605 E250 Diesel Blown Head Gasket????

[lukebowman551]

Hi guys, i'm here again asking for some advise.

I think my head gasket has gone and would appreciate some advise from others before i take the head off to discover i've overlooked something simple.

I have got loads of oil in my radiator expansion tank and i think the oil on the dipstick seems watery (not sure if i'm just being paranoid though?) although there is no mayonaise when the cap is removed.

The car seemed to be running ok but i'm thinking that the head gasket must have gone for oil to get into the cooling system?

Please tell me that there is a really simple explaination for this before i take the head off tomorrow night/saturday morning.

Thanks guys.

Luke.

 

[Dieselman]

It sounds pretty likely.
Just check that the oil cooler isn't incorporated into the radiator before going down the head gasket route.

 

[lukebowman551]

do you mean the oil to water heat trasfer unit that plugs into the sump? If so i've already replaced this as i thought that was the problem to start with after running over a big rock and smacking it.

 

[Ultymate]

Has your car got auto transmission if so it could be transmission oil getting into your cooling system via the cooler

 

[lukebowman551]

Yes it does have an automatic gearbox. How would i find out if it's gearbox oil getting into the coolant system? Where would it get in?

 

[Dieselman]

Check the gearbox oil, but didn't you say the engine oil was showing signs of mayonaise?

Edit.

You could whiz it down to a local diesel specialist and get eth compressions tested. Also an oil glycol test would reveal all.

You could have the oil sampled and tested in 24 hrs.

 

[lukebowman551]

there is no mayonaise in the engine that i can see that's what's confusing me.

 

[Ultymate]

If your car has pipes running from the trans to the bottom of the rad it has a cooler built into the rad, sometimes these fracture and hence you can get ATF in your cooling system

 

[lukebowman551]

i do have some of those pipes ( i think?, i'll have to check). Also i drove over a rather large rock recently that bashed a few things, maybe it damaged one of these pipes?

I'll have to check the transmission fluid i suppose.

 

[Ultymate]

If the pipes leak you'll just lose ATF externally it's when the cooler springs a leak in the rad you get oil in the radiator