Blown Head Gasket?
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Blown Head Gasket?
I never pretended to be the smartest guy in the world.....about a month ago I grabbed the wrong oil and put 10W-30 in my 7.3. Before I finished I caught the mistake and dumped out the 10W-30 and put in 15W-30. I checked the oil yesterday (month later) and noticed this real faint green color to the oil. My heart stopped and I looked over at my coolant level and it looks normal. Any ideas or suggestions...was it the two different oil weights or does this sound like antifreeze. I do have the green colored antifreeze in this truck. When it’s cold outside I always get a small amount of white smoke if the truck has been sitting. When it’s warm outside I don’t see any white smoke.
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From: Carroll County, MD
Probably best bet is to run a pressure test on the cooling system, and maybe a compression test. Will help point you in the right direction. I don't think the two different oils would cause a color change of the oil.
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From: Mountaintop, PA
The green tint is the way the light is passing through the oil, usually happens when the oil is real clean. If you were loosing coolant, your level would be down in the degas bottle. If you really did have coolant in your oil, it would be mixing and causing a sludge in the oil that is milky in appearance. I think you are fine. By the way, make sure you are running a 40wt oil in your truck.
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From: Carhenge
You're not going to get green oil from coolant, it would look like brown mayonnaise.
I think you're just fine, I don't know what brand of oil you use but a lot of them have a greenish tint to them.
I think you're just fine, I don't know what brand of oil you use but a lot of them have a greenish tint to them.
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From: 21791
Especially Schaeffers, most new oils have a green tint to them. And, you wouldnt get coolant in the oil, you would get oil in the coolant. The oil runs at 40-60psi of pressure, and the coolant is regulated at 16psi by the cap.
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Originally Posted by strokin_it7.3
Especially Schaeffers, most new oils have a green tint to them. And, you wouldnt get coolant in the oil, you would get oil in the coolant. The oil runs at 40-60psi of pressure, and the coolant is regulated at 16psi by the cap.
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From: 21791
Most likely, yes. The only possible area i can think of where the coolant would be allowed into the oil is if a water jacket was leaking around a cylinder, and leaking coolant straight into the sump. Seen that happen on a Ford tractor when i was in diesel tech. Had to pressurize the coolant system and saw that the air was leaking right out of the block. That means either a new block (because at that point, cavitation has to be BAD) or repair it somehow. We ended up using a torch and a special graphite stick that melted and soldered the area together. Never heard of that on a powerstroke, but it could happen with POOR cooling system maintenance. Also another culprit could be a destroyed oil cooler. When you shut the engine off, pressure in the oil system drops quicker than the pressure in the cooling system, and if it's leaking there, the coolant could pass into the oil if the oil pressure would drop faster than the water pressure. Both are very rare occurances, however neither can be overlooked.
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From: Carroll County, MD
Kris,
One day I want to know as much as you have forgotten - man you are sharp.
I have seen gas engines do this, but when I think about it, it is probably the vacuum in the intake stroke that helps pull the coolant in.
One day I want to know as much as you have forgotten - man you are sharp.
I have seen gas engines do this, but when I think about it, it is probably the vacuum in the intake stroke that helps pull the coolant in.
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From: Carhenge
Originally Posted by Olddog66
Thanks for the input...I’m confused about the oil in the coolant...is it not possible at all to get coolant in the oil? Would you always have oil pushed into the coolant system?
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Maybe it’s just the first time I noticed it but that oil looks green when I wipe it on a paper towel...I just don’t remember it having that color. I do have 15W 40 in it but every time I post something I keep getting 15W 30 in my head. I’m used to dealing with cars not diesel trucks. I had a Subaru that cracked a block (Aluminum) and poured coolant into the engine....white smoke came out the tailpipe like a steam engine. That cost me some money. I can only imagine the cost of a new block for a 7.3L . When I purchased the truck it had 100K on it and I had to add the non-cavitation additive. That has been in the back of my mind...I don’t know how long the truck went without the additive in it. I have this image of tiny holes bored part way into the block....scary. I’ve gotten over the perpetual oil on the top of the engine. I gave up trying to find that finally. If I need oil for something in the house I just use a syringe and suck the oil off the top of the block.
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From: Carhenge
Originally Posted by Olddog66
I’ve gotten over the perpetual oil on the top of the engine. I gave up trying to find that finally. If I need oil for something in the house I just use a syringe and suck the oil off the top of the block.
