Oil contamination

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Kilo

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Where would it be possible for coolant to make its way into the engine oil system? I know a bad head gasket could cause this but are there any other areas this could occur? Like a poorly sealed intake manifold?. I’m not familiar with the oil and coolant pathways and where they could be introduced to one another given a component failing. Any info is appreciated
 

crazykid1994

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Do a pressure test on the coolant and an exhaust gas test as well. Should help you tell if it’s leaking. May want to pull the spark plugs and see if any are wet. Only thing that I can think of is the head gasket because generally oil is higher pressure and pushes into the coolant system unless the coolant is being pressurized or it’s leaking into the cylinder and down the piston into the crank case
 

CunningStunt

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There are oil channels that run through the manifold, but I don't think there are any coolant channels. The head gasket is most likely unless timing cover gasket is blown where the coolant enters the block behind the water pump and through timing cover.
 
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Kilo

Kilo

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Ok, well I had the intake manifold off recently to replace some bad MDS plugs. I noticed some area on the intake where the plastic Had melted a little but the gaskets still looked good and the contact surface looks good. The truck had overheated a while back and I’m starting to worry I might have a warped head….but the truck runs good.

Ill follow the advice above and see what I find

Thanks again for the input.
 

crazykid1994

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Ok, well I had the intake manifold off recently to replace some bad MDS plugs. I noticed some area on the intake where the plastic Had melted a little but the gaskets still looked good and the contact surface looks good. The truck had overheated a while back and I’m starting to worry I might have a warped head….but the truck runs good.

Ill follow the advice above and see what I find

Thanks again for the input.
Yea. It may not be a bad idea to look at the timing cover gasket as the water pump does seal to that and if it leaks it’ll leak right into the oil
 
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Kilo

Kilo

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Just an update.

It was a failed gasket on the timing cover . It had come apart at the top above the cam. I guess when the water pump kicked on it was forcing coolant straight into the oil pan. Thanks for the insight .

Side note. Can anyone recommend a good flush for the oil system?
 

Burla

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I'd be more worried about oil in coolant then coolant in oil, the effective flushes are solvent flushes. Kreen by kano is pretty much accepted as a top flush, so harsh you cant buy it in some places. You can probably get away with most flushes you see on the shelf, likely similar science as in solvent cleaner. I'd be on the fence to flush or not to flush, I'd be 50/50 on that decision whether to flush or just use a cheap oil for 100 miles or so and dump. If you see a flush you want to buy, look up the msds for solvents and see %. Solvent flushes work, personally I would run them for many many miles, but some people do. The risk is the oil filter clogging up. If you run a flush, do it now in old oil, dont change the oil just to flush it.

Now, for the radiator, if any oil got in there, rmi 25 for sure, it will take any oil and trap it in overflow tank, the stuff is amazing and safe.,
 
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Kilo

Kilo

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Ok thanks for the info. I’m thinking I’ll just short cycle some cheap oil. Run it a couple hundred miles and change it out. Give a visual inspection to see if it still shows contamination.

As far as the radiator goes. I’m not sure exactly where the oil would build up if some did make its way into the. Coolant. I’ve overflowed the radiator and got back clean fluid. The location where the gasket failed was around the top port just above the cam Sprocket. Either way I’ll still probably drain and flush it to be safe. Every time I’ve tried to save a dollar working on this truck it’s cost me much more in the long run. And I’m getting tired of climbing in and out of the damn engine bay…….


Thanks again for the info.
Much appreciated
 

EdGs

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As far as a coolant flush goes, I am leery of using any kind of chemical flush. Mostly worried about possibly causing other issues.

Drain, fill with distilled water, run to temp, drain, fill, and repeat until water runs clean. Since a drain without removing the block plugs only gets about half the coolant out, fill with Mopar concentrate, allow a few heat cycles to mix, and check concentration. I would think you would maybe see a sheen on the water if there was still oil residue in it.
 
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EdGs

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