BobCat

No, but the name is very familiar - I think there is a street in town named for the family. Nice armadillo! And very kind of you to haul him out of the water.

The_Hammer, I'm so sorry to see the pictures, and happy the water is dropping. Also having a little "survivor guilt" since we did not get flooded, and we are just up the road from you in East Bernard. If there is anything I can do to help you, please PM me! Not sure what use I could be but I'm not far away.

Thanks Cowboy! Leaning toward a head gasket instead of re-torquing. I'm over my reluctance to pull out the injectors. Thinking about it, you are clearly right that the point is to keep trash out of the injector pump and injector inlets. Leaving them in the head will do nothing towards that. Been reading on the Internet and darned if I can find the holes in the cowl that are supposed to be there, to get the back pushrods out. I do have an engine crane. If my engine stand were not cheap Harbor Freight, suitable for small 4 cylinder engines, I'd be tempted to pull the engine out so I could work on it without tearing up my back or risking dropping trash into it. At this point I feel like, if the head does not need machining, this will be a relatively simple, if time-consuming, job. If it is warped I need to figure out where to take it and how to get it there. And on Monday I will call the mechanic that my buddy recommends, and ask him for a time and cost estimate. If it is warped, he can deal with it! Thanks and we'll see how this develops. I feel like I ought to be grateful for a chance to do something I've never done on a diesel. Andrew

Cowboy, you are right; I'm almost certain it is the head gasket. No pictures but I cleaned it real well, dried, added fluorescent dye to the radiator, and started it. Let it run at idle a few minutes. I see the leak with my twisty inspection mirror and it sure looks like the head-to-block joint, near but not at the thermostat housing. It has lost almost a gallon of coolant in the last 5 weeks. If I were confident it would stay at that rate, I'd wait til plant shutdown in December and replace the head gasket. Anyway I'm ready for your tips about re-torquing the head - probably ought to start a new thread on this but we're here now. Service Manual says what you said so I'm questioning how to go to 90 ft-lb + 90 degrees, if they are already there? Is there a torque (like, 100-125 ft-lb) that would be ok but not too much? From the book, the head gasket looks not-too-hard, but I have questions. 1) Do you re-torque it after it has been run for a while, and if so, to what value? 2) Do the injectors need to come out of the head, or can I just pull the metal lines and leave the injectors alone? Concerned about dirt. 3) How imperative is it to pull the valves out of the head once it is off? No valve job in 582k mikes, but does not act like it needs one. You can tell I "want to make it right" on one hand, and "don't want go go hog wild" on the other. ...and my buddy knows a diesel mechanic who works on his 24 valve, and highly recommends him, and says I'm too old to keep doing this all myself. I could afford to have it done but am reluctant - ego too involved. May be time to grow up, let the man make a few bucks on me, spend the time with my wife or at the rifle range instead of in the barn with the truck apart... As always - Thanks! Andrew

I have no problem with the fluctuation, as long as it is not damaging anything. I worry about causing problems by using "the wrong" parts or whatever. If I have to change the head gasket, I'm worried about getting dirt or contamination into something, because it is a diesel. If it were any kind of gas engine, from a lawnmower to a V8, I would have no qualms about a head gasket. But there just seems to be so much more to potentially screw up on a diesel... I worry about cleanliness and dirt in the injectors and so forth - maybe this is just "fear of the unknown". Anyway, thanks for the feedback on the thermostat! Andrew

Thank you Cowboy, this is exactly what I'm worried about. I've read enough on the Internet to know it is a common leak area and have been worried. But since the truck runs fine, oil analysis is excellent, and the leak is so slow that there is never a puddle, I wonder whether it is wise to fix the head gasket leak or just monitor it (if that's what it turns out to be). Also - I want to know how to be sure it is the head gasket. Seems like if I replace the seal rings on the thermostat and the leak is still there, it is almost certainly the head gasket. Or is there another way to tell for sure?

No picture yet, let me 1) Gunk the engine down, 2) run it for a few days, 3) try to get a photo using black light. I don't want to make too much of a big deal about this, but if I get the leak fixed it will be time to put a radio in the truck.

Thanks, I'd never noticed it fluctuating before and was worried I'd messed up by putting in an "auto parts" thermostat instead of one made like the original. I still don't understand the rubber coat, but it is only one of the many, many things I don't understand...

Cool, Thanks! Either the liquid is coming out the seal rings, or from the head. Can't you tell I'm just itching to put a head gasket in? Even if it does not need one? I think resealing the thermostat is the first step. If that fixes the leak, that was where it was leaking...

