need some help guys

kyle43335 · May 16, 2012

i have a 2005 e series with a 6.0.

last year i put a oil cooler in this truck,as it was ruptured. we also yanked the engine and studded,and deleted it.

fast forward to this year.

guy calls me,, theres oil in the cooling system again. he brought the truck down, i tore it down.

im pressurizing the cooler,looking for the obvious? nothing,no bubbles.

pressure is around 65 psi,i even heated the cooler to around 200 degrees. nothing. i get a little flash boil with a couple bubbles due to the map gas torch,but once the flame is gone,so are the bubbles.

i dont want to just throw another cooler in this thing,and guy call me again in a couple weeks/months saying its doing it again.

my question is. has anyone ever seen,or had oil enter the cooling system NOT by the oil cooler? any other components?

the only other place i could think of,was the front cover. but its so un likely that this would be my issue.

there isnt any water in the oil either(no surprise)

thanks in advance.

kyle43335 · May 16, 2012

Pizza pig · May 17, 2012

front cover, i'd check it out, ive seen a bunch of these failures flying around lately, buddy just had two in his shop on 450's with them both cavitated.

Mdub707 · May 17, 2012

I don't see what else it could be honestly...

kyle43335 · May 17, 2012

Mdub707 said:
I don't see what else it could be honestly...

I was thinking a cracked front cover or something along those lines.

I re pressure tested the cooler this morning, and its not bad. No leaks.

Mdub707 · May 18, 2012

Gotta be the front cover then right?

kyle43335 · May 18, 2012

Mdub707 said:
Gotta be the front cover then right?

ill let ya know.

i have to figure a way to pressure test the cover.

Mdub707 · May 20, 2012

Pressure test the entire cooling system? Put one of those rubber plugs on the coolant bottle with an air line run through it?

kyle43335 · May 21, 2012

Mdub707 said:
Pressure test the entire cooling system? Put one of those rubber plugs on the coolant bottle with an air line run through it?

thats not the issue.

problem would be locating the actual leak spot with the coolant and oil system closed up.

i can add smoke to the system as well,to help out with location. this type of issue just sucks!!!

Mdub707 · May 22, 2012

oh yeah didn't even think of that. Any luck on it yet?

kyle43335 · May 23, 2012

Mdub707 said:
oh yeah didn't even think of that. Any luck on it yet?

I pressure tested the cooling system,and it held 20psi 4hours straight.

Plugged in the block heater brought temps up to roughly 150 degrees,and still held pressure.

At this point i felt as if maybe the oil was actualy poured into rhe cooling system by mistake.

I put another new oil cooler in for p and p,and buttoned it up

I filled with water and flush,and took it out for a light warm up. Got back to the shop and *** me. Theres oil pouring out of the bottle.

Back to the drawing board.

Derek@Vision Diesel · May 23, 2012

Good luck... No new advice that hasnt already been mentioned, but would really like to see what you find as the issue.

These are the problems that make a forum worth while to read!

suprdzlduty · May 23, 2012

might pull the water pump and check that front cover...I had a 6.4 that was doing that, except water was going in the oil too, and it was the front cover. there were some pretty big craters, gouges, whatever you want to call them, I assume where the water pump cavitated. I had to remove the cover and put light behind it to finally locate the holes though. if it was the block you would have water going in the oil...I know you probably checked it but was your oil cooler housing in good shape? no cracks? I have seen that before...

kyle43335 · May 23, 2012

suprdzlduty said:
might pull the water pump and check that front cover...I had a 6.4 that was doing that, except water was going in the oil too, and it was the front cover. there were some pretty big craters, gouges, whatever you want to call them, I assume where the water pump cavitated. I had to remove the cover and put light behind it to finally locate the holes though. if it was the block you would have water going in the oil...I know you probably checked it but was your oil cooler housing in good shape? no cracks? I have seen that before...

for oil to get into the cooling system at the cooler housing,it would also most have to leak externally first. theirs just to much room between oil and water passages for it to mix and not have a external leak.

this is one of those red headed step child jobs.:swordfight:

Spindrift · May 23, 2012

What kind of HGs were used when the engine was studded? A blown HG can cause oil in the coolant. Less likely is a cracked head. Are there any signs of the engine having been overheated that might have caused a failure of one of the heads? Not trying to be a smart azz but how did you flush the engine? Cascade works wonders since it doesn't suds up. Maybe the oil that you're seeing is the original oil just letting go again.

kyle43335 · May 23, 2012

Spindrift said:
What kind of HGs were used when the engine was studded? A blown HG can cause oil in the coolant. Less likely is a cracked head. Are there any signs of the engine having been overheated that might have caused a failure of one of the heads? Not trying to be a smart azz but how did you flush the engine? Cascade works wonders since it doesn't suds up. Maybe the oil that you're seeing is the original oil just letting go again.

oem hgs

cracked heads wont put oil in coolant.

a blown hg really wont do it either. there isnt lpop oil veins running through the heads

flushed the system originally with vc9 and rinsed clean,then pulled the block drains. there wasnt any oil left in the system when i was done last year.

this year i never got to finish the flush because when i got back to the shop,there was raw oil rolling out the bottle.

Spindrift · May 24, 2012

My bad...had Cummins on my mind.

Any history of 6.0Ls with porous blocks?

vcassens · May 24, 2012

Subed

kyle43335 · May 24, 2012

Spindrift said:
My bad...had Cummins on my mind.

Any history of 6.0Ls with porous blocks?

not that ive ever heard of.

well it seems that when i took the truck out to warm it up,to flush the system.

the bottle level was high and there was some raw oil laying in the cooling system and from normal expansion,and oil naturally will go to the top. that is what i saw the other day.

today i flushed the piss out of it,and its fine. glad i didnt just tear it back down today looking for a issue that isnt there.

even though the oil cooler somehow pasted the pressure test,it had to be the issue. the only thing that gets me is (HOW)