Having some leak issues need some help

[panzerjunky]

Hey Fellas Hope all you east coast guys are keeping warm
I dropped a post a while back about smelling Coolant that has not gone away but now I think I have a larger issue.
I was low on coolant about a gallon and 1/4 But I have oil dripping in small amounts at the front of the engine showing up mostly on the bottom of the lower rad hose and alt mounts as well as the fan pulley and spraying on the hood inside in line with the fan.
and there is a little oil stain at the block to head joint right above the data plate on the block.
Due to coolant loss I am suspecting a head gasket leak How would one confirm this? Should I drain the oil and look for coolant?
here are some pics if more are needed just holler.
Thanks Jerry

 

[glcaines]

If you suspect coolant in the oil, I would drain it and check. If kept clean, you can put it back in if you don't find any coolant and it isn't due for an oil change. I would clean the engine as thoroughly as you can where the leaking oil is located and then try to locate the source. Try to eliminate where the fan / pully is spraying it.

 

[Floridianson]

In the automotive field we would presserize the cooling system and see if it holds pressure. If the leak is external you see it. If loss of pressure is not seen then it is internal.

 

[rrrr]

I had a slight coolant leak ended up being the lower radiator hose. It would only leak when the truck was at operating temp. It was at the clamp so a twist or two on the screw was all it took.

 

[WillWagner]

If you have any coolant in the oil, it will show up on the filler cap and under the valve covers as a white/grey goo before it shows up as emulsified water/coolant and oil in the pan. Check that first. As for the oil leak you have, if you have old style gaskets, when they fail, they will spray oil onto the areas you pictured. There are no seals on old style gaskets. To tell if you have old gaskets, look directly under the exhaust ports and see if there is a small tab sticking out. Also, the old gaskets protrude out from under the head, the new style ones are a tad smaller than the head casting so it looks like there is just a small gap between the head and deck...your pics look like the new gaskets are installed, but you need to verify that. Also, remember that ALL leaks end up at the bottom of the engine. Look higher than the pan rail. The leak start point will be the clean spot.

 

[Sutphensvc]

If you are in doubt or are curious about what's going on in your motor, go to a Detroit diesel shop and buy an oil analysis kit. Drain engine oil into the small plastic jar fill in the paperwork and drop it in the mail. The kit costs 17.00 and the price includes lab fee.

It usually only takes a week or two to get results in the mail, but is worth it. I do oil samples on EVERY fluid on a truck. Even differential, hub, transfer case, coolant, and motor.

Yes it can be pricey, but how much would it cost to be towed in off the road, and any repairs.

 

[panzerjunky]

Hey Fellas
Thanks for the info but I also think I was not 100% clear I suspected a coolant leak as I was a gallon and change low on coolant but the stuff leaking on the rad hose alternator bracket, fan and sprayed on the hood is oil so where on the front of an M35 motor can oil leak what points so I can begin searching. Normaly I keep the motor clean so I don't see this stuff but I have let it run a month or so with no cleaning to try to find the coolant leak instead I found an oil leak.
And Will the gaskets are the new type
Thanks Jerry

 

[sandcobra164]

Mine's leaking oil very slightly from the same spot. Call it a class 1 leak for the moment but it has stained the motor around the dataplate and it's obviously coming from between the head and the block. I suppose I'm looking at head gaskets if it gets worse. Mine also has the new style head gaskets as my motor was new in 91 (not rebuilt). It's never overheated on my watch but I can't speak for the 1200 hours prior to me getting ahold of it. I've verified that the coolant level is fine and the truck runs great. At least they put 2 heads on so they should be a little lighter as opposed to 1 huge long head. If anyone could imagine what else would cause it to leak there, I'm all ears but I'm pretty sure I'll have to bite the bullet and do some gaskets as part of my maintenance. It'll make for a good time to get to know my truck a little better (and cuss at the same time).

 

[mobileauto2000]

In the automotive field we would presserize the cooling system and see if it holds pressure. If the leak is external you see it. If loss of pressure is not seen then it is internal.

If you do this test, Make sure to bump the starter cautiously. if it is a internal leak you can cause a hydro lock.

 

[cattlerepairman]

Have the same or a very similar issue. Truck has done that since I got it two years ago.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/45159-engine-top-front-oil-leak-question.html

I decided to keep a head gasket set at home, research the head gasket job and keep driving the truck as long as everything works.

 

[sandcobra164]

I read through your link cattlerepairman. I sure wish I could find the old PS articles so I could reference the post about not really worrying about it until it becomes a bad leak. Anyhow, I've read through quite a few posts about replacing head gaskets and I'm quite sure that it's not that complicated a job, just slow and heavy like everything else on the truck. I might sit on this for a moment as I really need to concentrate on replacing the entire brake system on the truck (it works fine but it's old ya know!). If you got 2 years out of an oil leaking head gasket, I can at least make it to 1 more GA rally before it get's pushed to the front of the line. It runs great and the only running it's done recently was to circulate fluids and run up to temp during the winter months. I drove it yesterday and she's hitting on all 6 and getting down the road just fine and none of the fluids appear to be contaminated (I pull the oil dipstick and radiator cap at minimum before every startup).

 

[danriley06]

I had a slight coolant leak ended up being the lower radiator hose. It would only leak when the truck was at operating temp. It was at the clamp so a twist or two on the screw was all it took.

My 1971 deuce was doing the same thing the other day. First time I had it at opperating temp since I changed the radiator. I am hoping the radiator cap I got from O'Reillys is not causing it to build too much pressure. Do you know if the original cap is rated for a certain pressure?

 

[deathrowdave]

I wold suspect the head gasket . Hard to tell but you may have the type of gaskets with weep ports designed to leak !! Would not worry until it gets much worse .

 

[lippmann_keith@yahoo.com]

hey Cattlerepairman i see you have a cold weather cover i just got mine and was wondering if i can run my truck in warmer weather with cover on and open all the way with out over heating

 

[treeguy]

I just drove mine today, mid day it was like 60-65, with the winter front on. To the dump. I drove about 6 miles with the cover completely closed and the temp guage got up to 220 and stayed stable. At the dump I folded the flaps all the way open and drove home. The temp guage cooled to about 180-190. When I got home I took off the winter front completely. I have been keeping it on up until now because the engine warms up faster, also by running it today I could get an idea if it would begin to over heat.

 

[cuukvee85]

This is how my engine looked when the head gasket started to go. Then one day going to pick up a load of wood pellets it got really bad it was spraying oil at the back head onto the firewall and actually finding it's way thru the bolt holes into the cab. I am now changing the engine among other things