Could this mean a head gasket is blown?

 

Does it stop in a few minutes or continue? All vehicles will leak out out the tailpipe for a few minutes after start up as moisture in the exhaust gas condenses on the still cold exhaust system. If it continues, after everything has warmed up, open the radiator cap (carefully!) and look inside. Is the water dirty and bubbly? if so it is likely you have a leaking head gasket or worse.

 

That ain't good. Are you still on the road? Put a torque wrench to all your head bolts.

 

I'm home now. Had an over heating problem on the road, coolant kept disappearing. I nursed it home and after 100 miles I was down 1/2 gal. of water. Checked everything over yesterday, no coolant out the tailpipe and checked the oil too. So my guest at that time was the coolant was just boiling over and pass the 4 lbs cap and out the overflow tank. So this morning I tried a 7 lbs cap and than coolant came out the pipes. About 10 min. ago checked the radiator and missing more coolant than could have been pumped out the tailpipe. Found it in the oil, I can assure you it wasn't there yesterday. Do I even bother with a compression check at this point?

 

That 7 pound cap could be putting more pressure on the system than your head gasket will hold. You should switch back to the 4# cap & see if the problem goes away. If water is already in the oil, you probably have a leaking head gasket, so fix that, and change the oil.

Dan

 

Doing a compression check is pretty quick and simple. It will give you an indication of engine condition and where to look for a problem, if nothing else. It can't hurt to do one before doing the apparent inevitable tear down. Let us know what you find.

 

I'm not sure I'd even spin the engine any more. You know it's got to come out. What brand/type of head gaskets did you use?

 

Coolant in the oil! As suggested, do not run the engine. A compression test may or may not show up a problem. However the coolant is finding its way into the oil, the problem is serious. Bearings do not do well with antifreeze.

 

I know that this may not be the right way to fix the problem but before you spend a lot of time and money give Bars Leaks HG-1 a try. These new sealers work very well. I have used it on two engines, one a diesel and the other a gas and it fixed the problem and has held up for several years. It is not cheap, about 40 bucks, but that's cheaper than tearing an engine apart trying to find a crack or blown head gasket.

 

If it can't handle a 7# cap don't band-aid it with the 4# cap. It is either a head gasket or a crack somewhere. Compression test will only determine which side it is, but at this point it is a waste of time. If one side went and you need to replace it and you should do both sides. Unless you like pulling the engine down, do it right to save headaches later. New chemicals treatments do work good but they are usually only a temporary fix for a needed daily driver or a POS that is not worth fixing the right way.

But the bottom line is it is your truck and fix it how you can live with it.

Good Luck.

 

flathead ????? possibly / most likely it lunched the head gasket . if it got really hot could've warped the head or even the deck . could have been a crack , but i'm leaning towards gasket . mine in my 53 had both gaskets leaking , as i neglected / was told by an old timer not too use sealant on the head bolts . even just before i parked her she would run a little on the warm side but not overheat even at 55mph , and i would have to add a little coolant to it every 3-4 days . none ever showed up in the pan unlike yours , and that ain't good . any of the snake oil fixes may work temporarily , and most require that you completely flush out all antifreeze and run straight water , but eventually they're gonna fail too . well here's to hoping it shows the old ford toughness , and no cracks and a set of gaskets fix her ! oh yeah use coppercoat on the head gaskets as it really helps seal 'em up ......

 

With this being a French flatty, I'd rule out a crack. Simple head gasket failure is much more likely. Were copper head gaskets used?

 

I would do a compression check, cooling system pressure check and pull the heads depending on the results

 

I wouldn't take a chance on hurting it any further and pull the heads. Certainly not a major job on a flatty.