Leaking head gasket?

[lotzagoodstuff]

x2 on the IDIs all drinking some oil, and the 6.9s are definitely the worst of the group. Valve stem seals shrinking/hardening will just add to the oil consumption, which by the way is worst on start up. So if you're 6.9 is getting some oil past the valve seals, and it's mostly on startup, I bet it just looks like "a little more smoke" on startup.

As long as your oil and water aren't mixed, I wouldn't worry about adding a little. Your coolant leak is most likely external, you just haven't found it becasue it's small and most likely getting burned off something hot. Your oil consumption is what I would call normal. If it bothers you enough, tear off your valvecovers and fix it, otherwise just add a quart when necessary.

just my .02

 

[6.9power]

Alright thank you all for the input! Good to know that I shouldnt have to tear the heads off and replace the gaskets!

 

[Knuckledragger]

Head gasket failure is not a gradual thing. It is either good or bad, just like that. The simplest way to see is if you are blowing white smoke out the back. And even a blown head gasket will not necessarily use any more oil or coolant than usual, but it mostly does. When that happens, there is transfer from oil to coolant or vice-versa. Look in the radiator or on the dipstick.

If your engine got to 117,000 miles at 40 MPH turning about 2000 RPM, your valves would have opened and closed 175 million times each. I would say that is more than enough to create possible stem wear, not to mention the hardening of seals.

 

[idiabuse]

A used oil sample would help pinpoint this problem.
Long before the symptoms showed up
waiting for milkshake oil is called "RUN TO FAILURE"
Or also known as "Unscheduled Maintainence"

Just my lousy opinion

Javier

 

[f-two-fiddy]

My 85 HG Failure was a gradual thing. When it started leaking 1 gallon a week, I knew it was time to do something.

 

[dyoung14]

Head gasket failure is not a gradual thing. It is either good or bad, just like that. The simplest way to see is if you are blowing white smoke out the back. And even a blown head gasket will not necessarily use any more oil or coolant than usual, but it mostly does. When that happens, there is transfer from oil to coolant or vice-versa. Look in the radiator or on the dipstick.

If your engine got to 117,000 miles at 40 MPH turning about 2000 RPM, your valves would have opened and closed 175 million times each. I would say that is more than enough to create possible stem wear, not to mention the hardening of seals.

Head gasket failure can be all of a suddon or it can also be gradual, on my engine that blew up it had a leaking head gasket small enough i didnt even know about it till i pulled the heads

 

[idiabuse]

I bought my truck 7.3 in 1999, drove it about 30,000 and one day on a 130 mile round trip about 45 miles into the trip my head gasket blew slowing down from 70mph to pay a toll, it started mis firing and blew out white smoke trail the rest of the trip.
Head gasket blew between cylinders, plus a plethora of wrenching shortcuts
The last guy did installing the heads, too many errors to list

Thats when I found a set of 6.9 heads and made them work on the 7.3
cause mine were cracked to hell also

Javier

 

[6.9power]

Okay so I think that I may have found a coolant leak. On the bottom of the starter, I see what appear to be droplets of coolant. But I checked everything up top, and I dont see any leaks. Any thoughts?

 

[icanfixall]

Block heater. Try to tighten it or just replace it but... Disconnect both batteries first. You have 2000 amps at the starter waiting to ground out on a wrench. Thats a mess and one burned up wrench... Remember... Your under the starter and all thing fall to earth even if youe between them and earth....

 

[6.9power]

Alright, and thank you for the word of safety lol. More than once I have been working on the truck and set a wrench down on the battery. Which then connected the terminals, making a lot of sparks and scaring the living **** out of me.

 

[dyoung14]

You need to take the starter off, it will actually make it easier, and i would replace it if i were you chances are it all corroeded and nasty looking, i had my block heater actually blow out one morning wasnt fun! but luckily it done it right as i was going into napa parking lot, my buddy got out and was like dude whats pouring put from under your truck! only casted me 5 dollars for a rubber freeze plug and about 50 dollars for antifreeze

 

[6.9power]

Well, I may be mistaken, but I do not think the leak is coming from there. I drove the truck around and got under and looked. Not even remotely wet in that area. It is coming from farther back than that. There is oil and coolant running down the backside of the engine. So are we back to the blown headgasket thing? If it blows out facing outward wouldnt this just cause coolant and exhaust gasses to escape? That would explain why any time I floor it there is some kind of terrbile smell. Although the oil could partially be from the turbo oil return leaking.

 

[jhnlennon]

You have the common symptom of the coolant return passage on the rear of the cylinder headgasket leaking. I believe there are rubber pieces on the headgasket that develope a leak with time and they weap out the rear of the engine. I think almost every high mileage idi I have had did that to some degree.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

Yep, I think all options have been exhausted. Time to pull the heads.

I'm surprised that You didn't find that leak with the pressure tester.

 

[Dieselcrawler]

my old 83 leaked coolant externally from the hg on pass side. always had a little trail down from the gasket. drove for 2 years before i downshifted to early and spun a bearing. just added coolant every now and then.

when u pressure tested, did u do it cold and hot? if not, fire it up and retest it when hot.