First, thanks for the help and hand-holding through my oil cooler failure - no more oil in the coolant, and oil analysis shows no coolant in the oil. Still have a minor coolant leak - I think I have it localized to the thermostat seal rings but not sure. Could be head gasket but no indication of gas in the cooling system - it is an external leak, whatever. Did y'all know that antifreeze fluoresces in black light all by itself, without any fluorescent dye added? Weird. Anyway, temperature gauge was acting like the thermostat was stuck open - taking forever to even budge off the peg and never really getting up to temp, so I took changed the thermostat out. The old one had rubber pieces stuck in it, keeping it from closing. Could not figure out where the rubber sheet-like stuff came from until my wife found a picture on the internet, showing that the stock thermostat has this rubber wrapped around the body of it. Laid out the pieces on the bench and it sure looks like that is where it came from. Auto parts store Stant 180º thermostat did not have the rubber wrap or look quite the same; put it in anyway. Re-used the two rubber seal ringss that hold the thermostat in place (since I didn't have new ones and it was a Sunday). Now the engine gets to operating temperature just fine, but if I watch the gauge I can see the thermostat open, temp drop some, then come back up to 180º, then drop some again - like, the old thermostat had the rubber coat on to keep it stable and not have to open and close so much. Temp never goes high, never drops real low, just cycles. And I think the leak - maybe a cup every week or so - is from the seals I re-used. Damp there, and black light makes it fluoresce just like new antifreeze/water mix I use to top up the overflow tank. So my question is, do you think this thermostat is ok, or should I get "the right one" (with the rubber blanket on it) and new seals, and change it out? I value your opinions. Thanks in advance! Andrew

Thanks! My wife's Element is a 2004 and it only has about 85k miles on it - she uses her '92 Toyota 4x4 on the farm and runs the Honda only on the public roads, and does not go anywhere except the grocery store, Vet, and maybe the dentist. She loves that car and does not plan on giving it up. The Toyota V6 has a timing belt, I changed it years ago and it is probably due again, not based on mileage but based on time. Miles don't accrue very fast in low range but hours do. I've been looking - actually, educating myself on what is out there since I've gotten so out of touch - and have to admit I keep looking at old Dodge/Cummins pickups, newer / less miles than mine. She says I'm crazy, 3/4 the people who own a vehicle do not maintain them properly and if you buy one that has not been maintained, it will be junk. She says "buy new and run it 'til it drops, just like the Dodge" and in many ways I think she is right. There is a website - measuringworth.com - where you can plug in a dollar value, a starting year, and an ending year. It says the $4500 I piad for my '76 Chevy half-ton is equal to ~$18k now, and $25k in 1995 is like $38k now. Can't get used to it, but coffee is no longer a dime... To make things even more unclear my truck has been behaving perfectly since the oil cooler incident. I met a guy when the water pump failed last spring, who has a towing service / body shop, and I have his number in my phone. In 20 years that is the only time my truck went home on the hook (actually, on a flat-bed wrecker). So in a way I'm covered if something breaks between home and work. Still looking / thinking, thanks for the good info on the Element! Andrew

You're probably kidding but that is a good idea! I used to fantasize about pvc pipes in a row, with squirt nozzles pointed up, in the garage, to rinse the undercarriage with hot water to wash the salt off. Afraid of the clean (as opposed to salty) water freezing overnight and sticking the truck in place. The old Chev, this was BC (before Cummins).

Nothing to add but I'm pleased to be reminded about rust! No salt here in Texas, no rust on the frame or body, the contrast with my 76 Chevy that "grew up" in Chicago is totally stark. Every time I think I ought to have kept and restored it, all I have to do is think about the door skins flapping on account of the door bottoms rusting out, and replacing brake lines after they rusted out and the pedal went to the floor (exaggeration - only one of the rear lines burst, still had fronts). Back in the day we used to brag that if they didn't rust out, we'd keep them running forever. Didn't think about getting old, weak, achy, and having to get to work every day instead of fixing baroque cars... Z06Frank, I hope you find a good one you like!

Good tip and interesting strategy! I went looking on autotrader.com for VW diesels and found a few in Houston, attractive prices, but all well over 100k miles. I'm thinking that is not really very high mileage for a TDI but what do I know? Judging by my Dodge/Cummins, 100k is almost new, but for a VW car it may be half (or more) used up. This is turning out to be interesting, I'm learning a lot, thanks.

