Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Hi,
Today I removed mx timing gear cover.
The inside looks very strange . Its grey and like an emulsion.
So I think, there is water from the radiator in my engine oil.
Quedtion:
Where could it come from ?

Thanks
Willi

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Could be from a blown head gasket, crack in water jacket.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Also can be condensation build up from cold starts and short drives.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

About head gasket: all plugs looks good and looks the same. They would look different with blown head gasket

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

I will try to close the water in and oulets and then try to blow air in . Maybe I will see or hear, where it leaks.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Ditto

I would suggest that you don't do that as you could possibly damage your radiator.

Do you run straight water? Or anti-freeze mix? If you run anti-freeze mix then I would suspect condensation, as Tom suggested.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Easy things first before you start worrying .. as Tom says in #3 first of all ,
consider other things .....
I'd change oil, and see if it happens again.
If it does re-occur take head off and change head gasket
see if it happens again, if it does then suspect possible crack etc etc

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

If you close the inlet and outlet, how would it affect the radiator? The radiator would be out of the circuit.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Remove the drain plug in the bottom of the oil pan with a catch pan under it. don't drop the plug, just tip it to the side to let the coolant come out slowly until it stops. Coolant will be at the bottom, oil on top. This is a beginning only. and, yes, do not pressurize the radiator.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Hi, of course, I dont presurize the radiator. I removed it. The radiator can not bring coolant into the oil.
I presurized it now, but I didn't find out anything.
Condensed water sounds good, but also the other sympthoms made me looking for a leaking in the Jackets or around the valves:
1. Oil level was suddenly higher than expected, higher than maximum.
2. Coolant level in the radiator went down.

So I am still confused,

Willi

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

@katy and 100ih: I dont understand: how can my coolant (wit antifreeze) come into the oil?
Thanks for any ideas
Willi

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

An oil analysis from an oil lab can tell immediately if it is condensation or coolant leak. antifreeze in the oil will destroy babbit bearings in short order. Caterpiller dealers have oil analysis capabilities.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

The sudden change makes me suspect leaking head gasket rather than condensation. So...change oil and 1) Check that cylinder head bolts are correctly torqued. If still having problems take head off, have a quick look if any obvious cracks, if it looks OK then simply put a new gasket on ( and use some sealant such as blue hylomar if you like and the instructions don't say otherwse). retorque head bolts after 20 miles and 50 miles and 100 miles ( or 30 kms 80 kms 150 kms if you prefer :)) If still having problems crack test.
PS you mentioned earlier "... all plugs looks good and looks the same. They would look different with blown head gasket" If the head gasket was severely blown yes there would be other symptoms too, but if the coolant is simply "weeping" through the gasket then there may be no change at all, other than occasional misfire or hesitant starting.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Hello Willi:
Two places to check is first head gasket as typically number three cylinder will go first.
Second is to remove side cover as Model A engines have weak area in valve chamber around number three cylinder and will crack and leak water into oil.
see picture.
There is a friend of ours in Aarau, Switzerland that can help you.
He is Proficient in Model A engines.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Good Morning all...Years ago, I was taught that flat head engines should be re-torqued once a year, as they have a tendency to work loose and bolts can stretch and washers can collapse. All the suppliers sell a C shaped wrench to add to your torque wrench to make the job easy. They also have a chart that shows the tightening sequence if you don't have it...only takes half an hour and it is good insurance. Ernie in Arizona

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Is the engine oil in the pan milky? If not, I would venture condensation!

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

I have just the valve chamber cracks depicted by J & M Machine. A machinist said that these would be problematic for pinning as he would be drilling into the cylinder. Since there is no water pressure, could the problem possibly be fixed with the newer block sealer products such the Fiber-Lock stuff made by K & L?

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Certainly worth a try! ( Reminds me of a 1950s book "Overlanding with Annabelle"- they had a cracked block in a Chevrolet truck and put in "Chemiweld" (whatever that was!) and successfully drove round Australia without any problems.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Chemiweld uses sodium silicate to seal. It is a local product and is still available. It works wonders. I don't have a bottle of it at the moment but it is added to the cooling system with the motor warm and running after a good flush.
I have absolutely no reason to doubt that after using it, they were able to drive around the country and I bet the engine still running well for a long time after. It has been about here for decades and stories of miraculous "workshop in a can" feats are numerous.Here is a link to the manufacturers descrption:
http://www.goss.com.au/assets/Upload...nformation.pdf

I'm sure other sodium silicate products will work just as well. One of them might help out our original poster.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Run a compression test to see if the head gasket is compromised.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Ursus: Actually we repair these with metal stitching. The crack goes around the cylinder so no need to drill into it. In order for the stop leak products to work the crack has to stop traveling.
http://www.jandm-machine.com/metalStitching.html

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Hi,

thanks for all the suggestions. I will do the followingjobs now:

- make the compression tests
- visually check the valve chambers from the outside for cracks
- remove the head and check for cracks, replace the head gasket
- apply something like "Chemiweld " or "Fiber-Lock" to be sure

Willi

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Hi, now I found a crack:
On the right side of the engine, behind the valve chamber,
in the middle at the top, right behind the distributer shaft.
When I press air into the water passage, then there air comes out, when I lubriacte it with a spray, then it blubbers out.

I will now give a try to something like "Chemiweld" or "Fiber-Lock". I hope, it will work,
else I have to remove the whole engine and try to weld it, But I don't know, if it is possible to make it stress-free.

Else: A new engine ? But how much does it cost ? does anybody know something ? I think,transportation costs to here to switzerland would cost a lot.

Willi

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

If you can get clear access to the crack, I would rough it up with a Dremel tool and JB weld it. Then use some sealer in the coolant. JB can do some amazing things, however it Must be prepped and very clean first.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

Welding the block will damage it permanently. Your best chance will be to add the block sealer as others have mentioned.
It's a common area to crack that's why I posted the picture.
it can be repaired but not by welding it.

Re: Water in my engine oil. Where could it come from ?
 

especially. without a thermostat!