Ok I know this sounds like a blown head gasket, but I'm not sure- basically I took the cap off the radiator this morning on my new (to me) truck and it was this cloudy yellow color. But the oil looks OK- in need of a change but not milky. Did the morons who had this truck before me fill it with river water or something? Or does this look like a bad head gasket? I just want to see before I blow more money on this...

 

Looks like a very nasty mix of universal coolants. I would fully flush and fill.

 

Had a blown head gasket in my Defender 90TDI several months ago and I can tell you that if the oil is grey, guess the worse scenario. In my case, coolant was brown like a miso soup and always needed more and more. When I opened the cap where you add the oil, I could see all was grey color.! I confirmed that when I removed the valve cover..

 

It could just be crud. Drain about a 2 liter bottles worth out and then pass it through a couple of coffee filters in a funnel and see what you get.

I agree to also go ahead and drain,flush and refill.

Then see where you stand in a couple of weeks.

When we did ours we had an oily like film in it too as well as I think some algae build up.

A thorough flush has it good and clean now.

We don't have any coolant in our oil. So all is good.

 

It's not easy to get oil in the water, water in the oil is the problem. change it out and you should be ok.

 

This may not be a blown gasket. I agree with the drain, flush & refill. Do a complete drain if possible, including the block. You'd be surprised how much coolant is in a 460. Avoid tap water on the refill. Distilled or rain water is best.

 

Look s like a aluminum radiator an perhaps its leading to some of the cloudiness ,,I think you should use distilled water when mixing your on antifreeze in a aluminum radiator to help if the block is iron ,,I read this on a few sites

WHAT COOLANT SHOULD I USE WITH AN ALUMINUM RADIATOR?

The key to maximizing the life of an aluminum radiator is not so much the coolant brand as it is the water type. All coolants sold today will protect the aluminum radiators adequately however distilled water must be part of the package. Concentrated coolants create a potential problem because this lets the installer choose the water source and that is where many make a big mistake. All water sources contain various minerals that can eat through aluminum despite having an inhibitor package in the coolant. So, what are the possible sources of water? Let's start with well water, which is typically full of iron and very hard. If that well water is softened, then it contains sodium or salt. Tap water from your local municipal supply will have various amounts of calcium, fluoride, and chlorine. So, the only way to ensure that the water you use is chemical and mineral free is to purchase distilled water from the local grocery store. The older copper radiators spoiled us because they were so forgiving with these minerals. Old timers will have a tough time with this water requirement because they have used all types of water without any problems in the past. The solution to this water problem is simple, do not purchase the concentrated coolant. Buy the coolant in a pre-mixed form to eliminate the possibility of any errors. Pre-mixed coolant already contains the distilled water and the proper ratio to make filling your cooling system simple. You no longer have to pre-mix the coolant or guess at what water ratio you have. Just pour it in and forget it. I recommend getting a five-year coolant and replacing it every three years to be safe. The reason coolants have a term on life is because that is how long the inhibitor package will last. Remember this, it has nothing to do with the color of the coolant when determining the condition of the inhibitor package. When the inhibitor package decays you no longer are protected from minerals eating the aluminum.