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Hi All,

Just asking for some general advice here. Long story, but I am trying to do some diagnostics.

My ute has been off the road for a year. It was mechanically fixed up to drive 12 months ago. After being in storage for a few years. The basics to get it moving Carby kit, brakes, clutch, plugs, points, hoses, grease & oil change etc.

I did other the necessaries to get up to scratch for the pending the blue slip road worthy here in NSW. New Horn, New battery tray, Fuel pump gasket & clean out.

She hadn't been started for a fair while, first it was battery and then it was fuel pump. So after I did those things over a few weekends I got her going with a little help of putting a capful of petrol down the carby. Something i have done before, with no drama.

So she starts up and goes but doesn't maintain at low revs. just conc-ed out. I thought well she has been resting for a while, like all old things needs a bit of a warm up and encouragement. I did this a few times with the same sort of result.
So the next time i made sure all was good with water in the radiator, topped it up with coolant.
AND I also put some oil in while the engine was warm. thinking it maybe need some lubrication in there. I gave it a fair few gulps. Not the usual penrite stuff but off the shelf shell.

Started up by same method of petrol down the carby. rev'ed flat high for awhile. all good. Then a bit of a blow back like a backfire...and a small flame up from the carby. I didn't think much of that.
Then it ran for a while until lots of very, very white smoke started coming out from the engine breather. The oil lamp came on in the dash immediately and a milky, almost creamy discharge from the dipstick came out.

Milky oil, in my experience is classic blown head gasket. Water mixing with oil somewhere.

Feeling a bit crap because its a blown gasket. I was hoping to get it all sorted and rego'd by xmas.
I google to try to find a machinist in the area and find out how the hell am i going to get the cylinder head done and replace the gasket myself.!!#$

So I leave it for a few days.

Today, I go down to the shed do a real autopsy to see what the hell is going on. Maybe this milky stuff isnt oil and water mixing. Started up same way, runs high and low for a good while, no problem. Cap off the radiator, No bubbles from the radiator coming up. No white smoke. But still this creaminess in the oil at top and on the dip stick. While it was running an overflow of milky oil at the dipstick as it is running. But no rev problems.
And the radiator water was clean, no oily ness.

So I am thinking, Maybe the head is ok and it is not a gasket problem.

I definitely put too much oil in her. Could I have just stuffed the oil mix. And put in way too much in.
Could it be that the milky ness is from a mix of the the oils ?

Do I just need to bleed out and change the oil?

Experienced thoughts appreciated.

Xmas Cheers
Ben

Attached are some pics of my finger in the oil at top when it was cold. (it looks bad) dipstick ( over full).
I have had the ute for a long time but I used to get my mechanic to sort out every thing for me. Now I have a garage I want to do it myself.

Are you losing water from the radiator as well? Sounds like head gasket or cracked head if your having trouble getting it to run properly i.e. water is effecting proper combustion.
Could also be holed welch plug behind the sideplate as well if its not related to the running/backfiring issue.
Sometimes older high mileage engines would suffer with milky sludge in the rocker cover due to excessive combustion blowby. Yours sounds like you have water leaking into the crankcase.
What ever you do please stop running it. Water damages engine bearings very quickly. Combustion pressure and resultant forces on the conrod turns the water into steam from the impact forces. The change of state from water to steam coincides with the water/steam expanding to 9 times of the volume. As it tries to escape it splays the bearing shells. After that you've got corrosion issues if it gets that far.
Pull the side plate and have a look for leaks (pressure test the cooling system). After that I'd pull the head and have a look.

Hey Craig,

Will Check it out.

Many thanks
BG

I am with Craig. Is it missing at all? If not it may minimise a leaning towards a head gasket / head even though the gasket or head may only be compromised between the oil gallery and coolant galleries.

I would lean towards a welsh plug or two based (or three) on your description. Even if it isn't when you go to check I would definitely replace them if they haven't been replaced in the past with brass ones. They will only cause you a headache down the track. If it gets to the point of getting a pressure test done and it confirms a head gasket or head, I would also replace the welsh plug on the head as well. Ken McLean from FE FC Holden club would also suggest that if you have the side cover off and doing the welsh plugs that you take the opportunity to get a pressure cleaner and go berserk cleaning out he water jackets. Once completed complete a reverse flush on the cooling system.

Don't run the motor for the reasons Craig mentions but also if the oil is over filled as you are describing you will blow gaskets and seals as well. A job down the track I am sure you don't want to do, especially the rear main.

Cheers

Rod

Agree with Rod and Craig - looks like a blown head gasket or cracked head.

The other thing that comes to mind is that the oil level is waaaaay overfull. At that level, the crank acts like a mix master, throwing oil around a lot more than normal. It will aerate (foam) the oil really quickly, leading to bubbly oil and a loss of oil pressure (the oil pump doesn't like pumping foam). This is probably why the idiot light came on.

It could be two separate events (blown gasket and overfull) though as that oil is very white. Hard to tell though as the engine has been sitting idle for a while. If you don't fancy tearing stuff down, start with a pressure test. Your local radiator mob can do one (would need to get in fast though as they will soon be closing for Christmas).

Cheers,
Harv

Thanks a lot fellas,

Great advice all round.

I was hoping it was just the head gasket or even cracked head,
but those welsh plugs look like a royal headache to get to too.

At the very least I reckon the gasket is done, Will do pressure test.
And probably a good time to do an overhaul, clean out all over, as you suggest.

Rookie question, when you take down the side plate can you get to all the welsh plugs?

Cheers
Ben

Side plate will have to come off anyway if your going to pull the head. Once the side plate is off and pushrods are out you can access those welch plugs. There are 3 others on the other side of the block too (remove manifolds to get to them).
There is one in the back of the head that you can do when it is removed. Once you've got an idea on the overall condition of the cooling system i.e. if the block is full of crap and the plugs are rusted out, have a think about whether you need to do the one at the back of the block. You'll either have to pull the motor or box to get to that one.
Whatever you do refit brass plugs and keep the system clean with an annual flush out and replacement coolant. Some may even say every two or so years. Don't forget your radiator and thermostat. If the blocks full of crap its more than likely the radiator will be suffering also.