oil in coolant, no coolant in oil. bad cap, next test?

[BobCat]

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.
 

Edited August 14, 2015 by BobCat

[JAG1]

Another story about an owner that can't believe   his truck can go so long.   I went thru that for awhile. I used to listen for what I thought was a change in noise if there was any....... Oh I think I never heard that one before etc.   But the truck keeps on going strong ,  still likes to be worked once in awhile. Amazing engine.

 

 

Glad you got it fixed

[BobCat]

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

[808Pants]

BobCat - I go through your 'jump-to-the-worst-case' thinking ALL the time, just a natural inclination to expect disaster, I think, but like you, only when it's MY stuff I'm diagnosing.  When I was 18 and felt the clutch slipping, I *knew* it was oil from the main seal getting into the pressure-plate...couldn't have been just the slave-cylinder hanging up, right?  I'd pulled the engine at least once chasing the oil-leak diagnosis before someone asked me about the condition of my clutch hydraulics...

 

There's probably a specialty drug for this.

 

- Dave