fresh out of ideas
 

Hi guys,
I had some great advice last week about a motor (502-Gen IV)that was getting its oil diluted with water. I checked the oil cooler - no problem. I replaced a head gasket - it appeared to have failed. There was never any sign of overheating. Ran it last weekend and ran sort of ok for awhile. After 30 min. or so I noticed oil changing color; another 30 minutes and it seemed to have aquired an extra quart or so of water (according to the dipstick). Of course there's a bunch of frothy, milky oil on the heads and in the valved covers. What am I missing? Thanks in advance. - Jeff

oh yeah, I forgot to mention- I just finished pressure testing the headers and tailpipes; several minutes at 45 psi with spikes to 70 psi - bone dry. Thanks - Jeff

1.Too much water pressure.
2.Intake gasket leak.
3.Cracked head.
4.Cracked block.




Darrell.

did you test them hot?

byu, no, i didn't test them hot; dmoore, thanks for the list, it may be time to tear the motors out, but i was hoping not to before the end of the season. - jeff

Did you replace one head gasket or both? If one was bad, I'm sure the other wasn't far behind.



Darrell.

before you tear into the motor pressure test after getting the manifolds up to running temp. it could just be a crack that does not open till hot. Also check to make sure that the head bolts that are in the water passage are sealed.

thanks byu - jeff

Did you do a good job of cleaning the "froth" out..if not you could be seeing it getting broke down and back into your oil, making your oil seem to be milky again...you would need to do 3 or 4 oil changes to get the residue out..and you still would not get all of it out...

bajapred, good point; i did however clean the valve covers and the tops of the heads and it made a whole new batch of "froth" - kinda ends my season unless i can figure out what's causing it. thanks - jeff

Pressure test the block. This will tell you if you have a big job on your hands. Don't forget you need to retorque the intake bolts...after you run it.

Did you check the head and block with a straight edge to make sure there was no warping?

before you tear down. Run motors until hot. Idle around for a few minutes then shut down. Pull the exhaust manifolds away (not off) and see if there is any moisture in the runners. This is the only way to check for reversion.

*lofty, thanks for the clarification. was wondering how i'd check that.
*screamin, damn, i did not do that - proably have to next.
*bluebyyou, i did not retorque intake bolts - will do; and what's the best way to pressure test the block?
Thanks to all - jeff