On the off chance that someone else has had this problem and can offer a solution that I haven't tried , I put a used engine in my 83 S-15 . The first time I pulled the radiator cap , it had 1-2 cups of oil in it . Thinking that the motor had been running with a bad trans cooler , I flushed it ( about 6 times ) then it started to contaminate the oil . Then I jerked off the intake , went and got a better looking used one . It was sort of OK for a while and now it's starting to show again . Not like before , just 2-3 tbl. spoons every time I look . It hasn't used a disernable amount of oil in 2 months and it hasn't used a disernable amount of coolant either . It runs well ( 22-25 mpg locally ) and doesn't have any of the normal signs to indicate a leaking head gasket or cracked head . ( the system will hold 10-15 lbs for days on end ) Since I thinking about going to Arizona and back from Seattle over Xmas , does anyone have any ideas ( besides these are 90% crap) or should I take my title and busfare as insurance ? Will
Filthy 2.8
Dec 15, 2003
4 Replies
is there water showing in your engine oil? look under the oil cap for moisture. sounds to me like a headgasket. or the block might be warped a tad..
How did you install the new gasket? If you didn't loosen the rockers and pull the pushrods, you may not have sealed it properly.
Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore because rough men stand ready to do violence on her behalf.
Well.............Pull the push rods eh . I wouldn't think that would cause this but I suppose since I've "missed " a time or two in the last 40 yrs It's a possibility . Gaskets are cheap and I've got the time . If it were a head gasket it would've gone really bad by now ( 1000+ mlies) and would build so much pressure in the system I'd see it . I guess we will see . Thanks Will
Gaskets leaks can start out very slight ... then get worse with time. Still, even trace amounts of glycol in the motor oil do a great deal to accelerate wear.
Consider having a sample of your oil tested by a lab such as Blackstone for traces of coolant:
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Cost is only about $20. Then, you just have to figure out if it is a head gasket or intake manifold.
Also, since glycol is so damaging, you'll want to change your oil & filter more often to get rid of as much as the coolant in the oil as possible.
--- Bror Jace
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