About a week ago i started smelling antifreeze while i was going down the road. then it just went away..so i hadnt thought much of it..well the last few days i noticed i went from smoking quite a bit of black..to hardly any...and then today..mainly white....so i checked my oil and its green like antifreeze...and the antifreeze is blackish....I called the local diesel shop and they said sounds like a head gasket or cracked head. just guessing without checking on the parts he said id be looking at around $1000....theres really no way i can afford that right now, and it would be a week or 2 before they can get to it, and i need it badly to get to and from work....is this sumthing i can do at home or will i have to take it somewhere??? i sure hope i can, i have it in the shop getting all warm in there hoping to here some good news and i can get started taking it apart...

 

Only you can answer that question. Removal of the head and the intsall of a new head gasket can be done at home assuming you have a good supply of tools and mechanical know how. But once the head is off you will want to have a machine shop check it for flatness even if it is only a bad head gasket. You need to drain your oil and flush your engine to get any remany anti freeze away from your bearings asap. If anit freeze makes contact with the bearing surface for a extended period of time your head gasket/head work will the leaste of your worrys...

Dave

 

i consider myself mechanically inclined.....if it was a 70s chevy i wouldnt think twice about taking the heads off...i just was unsure about these newer diesels if there anything special that needs to be done or special tools required....

how exactly do i go about flushing the engine??? and im guessing i need to take off the radiatior and rinse it all all with the hose or somthing also...

 

is there any kind of procedures for flushing the motor and the coolant system??? i dont wanna get it all back together and have sum oil come out of a line and get back into the radiator...or antifreeze back in the oil.

 

I would just drain the oil and a new filter, refill with something cheap, drive it a day and change the oil and filter to whatever you normally use. If you don't have oil in the antifreeze, just fill it back up. If you do.......good luck! It takes a lot of flushing to get it all out.

 

i do have oil in my antifreeze..so how to i go about flushing that.....
is there anyother things i should do or look for while i have it torn all apart....i wish i had a new manifold and some things like that to bolt back on..but thats out of the question....

 

also is there any sort of procedures to follow when taking it apart????? fuel lines or anything like that??? or do i just start unbolting and removing stuff..??

 

I'd start with picking up a Chilton's Repair Manual. They full describe/give details regarding the whole procedure and any special tools needed. Read that, and if it's within your skills, then I'd go for it and get'er done.

Obviously you will need a couple micrometers, head bolt gauge, maybe injector pulling tool, but the point I am trying to make is that the cost of the tools plus your skills is what you are looking at - if it's withing your abilities, then go for it.

One time I was 2K miles away from home and blew an intake gasget on my Ford 460. I had tools with me, stopped at an auto parts and bought what I needed, tore it down in a truck stop parking lot and fixed it. I had my Chilton Manual plus the Ford motors manual with me, glad I had it, saved my butt. Got a shower at the truck stop and was back on the road in a day. Good thing I was able to do the job and I did learn from it.

I would not hesitate to do the job on my truck as long as I had a manual for some much needed instructions. If you have a Checker Auto Parts, Auto Zone, or similar place near by - get a manual, they all stock them. Read it, see if they have the parts or can get them, get whatever tools you need too, and do the job. Flushing the oil out of your cooling system is done like any other flush. Getting the coolant out of your oil could be accomplished by running a can of oil flush just before draining. Then, after putting in some new,cheap oil run it a hundred or so miles and drain/change again. That should do the job. If you have concerns about any remaining coolant residue, do an oil test or drain it again.

I think one of those manuals will run you $20-30, good investment as it will help you thru this problem and then you will have it for reference for future problems.

CD

 

i think i will get a manual and go from there...i appreciate all the advice/help...i knew i could count on dtr.com...thanks again guys..

 

i agree with cd on the comments/help, but i would suggest not to the chiltons. spend your $$$ on the factory manual instead. after all who knows your truck best? dc or chiltons?

 

Also-to help you get some of that oil out of your coolant system when you flush it use just a little bit of liquid dish soap-the soap will attract and break down the oil somewhat and help you get it all out-quicker than water at least.

 

i agree about the chiltons, altho if you don't know how to check the oil or coolant,or air in your tires it could be a valuable source of information.

 

upon further inspection i found that it was an incorrect assumption....after checking into it more and getting sum sleep i realized...the oil wouldnt be green from antifreeze...it would be brownish and milky... .the green tint is appartenly just the look of the oil with about 1,000 on the oil change....after checking the antifreeze and filling it to the correct amount, then driving it is perfectly green in color..so i guess i was just totaly wrong about the whole thing....i feel pretty dumb about the whole situation, and didnt wanna have to admit it...but i felt like i should...i guess it was just a combination of things, having a long day, being really tired...happening to smell antifreeze, and see white smoke, then the green tint of the oil, and apparently a glare in the sumwhat low coolant recovery tank....but overall its very good news to me, just kinda embarrasing to admit...but thanks again guys for your help, i think i still will be getting a factory manual in the future, i will eventually need it for sumthing...