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Too good to be true

K

kountzelightdiesel

Contributing Member
I found and 85 model 3.0 no starter I checked it over engine was free and the oil was clean the price was reasonable so I bought it and brought it home.

I put a starter on it hooked water to it and got it cranked. I made a few checks and found that the oil had went milky.

Is it likley it has a blown head gasket? Or worse a hole in the water jacket?

Any thoughts?
 
I will first thing in the morning I am if it is a head gasket i am doubting it will show on on compression the engine is very balanced. As a mechanic my first thought was electrolysis. I see it put pin holes in cylinder liners even in a closed cooling system. That is my curse assume the worst. lol
 
electrowhat?

probably freeze cracked block, or badly warped head from serious overheat.

Or just water in the oil.-rain

Pressurizing the cooling system to 10 psi the only way to find the leak.
 
Hate to say it, but it sounds like the previous owner had a problem with it, and changed the oil, and removed the Starter so it couldn't be fired up in his presence.

I am always suspicious of new clean oil in an engine for sale. What I want to see is clean old oil.

Bruce.
 
Hystat how do you pressure test that type of cooling system?

After before you said rain water I thought the same. When I went and looked at it I just pulled the stick didn't actually check the level. I went back and checked it after I found the milk and the level is the same. I think the water may have already been there just not emulsified yet. Keeping my fingers crossed its rain water. It was sitting outside with no engine cover for several years. It is a rare thing if it gets cold enough here to freeze an engine.
 
If it had been sitting awhile its possible there has been water in there for quite some time. My oil didn't look milky when I bought mine either and it milked up after i got it running. And the fact it has been sitting with cover off it very well could be rain water. I wish you the best of luck and happy boating.
 
Sitting outside with no cover on it is a sure way of getting water inside, especially if there is no cover over the Carby.

Water inside an engine block will freeze when the temperature falls below freezing, and once the water freezes, the internal pressure of the continued freezing water will try to expand the best way it can, but seeing as the outlets will have frozen first, and cannot raise upward, due to the shape of the frozen bits, it goes to the next weakest point. Read as black casting, welsh plugs, etc, etc.

Bruce.

PS. Temperature depends on where you live as well, but where was the engine before you purchased it? was it local?
 
Don't forget that any water in the sump will always be covered by the Oil, until it is mixed. It could have settled over the years, as Oil floats on Water.

Bruce.
 
Remove the t-stat housing the entire thing. Look in the neck into the head see a hole into the pushrod hole ? In short the head water jacket could be shot happened to me.
 
Bruce the boat is local. I'm one of the lucky ones who don't see freezes we have been hitting the lake and swimming for two months now!

I was wondering if these engines were prone to basically rusting out. My 2.5 that gave up on me, the previous owner took horrible care of it, putting it in salt water and never flushing it. It had a pretty crusty manifold but no water in oil, so I was kind of using it as a standard of durability.
 
85' 3.0 in my boat now, would still have the 2.5 if i didn't pull a head bolt hole up changing the head.

If someone doesn't take care of the stuff they own they can ruin it in one year.

In short the 3.0 is as bullet proof as you can get in a motor that is.
 
Ok here is the deal this morning.

I changed the engine oil and filter, hooked up to water and ran it for about 20 minutes I stated getting black water out of the exhaust and the temp started coming up. The water out flow dropped off so I'm sure the water pump trashed... not a big deal cause I just want the engine for now. I disconected the Inlet hose from the outdrive and hooked my hose direct and reran it the exhaust ran clear after a total of about 45 min of running the oil is clean!

Now I'm worried that it was a fluke and if I put it in my boat under normal circumstances it will happen again. Guess I just need to make the swap and hope for the best.

Chiefalen when I pull that engine can I just unbolt it at the flywheel housing and lift it out leaving the outdrive in the boat?
 
Ok here is the update.

Got the engine swapped into my boat today ran it for an additional hour or so on the muffs and no water in the oil. I'm gonna keep a close watch on it but I think its ok.

Thankyou for all of your advice I'm sure I'll need it again in the furture.
 
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