Ok, a further question for y'all. Would anyone ever consider buying a used vehicle - from a dealer? I asked (bothered) everyone at the match yesterday about what they drive and whether they'd buy another. Almost all said they loved their car/truck and would buy another. Two people suggested I look for a VW TDI and one of them talked about "dealer certified" - like, the dealer sells you a car he took as a trade-in but gives a warranty similar to a new car warranty. I've always thought that buying a used car from a dealer was a poor idea, better off private, but craiglsist scares me a little and the idea of a warranty on a used car was intriguing. And times change! 40 years ago I thought I knew something about mechanical things like cars, trucks, and bikes. I may or may not have then, but I sure don't now. So I'm reading your words and learning. Thanks!

Thank you again! It has been ~250 miles since changing the oil cooler and every time I get home, I let the truck cool off and then open the radiator cap. All I see is green coolant. I flushed the plastic overflow tank - took it off and washed it with dish soap, rinsed it good. No more oil in the coolant. Anyway I just want to convey my thanks and appreciation for both the technical advice and the "emotional" support - I was really upset! The truck is fixed and even if I look for a "backup" vehicle I'm hanging onto the truck. In 2018-19 or whenever they run me off from work, I'll take the time to sand and prime it, and take it so a guy I know (who does good body work and paint) for the color coat. Or maybe not - maybe I'll just keep driving it... Regards, Andrew

Wow, that's cool! Thanks. We (my brother and I) used the thread on air-cooled VW engines back in the day, and it seemed to work, as it did on BSAs and Triumphs. But an o-ring groove - someone using their head!

Killer223, good point about buying new / keeping forever. That's my 76 Chev and this 95 Dodge. But @ 66 I don't have forever to wear it out - no problem if my wife can sell it or use it. Interesting about Subaru head gaskets... might help to re-torque heads periodically? These are 4 cyl flat opposed, right? Might be hard to get to but anything preventive that enhances reliability is a real good investment. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions! I'm making notes and will start asking people at work and tomorrow at the match what they like or don't like about whatever they are driving. And who knows... someone might have a friend or family member who has a (known maintainance) 3-5 yr old something that runs good that they want to sell because they want something else. Leaks brings back an old story about motorcycles, specifically British vertical twins. Vertically split cases, always a puddle on the pavement. Someone told of an old trick the airplane guys used on vertical split cases - a single cotton thread on one of the case gasket surfaces, embedded in Permatex #2. Assembled and properly torqued, the thread flattened and made like, line conatct - no more leaks! It worked, too. Wonder if anyone still uses that trick?

Very interesting about Toyota 4x4s! My wife's "farm truck" (retired from road use in 2004, used around the farm only) is a '92 Toyota V6 4x4 that she loves. Still will not let it go but drives a Honda Element on the roads. It used to need CV-joint boots pretty often but they quit failing when the wrap-on replacements came out and you didn't have to take the half-shaft out any more. And it needed a fuel pump - the electric one in the tank and I dropped the tank to replace it, instead of pulling the bed off (duh!). And a clutch... and I promised myself that winter I'd never do another clutch in a flat stall, alone, especially on a trans with a transfer case that wanted to torque it around on the jack. But is is a good truck! You are right about suiting to purpose. Was a time I'd put 1,000 pounds of range cubes in my truck to feed cattle, several times per winter. I actually do not need a truck any more, just a daily driver to work and the range. But I've had a pickup since 1976 and feel real odd looking at cars... My friend who was in uh... overseas with the military... says there are tons of Toyota 4x4 diesels in the middle east and places like that, speaking of the EPA. I'd buy one of those in a new york minute. What I actually want... speaking of ny, do y'all know what a Checker Marathon is? I want a 2/3 scale checker marathon with a 3 or 4 cylinder turbo diesel, about a 6 speed trans, 2-speed rear end, and nothing electrical on it but headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, and maybe a radio. Too bad... "you can't always get what you want"... Will look at Craigslist for Camray and Honda cars...

Thank you! A data point is good! My truck only gets 20-22 mpg so 22-23 on gas does not sound bad. My brother's last truck was a Nissan Frontier and he totally regrets letting it go. And I'm sore at him for not giving me first crack at it, I know it's history. Water under the bridge... Do you worry about computers in cars, and getting "hacked"? Seems like, if you go "modern" you have a computer, no two ways about it...

