cheappoolstuff

Well, this is a long sad story but I'll try to shorten it as I can. I have a 95 2500 4x4 Ram 5 speed diesel. Last year, estrogen based unit borrowed truck, water pump went, she kept driving until #6 piston melted so thoroughly, it went thru turbo with NO visible damage to vanes!!!!...Sooooo...I decided to buy another motor and swap them ...found a 2001 w/65000 orig miles. It was 800 miles away but guaranteed good and the price was fair, so I made the trip and grabbed the motor, bought an edge comp box and a 5" exhaust system. engine came with all harness, computers, rad, intercooler, alt, a/c.....very complete and clean. before buying I checked for cracks or signs of leaks, pulled valve cover, checked oil color and clarity (was dark but clear, viscosity good, obviously used, but clean and clear) upper section of valve train visible after cover removed looked spotless. No signs of any contaminant or dirt. This is where the fun starts....I have seen many questions in here about the 12v to 24v swap, and apparently none of the people whose posts I had read had or would or could do it. no matter the reason , none of them had made the swap.....well... we did ...and we finally got it all wired up properly, and I was PSYCHED...I was FINALLY getting my baby back...we had let the truck idle to temperature after start, then I (at idle) moved the truck inside to a lift so we could finish installing the exhaust (all that was on at that point was the down tube) and that should have been the end of the project. I saw some water coming out from under the truck near the dash and immediately shut down. at first I thought it was water that had been trapped in the firewall air intake, but upon closer inspection I saw that it was coming from a small capillary line I had not noticed before that was coming from the side of the head (analog oil pressure gauge line). At that point my manhood sagged noticeably....I pulled the dipstick, and sure enough...a milkshake **************!!!!! Ok, so I know there's a real problem , but what??? There is no way that this motor had mixed the water and oil before... I would have seen some sign somewhere of the residue. Everything had been triple checked and replaced if even slightly worn before start-up, and ther was no leak until the truck was actually moved and it had not overheated. Does anyone have any idea of what I am dealing with here??? I am at a total loss for a reasonable theory, and I was so disgusted when it happened I have yet to even look at the truck again yet. I am afraid to approach it for fear of loss of control and just smashing the whole damned thing to a wad of diesel smelling tin foil. Please help if you can. I guess I will have to tear it down again sometime and fix it...I'm assuming it's a head gasket or liner, but if there is some other possible source you know of that would save me from having to undo or redo all I had just finished doing, I won't kiss you myself, but I will buy the beer and pay for a cute hooker of your choice and you can even pick where the kiss goes....LOL...thanks in advance and thanks for listening to me whine.

rustyshakelford

has the water level dropped?

is there oil in the coolant?

brett

dj_souvlaki

first thing i would check is the head gasket.

but watch the language on these boards its a family based website.

cheappoolstuff

yes water level dropped, but I saw no oil in water, just water in the oil

cheappoolstuff

sorry about the faux pas ....ready to postalize here and I vented a bit...this has been a three month $10k+ fiasco...I could eat eggs rolled in sand about now ...I either have to vent or something's gonna die...slowly...

jurish

What I would do is drain the entire cooling system and plug the bottom water port on the engine and disconnect the heater core lines and plug them. Use your air compressor to pressurize the system from the top port. Once you get it to 20 psi or so, just use your ears..

Sidewinder

I can't really help but I thought your writing was VERY entertaining. At least your keeping your sense of humor.

estrogen based unit

And congradulations on the 12 to 24 swap. I wouldn't try it.

92DuallyCTD

As you didn't mention it...we are assuming you DID change the old oil & filter...RIGHT?? If not(first of all shamey-shamey), it may have been water sitting in the bottom of the pan that was freshly mixed @ startup. Where from? Possibly sat in the elements for a short while, possibly just internal condensation. On one hand let's hope you didn't change oil, and that may be all it is...on the other hand let's hope you DID change oil, as you should, and this may still be something minor? Good luck to you!!

gunny

My line of thinking is that the water got in it from rain or improper storage. Should the engine have run with water in the oil you would have seen some other evidence of this such as milky oil, rusted valve train components.

Drain it. Keep some of it in a clean mason jar for future reference.

Pressurize the cooling system to 10 psi and see if it will hold pressure. If it does, change the filter, fill with fresh oil and run it for a few minutes, change oil and filter again until it stays clean and clear.

If it doesn't hold pressure, pull the valve cover and listen for the leak, it'll be a head, head gasket or cracked block.

Wish you the best on this. Let us know what you find.

patdaly

My first thought is that it could be coming from the engine oil cooler. Perhaps in transient it was cracked, or perhaps you used the one off the 12V and missed something?

Only after I verified that would I suspect anything such as a head gasket, and even then I would say no way based upon your description of the engine.

Check out the cooler and let us know how that turned out.

92DuallyCTD

Pat, the engine oil cooler would be a good idea for water infiltration...but assuming it was cracked/leaking, I'd assume the greater pressure of the oil @ 20-60psi would easily overcome the water pressure @ 0-16psi, so probably not the oil cooler, no? But still a good idea!! BTW, cheap-y, you haven't said yet whether you did change the old oil first...which would be my first guess of water origin.

gunny

Possible for it to be coming from the oil cooler but very doubtful. Every oil cooler leak I've ever seen put oil into the coolant and I've been around diesels for a very long time.

How hard core are you? Taste it, if it has a sweet taste, antifreeze. Don't swallow any of it.

If you let it sit for a while, the water might settle back out. If you can get some of the water, its got to be clear, no oil with it. Test it with a swimming pool chlorine tester, if no chlorine, probably rain water, if any trace of chlorine, came from a city water source.

Hope that is helpful information.

torquefan

I agree. This works pretty well. Dab a finger into the "milkshake" and have a little taste. You should be able to detect the sweetness of antifreeze. From your story, it sure sounds more believeable that some rainwater found its way in during shipping or storage.

Jim Lane

Is there any chance you might have pressure washed the engine compartment or washed it out with the hose at sometime between the time you brought it home and when you started it.

I have blown off a breather cap once or twice with my pressure washer.

I would also pressure test the cooling system and listen for leaks, it should be significant with the short time the engine was run. versus the amount of water lost.

I am not familiar with the 24V engine but are there any oil and coolant lines that may have been connected incorrectly.

Good Luck Jim

belgianmagic

POST # 4 Says it all !