Coolant in oil Detroit 6V53 Diesel Engine

[Btad]

I have a 1984 gmc brigadier dump truck
I an getting coolant in the oil
I have done a combustion test for the head gasket it was good and I presser check the oil cooler
And it was good
Is there any other place that coolant can get in the oil
Thanks in advance

 

[Tenwheeler]

I have a 1984 gmc brigadier dump truck
I an getting coolant in the oil
I have done a combustion test for the head gasket it was good and I presser check the oil cooler
And it was good
Is there any other place that coolant can get in the oil
Thanks in advance

I would pull the pan and look for a pin hole in a cylinder wall.

 

[John C.]

I seem to recall the 53s had wet liners. Maybe and O ring.

 

[Btad]

Do you guys think a block sealer would work for a short term fix
Fro Like maybe 100hrs

 

[John C.]

No!

 

[Birken Vogt]

I have a 1984 gmc brigadier dump truck
I an getting coolant in the oil
I have done a combustion test for the head gasket it was good and I presser check the oil cooler
And it was good
Is there any other place that coolant can get in the oil
Thanks in advance

I have no idea if this applies to a 1984 53 series, but I had an early 1990s 92 series that had a stud start coming out up in the valve cover area, the stud carried the valve bridge or something in that area, and water was coming out around it and getting in the oil.

 

[56wrench]

Pull the inspection covers for the airbox on the sides of the block and check for coolant leaking from above the liner ports. 53’s and 92’s had wet liners above the port area and if the o-rings leaked, coolant would get into the airbox, be drawn into the cylinders and burned. Also, first check the airbox drains for coolant dripping

 

[kshansen]

I don't think I saw anyone mention the injector tubes in the head, unless I'm forgetting more than I recall they use the same copper tubes with an oring around the top as the 71's used.

 

[kshansen]

Guess I was remembering right:

 

[Bluox]

Air compressor.
Bad Bob

 

[kshansen]

Air compressor.
Bad Bob

Any things possible! At first I was thinking a bad water pump but after some checking see that the 53's have belt drive water pumps unlike the 71's and 92's.

Any sign of oil in radiator?

Guess I should have asked "How much antifreeze?" A couple drops of a couple Gallons?

 

[Btad]

Thanks for all the replies
I am waiting for the snow to melt
To get back on it
It happened quick like within a hour
And there was a lot of it in the oil like a gallon plus
On oil in the coolant

 

[OFF]

I believe those engine also have oil coolers, bolted into the block that are cooled by the coolant in the water jackets. They should always give you oil in the coolant, not coolant in the oil, but something to be aware of.

 

[Vetech63]

Too many things can cause coolant in the oil. We need to find out if this is happening under pressure or not.

Drain the engine oil completely and leave out the drain plug. Fill the radiator with water and leave the radiator cap off. You do not need to run the engine at this point. Look for water coming out of the oil drain. If you start seeing water from there, then we need to find at what level in the engine it may be coming from.
Find a hose or water jacket plug below the cylinder head, as close to the block deck as you can and remove it. The water above that point will drain externally. Once that upper area drains, see if you still have water coming out of the oil drain. If you do, then the problem is in the area below that point which is normally a liner seal. If it stops leaking, then you will have a leak in the cylinder head area or above. Leaks above the block deck on 53 series engines are usually a rolled oring in a water jacket under one of the cylinder head which is a common problem. The perimeter seal will catch the water leaking and put it directly into the oil pan via the oil drain passages in the engine block.

If you can get this far, then there are other methods to check for injector tube, cracked heads, etc.....

 

[kshansen]

One point I would make is "Do not try starting the engine again till you figure out where the leak is!" If it is leaking in to the combustion chamber from a cracked head, hole in cylinder wall or the bottom of an injector tube and you start the engine there is a very good chance of bending a rod and having a major failure, like rod coming out the side of the block. Seen it happen on a few V-71's not pretty!

 

[kshansen]

Thanks for all the replies
I am waiting for the snow to melt
To get back on it
It happened quick like within a hour
And there was a lot of it in the oil like a gallon plus
On oil in the coolant

Well if there is that much, a gallon or more in a hour it should be easy to find! What I hate is when the only clue is when it shows up on an oil sample.

Is it possible to get the oil pan off while in the machine? Also the valve cover?

Like I mentioned above I would not try to start engine until you have found and fixed this problem or you could be in for more work and money than you want!

If you absolutely feel the need to start it I would turn it over by hand a few revolutions nice and slow first to make sure you don't have a cylinder full of water/coolant.

 

[Truck Shop]

Hmmm.

 

[Simon C]

If it leaked a gallon very fast, most likely bottom of liner bore, or crack in side of liner. You would think that a leak in head gasket or injector o-ring that accumulates a gallon in an hour would hydrolock the cylinder from turning over. Pulled out too many of those liners to want to do another. As Kshansen said do not start . Turn over slowly with 1.5 inch socket on top pulleys. If it comes tight it is hydro-locked. If pan can come off in frame you will see the leak as plain as day.
Simon C

 

[Truck Shop]

My first thought from reading Btad's first post---a 39 year old engine. It's more than likely
never been into, All original o-rings, perimeter seals, liners and so on. Despite my dislike
for Detroit's there were tons of these engines installed in trucks just like this Jimmy with
53's that ran with out any major engine work. At this point in it's life coolant in the pan is
is probably related to {most anything where coolant flows} age. Everyone has given very
good ideas.

Combining all the thoughts-pull the pan dump straight water in it pressurize and look for
the water fall. But really it's a engine that needs to be resealed anyways just because of
age. It's like me with a hole in a artery. old.

 

[Simon C]

Truck Shop Said as close to Gospel Truth as you can about a 39 Year old unit. His suggestion will work 100% to find cause.
Simon C