Alright,

I'm having the head gasket changed in the 97', and the dealer just called me with an update. Their telling me because the oil got in the coolant they want to pressure check the oil cooler (there was a lot of oil in there) and because coolant got in the oil they want to drop the pan, pull the caps and check the mains (not sure for what). My question for you is...would blowing the head gasket increase the chance that the oil cooler ruptured? And what are the chances the main bearings have any damage at all on them? And what if they do?

I've never pulled a diesel apart, and never had to deal with these kinds of problems...so I'm clueless as to what to do. What do you guys suggest. Keep in mind I can't do a whole lot myself because I don't have a garage...and its cold and snowy in Buffalo now.

 

Sounds like they are doing a complete job , coolant [ diesel or gas eng ] can eat away the babbet [ soft / white metal ] on the bearings , I've seen a lot of shops not look into this , then the engines spin a bearing , then need a crank kit if it does not through a rod , then a whole new engine .

 

So if I can get a shop and look and them myself, what do I look for? How far do I have to tear the engine down? Do I have to pull the crank or just the caps on the mains?

And what are the chances that they are shot...knowing my luck they are, but honestly, how often does this happen?

I was also reading, would an oil analysis be the way to go to see if the coating on the bearings is worn? The oil is being changed with the head gasket, so would all of the evidence be in this batch of oil? Or could I get an analysis with the next oil change?

 

How long was the old oil / water in , the longer the more wear ?
Is the HG done or what ?
A trained eye can tell , an untrained eye may not tell ?
Oil pressure test is 1st , then a plastiguage each bearing , again some experience/knowledge .
The biggest problem is getting the oil pan off , lifting eng high enough to get to everything .
I've done this many times but not with the Ram/Cummins yet .
The last was kinda similar , 83 toy landcruser , straight 6 , but the crank & #1 rad were bad , had enough room to put in used crank & rod [ in & out the bottom ] with out moving eng . all new rods & mains , seal ect .

 

I would guess the coolant was in the oil less than a week, and yes the head gasket is wrecked...but being replaced. I probably would not be able to tell just by looking at them, plastiguage I'm sure I could read properly, but then again I'd have to tear the engine down to do it.

Should I go with an oil analysis or not bother...will it tell me anything? What is the oil pressure test? Is there something I should be looking for or listening for? Will this show as soon as the engine is fired up, or after a few hundred miles? If it doesn't show up in a few hundred miles am I good to go?

Thanks for the help, I'm just real worried about this, just can't afford this stuff around the holidays.

 

IMO after just a week of some coolant in the oil you shouldn't have that much to worry about. These engines are tough, and as long as your oil pressure is normal between the day you fire it up and about a month later I would be awful tempted to say no damage done. Yes it is the proper thing to do in this case, check the bearings, but if you are on a budget it could get very expensive having the dealer check into this. I would get an oil analysis done and that should be a good clue as they will point out excessive wear metals if they detect it.

 

Thanks Crimedog...I think my heart rate just dropped about 25bpm. I kinda figured that myself, but wanted to hear it from someone else.

 

i blew my head gasket and i was getting oil in water/coolant fixed head gasket flushed system no problems. oh the oil cooler is a very rare problem i did the same thing but it was the gasket.

 

Yeah but how much oil was in your radiator? Mine was probably full of 1 gallon maybe more.

 

You can do this in 2 stages , 1st do the HG , then run the eng for at least 1 heat cycle , flush / change oil again , then put in a oil pressure gauge [ shop tool ] & watch the dash gauge , see if it in the normal range with hot oil , the analysis will not do much because the oil / coolant would need to be in there long enough to cause a problem , anytime you have anything that puts coolant into the oil - drain as soon as possible - the coolant dissolves the babit .
If the oil seems ok then drive but watch the pressure for the next , say , 1,000 miles , if you see a drop in normal oil pressure , then do the analysis & check bearings .

 

Shredded the head gasket in mine too. It only started swapping fluids over about 10mi but there's at least a half quart of coolant in the oil. Would you guys say there's a fair bit of damage done? Also, I was going to run some cheap oil though it a few times but another fellow suggested I use diesel fuel, is that really cool? Now how about the rad, fluid flush at the shop and call it good? Thanks.

 

Coolant + oil makes a chocolate milk shake that has near zero lubricating quality. problem. With a blown HG most times its the high pressure oil that does the leaking into the coolant and not vice versa. Hopefully you caught it before it became a major problem.
I usually check the oil color on the dipstick and the level in the overflow bottle + radiator frequently just in case. Im pushing a lot of timing so eventually its going to pop Im sure.
It stinks that this happened on a motor with studs and o-rings.. you obviously tried to prevent it from popping.
having the shop check everything for flatness and dressing the surfaces to make them smooth will help keep it sealed.