TITLE SAYS IT ALL...ok guys me again mr. problem......now I have oil in my coolant tank...sludgey brown it is oil ..my question is how do I find out where it is coming from...oil level is the same as when I changed it back in October..so what gives is it head gasket..or egr/oil cool....no smoke on start up...nor at idle...truck runs fine after it warms up..feel no power loss..still getting around 19mpg(averg)...help please..thanks in advance...SORRY HERES A LITTLE MORE INFO ..
2004 6.0 TURBO DIESEL SD LARIAT CREWCAB FX4 LONGBED...NO MODS ON TRUCK accept..4 inch AFE TURBO BACK NO CAT..EXSHAUST 6" TAIL TIP NO PROGRAMMERS NO TUNERS...

 

Oil in degas bottle usually only means one thing--oil cooler has ruptured.

 

The oil cooler under the front of the intake are known for leaks, If it's not showing up anywhere else thats my first pick too!

 

Probably ime to replace your oil cooler with a (new) OEM one.

Since you'll be in there, it might also be a good idea to either delete your EGR or replace with a "Bullet-Proof" EGR cooler too.

You'll also need to do a thorough flush of your cooling system. (do it PRIOR to changing the oil cooler) it'll probably require a good detergent like Simple Green to clear out all the oil

 

What were your engine oil and coolant temperatures running prior to this happening?

Sounds like an oil cooler rupture. Unfortunately, you can't flush/clean the oil out until after you replace the oil cooler. (unless you can figure out how to flush it thoroughly without running the motor....which just adds more oil to your coolant)

 

This is where buying a used oil cooler on eBay or CL might make sense. Get all that crap flushed out with a used cooler then install the new one...

 

Yeah. a simple electric sump pump connected to one of the hoses would do the job nicely.


If the pump produced a LOT of pressure, it *could* push some water in the oil, but it would probably be minimal and with a "TEE" and valve on the pump, you could keep the water pressure low. Then you could easily circulate a solution of detergent and water through the system to emulsify most of the oil so it could be drained with the solution......

Once the largest part of the oil was drained, he could continue with the oil cooler replacement.

There might still be residual oil in the cooling system that would probably require a couple more detergent flushes.


I am just thinking out loud.........Maybe Anthony has an easier way he likes to do it.

 

I absolutely have THE BEST WAY to clear the system. I actually just had two in the shop at the same time.


Yes I said DIESEL!!! Mark it down because I've never heard anyone ever suggest it. But it's what caterpillar used to (and they might still suggest cleaning like this) suggest to clear the system. I've done many operation milkshakes using diesel and I have actually saved many radiators. However I highly suggest all rubber coolant system component replacement. But I tell customers to not be mad at me if they choose to reuse the rad,, and it starts leaking in the future. A rad takes all of 15 mins to swap. It takes a specific process to get it clear,,, but this way DOES WORK!!! Gotta drain and fill the coolant system with diesel. The sludge will disappear and completely dilute into the diesel. After about a 30 min drive cycle,, then drain, and blow out n clear the system then add dawn dishsoap to remove the diesel. Add a good chunk of dishsoap before filling with water. You must COMPLETELY fill the degas to the rim on all steps too. This keeps the dishsoap from foaming. The diesel removes the oil,, the dawn removes the diesel,, and cascade removes the dishsoap. I now have a pausing video camera and I will be doing much better informational videos. Look out YouTube!! Lol.


This diesel fix is just like an idea I had when I built my first engine on here. We can go back and see on here that the consensus used to be to use the permatex spray gasket on the bed plate. I was told by many on here to not install any other sealant on the bed plate due to the change in the main journal clearances. I went against the grain and used anaerobic sealant on it. And showed it on my long thread. It works beautifully. But you must spin the crank and rub the inside mating surface to smooth the sealant that squeezes into the crankcase. I leave the outside as is, to prove it was sealed. Ok I'm done on my rant. Lol

 

Once the system is filled with diesel,,, there are NO BREAKS until the entire flushing job is done. If the diesel is allowed to sit in the system,, it will do its own damage. FYI.

 

Just to clarify...do you do the diesel flush before or after replacing a ruptured oil cooler?

 

Before the ruptured oil cooler is replaced. I know there might be neigh-sayers,,, But I've done MANY of them just like this. I will get a video of one soon. The procedure I use is fairly detailed. A garden hose and shop air is required.

 

if your coolant is still in liquid form and hasn't solidified then you can drain as much out as you can. use the "heavily soiled" mix recommendations from a bottle of simple green and fill your cooling system up. run the engine to temp and then drain it from the radiator and both block plugs. This will take care of most of the mess. then flush with water a few times to rinse out the simple green. the hard part is getting to the rh block plug - it is behind the starter. pulling the starter on a hot engine is not very fun. You can pull these plugs on a cold engine and force water through, this will push out a lot of the heavy debris that could clog your new oil cooler - then flush with simple green. it all really depends upon how thick your oil/coolant is right now. if it mostly runs then you will be ok. if it is chunky and viscous, then you don't have a fun road ahead.

 

I'm telling you what,,,, All these simple green suggestions are fine n dandy. But it will not touch the issue. Once everyone starts using the diesel. Nobody will use degreaser again. I haven't put a drop of degreaser in an engine in a very long time. You can play with your truck,,,, or you can fix your truck. Diesel will get it out in ONE flush. But,,, to each his own.

 

Super Duty Service - I can understand how the diesel will cut the oil out. But I have seen first hand what oil does to EVERY rubber component it touches. I would rather leave trace amounts of oil in my cooling system than replace every piece of rubber. Most of the oil will collect in the degas bottle anyways - and it is a simple job to pull the degas bottle off and drain it out. I am not knocking using diesel, but I will continue to use and recommend simple green.

 

Refer to the above post then. Playing with trucks is fun. Lol. How many of these repairs have you done??? Cause I did 2 last week. And I've been there done that. You aren't listening to the procedure. That diesel isn't hurting the components no more than the initial failure. Besides,, with this failure,, the proper fix is complete replacement. I also suggest front cover reseal as well. But I've done these repairs for customers on budgets,, and got away without replacing a single hose or rad. The oil does its own damage,, and your comment about trace amounts of oil,,, that's hilarious. If you try that route,,, You can doom that truck to ALWAYS having a nasty degas bottle. It will be stained no matter how's my times you put a new bottle on.