Help, diesel down on side of road

mr_smith

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I have now gone as far as removing the engine and cylinder heads, they look ok to me..

I am really lost at this point, I might just scrap the thing :dunno

Any ideas?

I took the oil cooler off and checked it, it was in good shape (o-rings)

Put some antifreeze in it and it stopped boiling over and shooting steam out of the recovery tank, but I lost a ton of oil, very quickly..

Please help, I really don't want to scrap this truck

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icanfixall

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From my view it looks like the lower edge of the head gasket at cylinder 8 is lifting. so thats where the compression could be entering the cooling system. See the clean area with no red glue around it and cleaner all the way to the cylinder. Thats my guess with the pics.
 

mr_smith

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Also, just because I am about to beat my head off the wall, I took the oil cooler off again because its easy to get to now and noticed something strange. The location of residual oil on one of the manifolds got me curious enough to post a couple more pics..

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mr_smith

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Better pic of the one in question. I am not sure if the oil is supposed to be there, if it happened taking it off, or if somehow this happened twice..



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mr_smith

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I figured I might as well do the oil pan gasket in case the block isn't cracked, when I cracked the drain plug a good amount of coolant came out first
 

79jasper

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Still sounds cooler related.

If combustion is leaking into the coolant, that'll pressurize it enough to overcome the oil pressure.

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icanfixall

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The oil cooler is the lowest place coolant can flow into the oil and fill the pan. Did you remove the oil cooler before this job or is this the first time the cooler has been off the engine. It could vey well be the cooler to block gaskets leaking pumping coolant into the oil system. I realize a running engine has more oil pressure than coolant pressure but. When the engine shuts down the cooling system is still pressurized. So coolant will flow back into the oil system easily. And by the amount your getting I think its the gaskets, o rings or cooler bundle. So have that checked out. Try pressure checking the bundle. Or fill the oil side with diesel fuel because its thin enough to find a tube leak easier. Let the bundle sit and watch for leakage from either end of the tube bundle. Very seldom do the tube bundles get a leak but it has happened. I have seen repaired bundles on ebay. They show a patch on the metal bundle outer schell that welded on.
 

mr_smith

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The oil cooler is the lowest place coolant can flow into the oil and fill the pan. Did you remove the oil cooler before this job or is this the first time the cooler has been off the engine. It could vey well be the cooler to block gaskets leaking pumping coolant into the oil system. I realize a running engine has more oil pressure than coolant pressure but. When the engine shuts down the cooling system is still pressurized. So coolant will flow back into the oil system easily. And by the amount your getting I think its the gaskets, o rings or cooler bundle. So have that checked out. Try pressure checking the bundle. Or fill the oil side with diesel fuel because its thin enough to find a tube leak easier. Let the bundle sit and watch for leakage from either end of the tube bundle. Very seldom do the tube bundles get a leak but it has happened. I have seen repaired bundles on ebay. They show a patch on the metal bundle outer schell that welded on.

The cooler has been off 3 times now. Last time I ran the truck it had a normal oil level, after 45 mins of running I shut it off (not overheating because I added coolant) and the oil wasn't even showing on the dipsticK. There was also a ton of oil in the freshly flushed rad. I then took the motor out, removed the heads (didnt see anything obviously wrong) and took the oil cooler off again. I took the pics above about 30 sec after I took the cooler off again.

Can you explain in more detail how to test the oil cooler? Shops around here cant do it..
Also, when you said "oil side" im not sure what you mean. I thought the cooler has coolant and oil in both sides just going to different places..
 

TahoeTom

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On page 2 of this thread is a page out of the manual with dimensions of a test plate to test oil cooler. You or someone else will have to make the plate.
 

mr_smith

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Good lord, I cant even fathom how to make that. I have a buddy that works at a machine shop but im not sure if he would be allowed to make it (they have a huge order they cant fill)

Do you know of the way mentioned earlier using diesel fuel?
 

icanfixall

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Ok.. Easy to check for leaks without building pressure plates. Anyway the plates are for the fully assembled oil cooler with both heads on it. It applies air pressure to either side of the cooler. If you check the coolant side then the oil side has a fitting and short clear line that you place in a pan of water. It shows up as air bubbles in the pan of water. then you place air on the oil side and se if the same thing happens. Tise usually is only checking the o rings. Many have installed the cooler headers and cut an o ring. then you have a leak. But the method I suggested was to place the oil cooler bundle sitting up on a bench or in a vice. Set the area with the fins visible up so you can pure diesel into that area. That finned part of the oil cooler is the oil side. It has fins and baffles in it. The oil travels over one baffle and under the other all the way thru the bundle. If you watch the copper heads for diesel fuel leaking out one of those tubes well theres your leak. Oil or water will pump into the oil or coolant side depending on what pressure is on that system. A warm engine with a pressurized coolant system will take on oil because its under a lower pressure but. Turn off the warm engine and the coolant pressure of 13 lbs strats washing into the oil system. If more info is needed please ask. I can be reached thru pm's if needed too.
 

icanfixall

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Lay the bundle level so the diesel is able to fill the oil side of the bundle. Have the fin area facing up so its easy to pour in the diesel.
 
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