Steam from oil fill and dipstick

[ChrisM]

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone that has taken time to share their knowledge through this forum. It has been an invaluable resource for me since purchasing an M1009 in September of last year. This will be my first real post with a question because all my other questions have been answered by reading here. In truth, this question may have been answered as well. I just want to confirm without a doubt before I put more effort into correcting the problem, that I understand it.


My M1009 has 19,000 miles on the odometer. I purchased this vehicle from someone who bought it from a government auction. I used this forum to do the needed maintenance and modifications. I have done the doghead relay mod, the glow plug resistor bypass, rebuilt the alternator, changed all fluids, changed all hoses, replaced all window and door seals, repaired the rusty floor pans, upgraded the headlight harness and head lights, repainted with HD house paint.


The vehicle had been sitting for a couple of months while I saved for a set of tires to replace the worn out ones that came on the truck. I decided to take the truck to work one afternoon and made it a block when the low coolant light came on. I turned it around and headed back to the house. I pulled the radiator cap and couldn't see any coolant. I put about 2 gallons of water into the radiator. The radiator was full when it was originally parked. To fix the problem I replaced my head gaskets, had a machine shop steam clean and pressure test the heads. I also had them machine the heads to make sure they were not warped. I replaced the head bolts with ARP studs and used ARP stud sealer on the threads. I used the ARP lube and followed the torque sequence they recommended. I replaced everything with new seals, filters, and fluids.


I completed the work and have driven the vehicle around town on short (10 miles or so) runs. I installed a coolant temp sensor using one of the posts on the forum as a guide. Engine temps were consistent and steady, never exceeding 180 degrees. It has been fine for a couple of months.


Last week I drove the vehicle to a local lake about 40 miles round trip. I watched the coolant temp gauge closely and it remained steady. I returned home and parked the truck. This morning I went out and started up the truck, my brother in law is in town and wanted to see it run. The coolant light came on and I checked the level, it was very low again. I put about 2 gallons of water in the radiator before it was full. I pulled the oil fill cap and dip stick with the engine running, white steam vapor is poring out of them again.


I am trying to figure out what I should do now? I'm assuming it is still the head gasket or could it be the block? Could the machine shop have missed a crack in the head? I have coolant in the oil for sure, but no oil in the coolant that I can tell.


Thank you,
Chris

 

[73m819]

Could be the oil cooler (think 09s have them)

 

[61sleepercab]

What does the oil look like? Is it milky? You may have a small crack somewhere that leads to the crankcase.

Try an old time mechanic trick that has worked for me to seal radiator leaks. Mix ground cinnamon powder (like you sprinkle on toast) in very hot water to make a heavy solution and pour in cooling system and let circulate a while. The powder will stay in solution until it hits air and then it clogs the crack. Worth a try. Mark

 

[steved454]

My leak was caused by a small hole in my 25 year old radiator. replaced it and running good again. On another note never put tap water in your radiator. Put only distilled water or 50/50 coolant in it.

 

[markg]

Last week I drove the vehicle to a local lake about 40 miles round trip. I watched the coolant temp gauge closely and it remained steady. I returned home and parked the truck. This morning I went out and started up the truck, my brother in law is in town and wanted to see it run. The coolant light came on and I checked the level, it was very low again. I put about 2 gallons of water in the radiator before it was full. I pulled the oil fill cap and dip stick with the engine running, white steam vapor is poring out of them again.

Thank you,
Chris

i hope i am wrong , tough situation but it has happened to me. i bought a clean 1009 that had low miles from GL. i was loosing water big time and some was ending up in the crankcase. i pulled both heads, had them checked, put it back together , same problem. i was about to drive it off the cliff!! i pulled both heads back off the truck. one piston just happened to be down far enough for me to see the crack in the cylinder wall. i ended up replacing the motor. i still have that core. it had under 20k like yours. good luck!!!

 

[ChrisM]

61sleepercab,

Yes, the oil looks milky where it is mixing with the water. Milky residue is under the oil fill cap. Thank you for the tip, I said water in my post but I used distilled water in the radiator.

 

[ChrisM]

Steved454,

I was wondering if the radiator could cause this problem. I have no external leaks but is it possible for coolant to mix with the oil via the radiator without oil being in the coolant? That would be ironic having just spent $700 on the head gaskets and a top end rebuild if the problem turned out to be the radiator.

 

[ChrisM]

markg,

Your thoughts follow my own, this is my greatest concern. I tired to check the cylinders out when I had it apart but there is a real possibility that I missed something.

 

[Barrman]

You need to pressure test the cooling system. Some auto parts stores will rent a pressure tester to you. They just screw on where the radiator cap goes.

Pump the cooling system up to 15-17 psi. Then listen for where the leaks are coming from. If you hear/feel the leak in the radiator, remove the oil cooler lines and see if the air/coolant is coming out there. Head gasket leaks can sometimes be heard at the intake or exhaust pipe.

Do the test with the engine cold so any leaks will be bigger.

 

[GFB]

+1 for the cooling system pressure test. I had trans fluid in my coolant, no coolant in the trans fluid. Not sure how much pressure the trans fluid pump has compared to oil pump. If the radiator ends up having an oil, there's probably enough wiggle room for you to make a bypass.

And if the 6.2 is toast, sounds like a good excuse for a 4BT swap!

 

[rtk]

Pressure test is the way to go , listen and look for the leaks . With that much of a leak it should show it pretty easy to find. BTW , All that anti-freeze is really bad news for the rod and main bearings , usually wipes them out by washing the oil film off , so I would not run it to much until you track down the leak .