Condensation and milkshake in my trucks valve cover

[skinnyR1]

Here is a bit of history first on the truck;

I bought the truck about a year ago. It came from a reputable PA military reseller, who bought the truck straight from GL. They got the truck with a blown head gasket, and a crankcase full of anti freeze. The seller changed the head gaskets with the new style ones, purged the antifreeze out of the case WITHOUT changing the oil, and got it running good again.

I drove it home 250 miles. Since then, I've put maybe another 750 miles on it. I changed the oil when I got home, on a cold motor. That was the only time I changed the oil.

The truck runs great. Starts easy with no assistance systems into the teens.

I have always got moisture and blowby out of the slobber tube. Mostly what looks to be water. I collected it in a can for a while. Snotty crap too. I pulled the valve covers recently, and there is a thick layer of cream cheese or milky crap in there. Heavy crap. Ill attach a picture in the next post.

I recently changed out all my hoses and flushed the coolant system. I can't tell if I am losing coolant or not into the motor, as I think it was just leaking out of the hoses. Before changing the hoses, I DID pressure test the coolant system, and pulled the injectors. I got no coolant in the combustion chamber. Coolant was seeping and dripping out of the hoses. Before changing the hoses, I would lose about a gallon every 50 miles or so.

So the questions;

Is this layer of crap in my valve covers normal? The dip stick oil appears black and clean. Possibly just regular condensation or left over from the first coolant issue?

Could coolant find its way out of the coolant system, to the motor, and just boil out? Again, I don't see any indication of coolant on the dipstick. I was losing coolant, but hope it was only through the hoses onto the ground.

I changed out the hoses and back flushed the system. How long will it take for the air pockets to get out, stablize the fluid level, so that I can tell if the level is dropping or not?

 

[skinnyR1]

Here is the crap in the valve cover. I ran the truck with no covers on to see if I could see anything. I know I have blowby, but thats all I see.

 

[emmado22]

Why would they not drain the antifreeze/oil out? That's a no brainer when you get a blown head gasket

 

[skinnyR1]

Saves money, I assume, for a reseller. I guess they just cracked the drain plug until it came out as oil.

 

[gimpyrobb]

I have seen that goop on motors in cans and on the rocker arms. I usually hose it down with the red brake clean and go on my way. If you have it on your rocker arms, pull them off the motor before hosing them down.

 

[skinnyR1]

The rocker arms are pretty clean. Just a 1/2 " layer of goo on the valve covers.
I cleaned it off and reinstalled. I'm just concerned that I have a sick motor.

 

[phil2968]

The truck needs to get run hard. You need to get the oil hot enough to evaporate the water from out of the engine.

 

[M925Hound]

How did the coolant look when you changed it? If it is real dirty, it could be an indicator that coolant is leaking into the motor! I'm not sure if these truck's coolant systems will pressurize like 6.0 power strokes do when you have coolant getting into the motor.

 

[skinnyR1]

The coolant I flushed out and changed looked excellent. No oil in there.
I dont know where the level should be. I just changed everything, so how long before the level stabilizes and the air is out of the system, so I can determine whether im losing coolant or not?

 

[gimpyrobb]

Most of the trucks will puke coolant till its below the filler neck. Its hard to keep an eye on it that way!

I agree with Phil, load up the truck with something heavy and run it hard for a couple hours.

 

[skinnyR1]

Below the filler neck? In other words, you cant see the coolant at all? I can only see the coolant if it is in the neck.

 

[RAYZER]

Below the filler neck? In other words, you cant see the coolant at all? I can only see the coolant if it is in the neck.

Correct.
You could always add an overflow resivour.

 

[Warthog]

Below the filler neck? In other words, you cant see the coolant at all? I can only see the coolant if it is in the neck.

Every truck is different. On the trucks that I have owned, most liked it when you could just barely see coolant in the bottom of the filler neck.

I do not claim to be an artist but this picture will give you an idea.

 

[phil2968]

Every truck is different. On the trucks that I have owned, most liked it when you could just barely see coolant in the bottom of the filler neck.

I do not claim to be an artist but this picture will give you an idea.

View attachment 527911

One armed cactus!

 

[skinnyR1]

Thanks for the picture, that is pretty much the level I have now.

I guess my only choice now is to keep an eye on the situation. I have never seen coolant puking or coming out of the cap. Does it steam out? All I knew, was that the level was dropping.

So am I over thinking this? Could coolant be mostly steaming out of the motor, whether it be via the cap or a more serious problem. Would I definitively have an indication by the crank case oil? I have added 5 gallons of coolant over the last couple hundred miles, before I recently changed the hoses and took a peak in the valve covers. I was assuming it was being pushed out of the leaking hoses, but the slop in the valve cover is what worries me.

 

[Warthog]

One armed cactus!

Is that better than a one-legged cactus?

 

[Warthog]

Thanks for the picture, that is pretty much the level I have now.

I guess my only choice now is to keep an eye on the situation. I have never seen coolant puking or coming out of the cap. Does it steam out? All I knew, was that the level was dropping.

So am I over thinking this? Could coolant be mostly steaming out of the motor, whether it be via the cap or a more serious problem. Would I definitively have an indication by the crank case oil? I have added 5 gallons of coolant over the last couple hundred miles, before I recently changed the hoses and took a peak in the valve covers. I was assuming it was being pushed out of the leaking hoses, but the slop in the valve cover is what worries me.

Since you have changed the equation by changing the hoses, I would clean the valve cover, top everything off and run the truck hard for a few hundred miles. And then recheck the truck.

 

[RAYZER]

Make sure the radiator cap is good, clean the rubber seal and mating surface.
The overflow tube goes beside the radiator to the bottom.

 

[skinnyR1]

Since you have changed the equation by changing the hoses, I would clean the valve cover, top everything off and run the truck hard for a few hundred miles. And then recheck the truck.

That seems to be the best course of action.

Make sure the radiator cap is good, clean the rubber seal and mating surface.
The overflow tube goes beside the radiator to the bottom.

My overflow tube I have is clogged solid. Any coolant coming out the top would just steam or spill into the engine bay. But I have seen no evidence of that.

So you have a overflow bottle plumbed in to the existing overflow tube? Is it just a catch can basically, where the coolant has no way of going back into the radiator unlike a modern car coolant reservoir where it goes in and out?

 

[steelandcanvas]

Every truck is different. On the trucks that I have owned, most liked it when you could just barely see coolant in the bottom of the filler neck.

I do not claim to be an artist but this picture will give you an idea.

View attachment 527911

This is the same coolant level both of my Deuces sit at...just barely visible in the bottom of the filler neck.