I know it has been months since I last talked about my engine probs, but I think it is time I actually get something done.I found antifreeze in my oil pan completely seperated from the oil. The first thing I was told to was do a leakdown test. I got the oilpan loose but i can't seem to clear the oil pump...After I get the oil pan completely off(I have already loosend the exhaust), I need to do a leakdown test which requires me to fill the coolant system. I need to know what to fill it up with. Should I use antifreeze or distilled water? I'm gonna have to empty it out again most likely and I don't want to waste all that money on real antifreeze, but I'm afraid being that the engine hasn't and will not run anytime lately/soon(they arent coated in oil), I don't want the water to rust the internals that it may get on.And when doing the test, my other question is that after you pour the fluid into the radiator and pressure it down, doesn't that mean it pressurizes only the radiator? How will the pressurization of the fluid in the radiator distrubute the fluid into the rest of the engine?...sorry, it is hard to explain what I'm saying, but I tried.So what should I use?

 

Fluid pressure in a static (non-flowing) system will equalize itself throughout the system.

 

It's been awhile since I last saw this thread...normaly, when the engine is running, some of the engine heat is transfered to the coolant and engine oil. The coolent is routed to the radiator where it is cooled by airflow across it, then it is routed back to the engine usually thru the lower hose. Don't forget the coolant is also flowing thru the heater hoses and into the cab and back.Your cooling system starts to develop pressure in it as the coolent heats up. This pressure forces it out if there is a leak in a gasket, cracked head, engineblock,waterpump seal punctured hose etc,etc,..
Since you have the oilpan off, obviously, ..you can not run the engine with no oil to heat things up...so the next best thing to do is put an adapter in place of your radiator cap and introduce pressure from a hand held pump. I would fill the system with coolant, the green stuff (easy to see), add pressure to the radiator and look for leaks. Sometimes you will not find a leak if you have a cracked head, because the head needs to go thru a heat cycle , the crack may open and close with engine temperature. Hope this helps.

 

But should I use antifreeze or distilled water..

...Should I use antifreeze or distilled water? I'm gonna have to empty it out again most likely and I don't want to waste all that money on real antifreeze, but I'm afraid being that the engine hasn't and will not run anytime lately/soon(they arent coated in oil), I don't want the water to rust the internals that it may get on...

 

Sounds like you answered your own question...LoL!

I would use "green" antifreeze to help " see " the leak...it's a visual thing , your looking for the green antifreeze seeping somewhere.
You can drain the radiator later and save/capture it in a drain pan.
Another method to check for leaks is done by adding a dye to the coolant and then using an ultraviolet lite to look for the dye dripping/seeping.Most NAPA parts stores offer it, but you may have to invest in a lamp....then again, You would want to circulate the dye in the system and that may be hard to do without the engine running.

 

Agrah! Use tap water, you are just going to drain it back out anyway, it will not have time to do any harm. (You could save the antifreeze in a bucket) I take it that you are looking for the reason for the antifreeze in the oil pan? There seems to be some terminology clarification needed, a leak down test refers (usually) to low pressure compressed air put into the cylinder via the spark plug hole (combustion chamber) to see if the head, block, or head gasket is leaking, kina of the reverse of pressurizing the cooling system to see if it is leaking.

Julie, ……….we need your help (and drawings)!

“But being wrong keeps me humble"

 

sorry cmoritz, I didn't "see" that in your last post, I guess I need to read between the lines more. I think I will use just normal antifreeze just to be careful.

I think I'm doing the right thing? I need to see where and how the antifreeze got into the oil pan in the first place, so I'm pressurizing the coolant.

The next thing I might try is then the "leak-down test".

Thanks all. I'll do it tomorrow.

Where do I get the adapter for the air compressor that supposedly screws into the spark plug hole?

Thanks again.

 

use colored water, if you like green, use green! if not, use red, it's easier to SEE! motor needs work, don't worry about getting it wet! just drain all fluid out of water system after done!! remove thermostats, and introduce 10 lbs pressure to radiator. this should show any obvious leaks. disconnect heater, it's not needed for this test. you can always spray engine with lubricant when done.

 

A cylinder leakdown test can help you pinpoint leaking intake & exhaust valves, rings, and head gaskets

In my opinion, a cooling system pressure test would serve you better than a cylinder leakdown test, in your particular situation (coolant in the oil pan), since you are not necessarily concerned about leaking valves or rings at this point.

If you want to pursue the leakdown test, this photo shows the leakdown tester I made, using parts from my compression tester:



Information on building and using a leakdown tester can be found here:

Building and Using a Cylinder Leakdown Tester

 

Just a thought. For visability, if you have a black light anywhere left over from the 60s, (you can buy an incandescent bulb at Home depot for about $5) you can go to the hardware store and buy about four of those snap/break light sticks and put them (the fluid in them) in the coolant. That leak will show up REAL GOOD when you hit it with the black light.

Julie

 

that's a pretty darn good idea! hope you put that in tips thread. by the way, how did you learn of this?? and does fluid clean out well after all is said and done?

 

I would imagine it would, but I'm not sure. It should just wash out.

Do I have to remove the thermostat? I didn't know that. It was mentioned a few posts back by petey shoes.

Thanks all for the help.

 

Inseresting (good) Idea, now to find the Black Light (UGH) I wans't into that scene back in the 60's.

 

Ok I'm back,

I have a couple questions: First your profile says yo uare driving a 56 F-100, is this the truck we are talking about - or more specifically what engine are we talking about.

Coolant in th eoil can only be caused by 5 things: 1) a warped head - the coolant is flowing under the gasket to the cylinder; 2) bad head gasket - same thing; 3) bad fit on the intake manifold caused by corrosion around the water jacket; 4) cracked intake manifold; and 5) cracked block.

Before I do all sorts of pressure tests, I might be tempted to run a simple compression check. If you have two cylinders next to each other that are low, I might be tempted to pull that head and check for a bad gasket or warped head.

If the truck is running, a vacuum gauge will tell you if you have a bad head fit/gasket as well. It will also show a cracked intake manifold.

Here's an odd suggestion, pull your spark plugs when you do the compression check. Drain the coolant system and disconnect the radiator. Plug the thremostat side radiator hose, and hook the other end up to your shop vac. Put your finger over the spark plug hole. If it gets sucked, you have a bad gasket or warped head. Fix is the same - pull the head, get it machined, flat put it back on with new gasket.

Normally if you have ALOT of coolant, it's a cracked block or the cooling jacket in the intake manifold has corroded away. You can check that anyway since if you suspect head gasket, you have to pull the manifold as well.

One last question: you have coolant in the oil pan, but do you have any "oil" in the radiator?

J!

PS. If you have a 289 or 351W engine, of middle to late 60s origin, pay particular attention to the two rear cylinders on each side for a bad gasket/warped head.

 

you don't HAVE to remove thermostat, however, with no heat to open stat, you only have small weephole to allow pressure into block. pull stat, faster results. and you KNOW we want faster results!!! if you want even faster results, offer JULIE a two way ticket/vacation to diagnose problem.---lol