engine oil checking ?

[jethro]

early on I was concerned (a little) that my oil cooler might have a tiny leak. When I first installed the engine I saw about a few big drops of clean oil in the coolant recovery tank. just a few drops. havnt seen any since. I wondered that since the oil
pressure is about 50-60 for a few minuites during warm-up (goes down in about 5-min or so) that if the cooler had a tiny leak it could be squeezing some oil through the leak into the cooling water.
Fast forward-
Had some freezing weather- drained cooling system- a few days later I put in 2 gallons of antifreeze and balance water.
It looked like it vapour locked- like not enough went in. I watched the level for a few days didn't go down until I ran it.
Got some more in and the no more would go. Yesterday I checked it and the overflow tank was empty. It seemed to tale
a good bit ( a gallon or 2)

I was thinking that if I had a oil cooler leak- that the water might gravity drain down into the oil.
Checked the oil color- nice and clear. Ran motor and drove it around the yard for about 5 min to stir things up.
Oil looked the same- nice and clean and clear- did NOT look like coffee with cream in it or frothy white.
I figured that if water HAD drained into pan while sitting - it might just sit down there and be separate until the motor was run.
Didn't see any change on the dip stick as far as the oils color ..... however I also figured if I DID have water down there-
the extra water should raise the level of the oil floating on top of it and show over full on dip stick.
When I look at dip stick there is oil all up it- but it looks like I have not got the engine hot enough to heat soak the
plastic tube the dipstick is in- to get the excess to run back down into pan.
So I really cant tell for sure the oil level.
I could drain the oil into a new 5 gallon bucket and look at it- see if I see water- and see what the total volume
looks like ....... Let it sit overnight and check next day for visible water.....
Do I need to do that ???????? It is brand new oil- can pour it back in if it looks good......
I may replace the cooler later just as a preventative. but id rather not do it just yet-

Not sure - should I run it for longer and get it fully hot and then check the oil again the next day ?

Tim

[PToombs]

Let it sit for a few days. Then loosen the oil drain plug. If there is any water or antifreeze in it, it will be on the bottom and will run out around the threads of the plug before you even get it out.

If the cooler is bad, you would have a lot of oil in the water, the 30-60psi oil pressure will pump the coolant full on oil pretty quick. When you shut it off, if the coolant is hot and under pressure, and little will force back into the oil. I haven't seen that happen as I have only seen 1 cooler go bad, but I have seen it on headgaskets when they go bad.

[jethro]

Thanks for the help PT !
I have been thinking that I should do another head re-torque since I put a new head gasket on before I installed the motor. I have done 1 re-torque just before I installed it with maybe 2 hours of running at idle on the engine stand. (probably never got running hot)
The head gasket was my first thought when I first saw a few drops of oil in the water recovery tank. I think I remember that was the first time I had run with the cooling system pressurized. I have left it atmospheric since waiting on a head stud re-torque.
I will try about Monday to crack open the oil drain and see what I get. Friend or foe......

Ps- FYI when I did the 1-st re-torque on the engine stand- I did get a little movement- (to 115 ft-lbs on the A1 studs)
I did not have the head milled because the gasket that was on it did not go bad.(not sure that was good logic) Had to take
the head off to bottom tap for the head studs.

PPS - I would have just put a new cooler on it while it was on the stand- but for some reason I had the idea that the
cooler was something not expected to be going out at 50K miles.....

[PToombs]

No problem bud! A retorque might not be a bad idea. When I did mine I had the head milled and o-ringed and studded it. I drove it for several weeks, taking it easy and not blowing up the boost pressure. I retorqued it once cold a few weeks later, and it has been fine since. Having the head milled would have been a good idea, I was leery on mine because it was leaking from the corner under the thermostat which is a common spot. I don't know if there was a problem with head gaskets from the factory or if the heads were off a little, but lots of trucks have leaked there.

A bad cooler at 50k is very uncommon!

[DMan1198]

I've seen oil coolers go bad on a number of cats. As far as I've noticed they just fill the cooling system full of oil

[jethro]

Today I crawled under and dumped about 3-4 qts of oil into a new 5 gallon bucket. NO SIGN of any water at all.
Only a little black dust sediment. (I can see through the oil nicely- )

Apparently I must have just had a little too much oil in her. I checked the dip stick again and it showed only about 1/8 inch above full.
Not sure how I might have gotten too much- unless some of it was hiding inside and hadnt gotten down to the bottom when I first
filled it.
I think I will still do a head re-torque- but I wont feel pressed to do it sooner now !
I will monitor the water for oil once I start runnin it pressurized again.

T