My potassium #s were over 30 on each of the last two changes...I doubt there would be a 30 ppm holdover from my last OCI which was Delo this past fall, before the D1. It has to be antifreeze--it wouldn't be assembly grease at 25k. Also, the wear metals (40 ppm iron in 7500 mi on D1) plus elevated soft metals all point towards coolant contamination. Insolubles were quite high. I have no leaks anywhere.

 

My potassium was at 22, Iron was high at 40. Water was at zero, anti-freeze was at zero.

That's at 7500 miles, with zero make-up oil.

 

Strock, what'd the dealer have to say about the elevated Potassium levels and low coolant?

 

Well I took it to the dealer Tuesday and still havent heard anything back yet and it's 10 Thurs night. Haven't bothered calling them as I have been to busy.

I explained my coolant loss, and showed them the UOAs from Blackstone, and I also have a Terry Dyson analysis as well if need be. Since it is proprietary info, Terry asked I not share it unless absolutely necessary.

They seemed very concerned and said the first step would be to see if they could come up with a problem with a pressure test on the coolant side...I dont see how well it will pick it up since I maybe have lost a gallon at most into the oil over the course of 25K miles. Thats a pretty slow leak!!

I will report back when I hear more.

 

ALso wanted to mention that I was running an Air Raid drop in air filter. I was very impressed with the construction and heft of the unit and how well it sealed.

Also when I pulled it out the dirty side was filthy but the intake side was spotless and dust free. I was pretty excited.

I got my UOA back from my 7500 mile run, and its been pretty wet the entire interval and not in the dust...and I got a silicon count of 19 ppm.

My first UOA with 5000 mi on the oil showed 11 ppm.

 

strjock81, just as a comparison on my first UOA over 7500 miles my scotty3 with the older AFE filter got a silicon number of 3. The next UOA over 10,000 miles had a silicon of 5. Unless you have an intake leak elsewhere, I wouldn't be that impressed with the air-raid.

Let us know about the coolant pressure test!

 

Dealer still has not found anything to justify replacing head gasket or any other repairs yet. They were still running pressure tests and whatnot as of Fri evening. I am going to keep on them to do something about this as obviously the coolant is going somewhere--and it is showing up clearly in my oil. Wouldnt surprise me though if DC rejected it and took their chances with a 100,000 mile claim for damage as a result of the coolant migration.

Also, Lightman, I was not bragging about my Si results with the Air Raid-in fact they made me sick and I have gone back to paper and can't notice any difference powerwise, just not as much turbo whistle.

 

I just took a look to see about my EGT probe install I found dried coolant resadu around one of my head bolts and plug in head. I will call local dealership in morning and let them know of my problem.

 

Well after a week at the dealer and no results on the pressure testing and other things they looked at, they brought a guy in from DC to consult on it.

They ended up not doing anything since none of the tests yielded a result that could justify a R&R procedure on the had gasket or whatever else may be wrong.

They told me that their coolant used in these trucks does not contain potassium, and they blamed my coolant loss on possibly having had an air pocket in the cooling system from the factory that worked its way out.



Truth be told I have not monitored my coolant level enough to know if it has been steady and gradual or if it dropped all at once as one would expect with an air pocket.



I think it's a cop out myself, but they told me to keep watching it and get UOAs done and if the problem persists and/or worsens, to bring it back in. They also gave me the comforting reminder that I have a 100K warranty so if anything fails, it's covered. I just know that with my luck nothing would fail seriously until 100,001 miles.

 

What would you have preferred them to do? Tear the engine down and replace the head gasket? Or simply replace the entire engine? Hypochondriac's do that.

A cop out? They did bring in a guy to look at it, which is a lot more than they could have. Before they patted you on the butt on the way out the door.

I think your fretting over something for nothing. Start driving that truck. If you're making payments on it and its sitting in the dealers shop; its not doing anyone any good. They gave you good advice on keeping the trends on OA - thats a sensible solution.

There's a term called co-creation. If you expect the worst, you will create it. I'd start driving her hard with a positive outlook, and she'll grow on you.

 

Just drive it like you stole it.

AND change the oil every 5K miles.

 

I had a coolant leak that I could not place and over a 14K period went thru 1.5 gals of mopar fluid.. Found the leak at the plate that holds the oil filter housing. Dealer replaced gaskets pressure tested & said all is a ok except I owed them 125.00 due to the fact that I have a aftermarket air filter & Bypass oil system I said reluctantly ok but let me point out this paint flaw in my tailgate Here is you dough but I want the tail gate FIXED
My Blackstine report came back with the following notes:

Thanks for the note about the anti-freeze. This along with the potassium we found leads us to think you may have some anti-freeze getting into the oil. Aluminum (pistons) and copper (brass and bronze parts) were both high. This engine should be well past wear-in at 23,995 total miles, so we can't blame the high wear on that. Universal averages show normal wear from this type of engine after about 6,500 miles on the oil. Suggest changing this oil out within the next 500 miles or so and check back in 4,000 miles on fresh oil to monitor coolant.

I changed the oil right away (did not wait) & will retest @ 4000 mi and see.

 

I simply followed what was suggested to me by a company and person I trust when it comes to matters such as these.

I didn't expect them to tear it down and put a new HG in it without finding anything on their tests, thus the reason I didn't press the issue and was happy with them trying to find something, ANYTHING wrong. They did more than I expected of them, having read some of the horror stories here on the forum.

I don't feel it qualifies as hypochondriac behavior when 2 consecutive UOAs show elevated wear and very distinct antifreeze contamination, along with definite coolant loss from the reservoir--that's why I get the UOAs on all my equipment--to find this stuff before it's too late.

The explanation they gave me is very iffy at best, and what's worse, they boldly lied to me when they told me that their antifreeze contains no potassium, which I have verified to be false with Terry Dyson, who knows a lot more about these things than any of us. That, to most people, could be considered a cop out. I am not mad about it at all, and if I was DC, I would probably be doing the same thing.

I am driving the truck and it is running fine, and I will continue to look at my UOAs to set a firm foundation for what is most likely happening inside my expensive engine, so that I can take the best precautions necessary to ensure long engine life, since I doubt I will be trading it off before 100K.

I am posting this information so that others may benefit from it and help to protect for others what is--at least to me--a large investment. I am not on a witch hunt to form a class action suit against DC. I think that should be clearly evident from all of my posts on the subject.

 

Yeah Strjock81, just hope for the best, whistle a happy tune and ignore the obvious. You may even try the time tested technique of clicking your heels together.

If you really want to address this issue head-on, you may want to invest in a pair of ruby slippers.

 

Keep on doing that Brother - that is exactly why I visit these forums.....share lessons learned and find solutions.

Hope it all works out for you.