My truck has 576k miles and 20 years on it, and may (or may not) be on its way out. There is no vehicle that I lust after. I'm out of touch with the automotive world, have been satisfied with my Cummins, and haven't kept up with what is available. My brother tells me, "Why look for a used car? You've already got a used car" - but new frightens me, the first scratch, the first windshield crack, and so forth. Not to mention depreciation; used to be, you bought a new car and the value dropped by half once you had the title in your name and drove it around the block. Don't know if that is still true? He as a Nissan electric car and hates it - great acceleration, lousy range. Calls it his "golf cart". Don't know what prompted him (Mr. Pontiac 389) to buy such a thing, all that crap about no oil changes, no gas, no cooling system / belts / hoses, no spark plugs / cap/rotor/wires, no exhaust system to rot out - is all true but it is crap, I can't figure the real reason. His wife, my SIL, has a Subaru Forrester. She loves it, it is reliable, fast enough for her, gets 28 mpg, and so forth. Maybe she is easy to please. My wife has a Honda Element. It is ok, some torque-steer, blind spots (but if it were mine I'd put better mirrors on it), I'm driving it while my truck is laid up and she is out of town...have to have a plan, she comes home next Thursday. A couple people at the rifle club have some kind of little Honda that looks like an old-fashioned station wagon - seems like good visibility out, room for rifle cases, not so fancy-looking to get stolen, don't know what they are called or what they cost, can ask Sunday if I go to the match. (If I'm stupid enough to go lie in the Sun at 100º). So what would you look for? New or used? Car or pickup? Mission statement: I work 3-1/2 more years until I'm 70 and they run me off. Work is 46 miles each way, 5 days a week, and about 50 each way to the rifle club three Sundays a month, figure ~25-30k miles a year, maybe 75-100k total until retirement. Old, stiff neck, have to be able to see out, no cars with view-slits, need plenty glass. Nothing that sits too low. Don't really need a pickup any more, but I had a "76 short bed 1/2 ton Chevy (350 / 3-speed) until I got my Dodge in '95, so I'm kind of used to pickups... Very interested to read your thoughts...

Thank you! I need to ask the guy exactly where the crack is, if he is so sure it is a cracked block. Pulling the head seems like the right next step. This truck has given me 20 years of service and I'm not going to give up on it easily - but I'm not wedded to it. When people at work ask me why I don't "get a new truck" I tell them I need to know how far this one will go, and what will finally do it in. Just like me - but unless I die in my sleep, I'll know what got me. So if this is the end, ok; but "it ain't over 'till it's over" and pulling the head is the logical next step. Andrew Edited to add: Please disregard, I think it really is fixed and the last puke of yellow emulsion I saw in the overflow tank must have been what was left in the system after all the flushing, and collected in the filler neck. Once it cooled enough to remove the cap, the liquid under a thin film of yellow was green coolant, exactly what should be there. ...and the oil level is not down - if it is missing any, it is less than the thickness of the line on the dipstick. Moral of the story - don't listen to me, sometimes I panic, especially when it is about my truck. After the smoke clears (in a few days) I'll post an update. Thanks for all the hand-holding and technical advice. It is my first and only diesel.

Update: flushed until clean, refilled with coolant, all seemed well, took it for a run, and long-story-short same symptoms - oil in coolant after a 20 mile run. Called a local diesel guy (who came highly recommended by a guy at work) and talked to him about it. He says if it isn't the oil cooler it is not a head gasket or cracked head, it is a cracked block. Says these engines are known for that - first I've heard of it. Have any of y'all heard of a 12-valve block cracking after 500k miles? The only thing I can think of is a couple months ago the water pump failed, I stopped and it went home on a flat-bed tow truck since I was afraid of cooking it trying to limp home. Very bummed out, looking for your thoughts on the likelihood of a cracked block, other possible diagnoses. ...and am going to start a thread in the "general" forum about "what would you look for" in terms of transportation.

...let me look - cascade....

Fixed, as far as I can tell now. Cooler came day before yesterday, gaskets came yesterday evening. Put it together this morning, was disgusted when the coolant (just water I filled it with) looked milky, but kept draining and refilling and it is pretty clear now. Am going to drain and refill again, but having trouble deciding (no, that's a lie) whether to replace upper and lower hoses, then refill. But they are only 2 years old and show no signs of deterioration, so they stay, I drain once or twice more, then fill with antifreeze and top up with whatever water it needs after getting the specified 2 gallons of green stuff. You know what they call "paralysis by analysis"? It is the jackass standing between two hay bales, who starves to death because he can't decide which one to eat. If its fixed, its fixed - how much more fixed is it going to get if I keep on messing with it?