stir the coolant as you suggested. No milkshake. It just looks like a layer of oily stuff and no sign of coolant in the oil checking dipstick and looking at valves through oil fillers.

So what do I do now to prevent damage until I can get the heads off? Drain the oil and coolant?

David
 
Can you check the torque on the head bolts that you can reach?
Is it a new build or an old engine?
Personally I’d do some more research before I condemn the head gasket.
 
Tony 69 said:
Can you check the torque on the head bolts that you can reach?
Is it a new build or an old engine?
Personally I’d do some more research before I condemn the head gasket.
Click to expand...
It's old. A 78 rebuilt in 92 but not high miles since then.

What else can I check to make certain, please? Compression? Plugs?

David
 
A head gasket can leak 3 ways that I know of.
1. In the combustion chamber which will lead to misfires and white smoke
2. Leak out onto the ground
3. Leak into the oil

There is a cheap tool that will detect any carbon emissions that may be getting into the coolant. They sell them at Napa.

You might want to do that since it’s cheap and if it tests positive you need head gaskets anyway.

Other than that you could flush out the system and recheck for the residue after a few miles.
 
I am a total newbie at this issue but I have found refs on internet today to the higher pressure of oil system sometimes forcing oil into the coolant.

If it's not that, how else can oil have got in there?

I haven't seen white smoke yet that happened on my last car that blew its head gasket but I'm not keen to take it for a run to investigate :)

I may just drain the coolant and replace with fresh and see if it happens again.

David
 
hofferwood said:

Head Gasket Combustion Leak Test​


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VVBSFTF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Click to expand...
Thanks. i'll get one.

The more I think about it, the more I find this odd. Yes, I read of oil contaminating the coolant but I'd never heard of it until today. I can't think how else any oli got in there but maybe it's just a thin layer that contaminated the coolant during service or something and it's only sitting at the top of the radiator. I will check the other things but first I might add coolant slowly to raise the level and get the top of the coolant to flow out through the overflow to see how much oily stuff comes off.

David
 
What does the underside of the radiator cap look like? If it has a brown, greasy coating that points to head gasket failure too.
 
Oil in the coolant in my experience makes a gummy mess inside the radiator. We had one block that the oil passage up to the right head broke into the water passage. How did I find it? Made a fitting 1/8" pipe with a air hose fitting. Then applied compressed air to the oil sending unit port. When we aired up the oil system it blew water out of the radiator. Easy check.
Doug
 
As @6pktgo suggested.
Compression test.
Two adjacent cylinders
with equal but low pressure
is rhe giveaway.
At the very least I would
drain and flush the radiator,
refill and run it again.
White smoke or overfill
level on the dipstick. That
water is either going out
the tailpipes, or it's gonna
add to the oil level.
 
1. I took off the expansion tank. It had practically nothing in it but there were blobs of oil.

20240414_084851.jpg

2. I put a funnel down the radiator and added fluid through it to raise the level and make it overflow. I captured the overflow in a jug. the funnel picked up some sludge on its sides as it went in.
20240414_084825.jpg


but the contents of the jug ended up with coolant and a few tiny blobs of oil.

20240414_084816.jpg



3. the coolant showing at the top of the radiator now looks clear.
20240414_084926.jpg


I think I will pull the plugs anyway but, dare I say it, this looks hopeful to me so far. I wonder if, in the past, I added coolant through a funnel that had not been cleaned out of oil? But this is blackish oil - not fresh looking, isn't it.
 
Plugs out and compression tested.

I think (at least I hope) I cried wolf. If so, my apologies but gratitude for all the advice and support.
Compression test results

Left bank : 1 - 130, 3 - 120, 5 - 120, 7 - 115

Right bank : 2 - 130, 4 - 120, 6 - 130, 8 - 120

So, no milky, yoghurty stuff showing anywhere, no oil showing now in coolant, plugs all equally fouled (see pics below. I need to fix that overfueling) and compression shows no obvious problem except #7 being on the low side.

What do you think, please?

David
20240414_094322.jpg
20240414_094304.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Head Gasket or worse?
Replies
11
Views
1K
drinkingdiesel
D
furyus
Head gasket coolant passage
Replies
10
Views
849
zyzzyx
zyzzyx
Red63440
Having an issue with my 64
2
Replies
37
Views
3K
Geoff 2
G
Sonny
Possible blown head gasket?
3 4 5
Replies
83
Views
8K
Fury Man Van
Fury Man Van
blue69runner
oil seeping from my head gasket
Replies
6
Views
1K
blue69runner
blue69runner
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top