Well if it where me, and I did not read through all the posts. Before I would do anything, I would change the oil ( use a different brand) and run her again for at least 15 minutes .... it doesnt sound like the cam is even broke in yet.... I had a similar issue happen with valvoline oil, but I knew the engine was fine. I switched oil, I recomenf that as well as a chnage. Take the conservative apporach... Also, is the radiator low? Next time you run it, have the rad cap on, since you know its topped off it already burped it sounded like.... Then see what the next oil looks like, perhaps it was just condensation, running with out a PCV wont hurt anything, but it will cause moisture.... I wouldnt tear it down yet though
Did you use sealer on the intake bolts? It may be as simple as the bolts that are in the wet locations are letting water into the crankcase. I would pop them out one at a time, add sealer and put 'em back in. Then loosen them all a crack and torque them. Follow the pattern in a manual, should be easy to find if you don't have it. In general, when I build motors (especially on stock cars) I add a dose of either Solder Seal or Zotite Block Saver to the water, just to ward off evil spirits. Bob
This is it, take it out and run it for an hour, should go away. If you had a water leak, oil would be a milkshake. Put the pcv on, eliminates most of this.
I'm in the PCV crowd. That is not a lot of moisture for a water leak IMHO. Gray stuff was always a sign that the PCV was not working correctly on a stocker. A plugged valve or collapsed hose will give the same signs as you show. It's been my experience that a water LEAK of any kind will provide a lot a more water than just the mixing of the moisture with the oil. JMHO A pressure test of the cooling system is easy proof that you don't have aleak. If it wont hold pressure and it immediately starts to drop then you need to look for where the leak is. Otherwise put a PCV valve on it. There are a lot of suggestions on how to do it on a hotrod in the archives. Do a search.
Were the heads pressure tested or, magnafluxed when the valve job was done? Those castings can crack between seats and leak coolant into the combustion chamber. Probably need to do compression and leak down tests as well as a cooling system pressure test to try and nail it down.
Well, I changed the oil and fliter, and re-ran the motor, just bringing it up to temperature. (Hottest it got today was 200, it settled back down to around 170). And it was damn hot out when I did it... Compression is acceptable, but low (in the 130s, with a 10% variance from low to high). Popped off the driver's side valve cover and I've got more milk. Looks like I've got a head gasket replacement in my future. Anyway, this is a good opportunity to drill/baffle the C4B intake for a pcv, anyway. I'll play around with it tonight after the sun sets, but it looks like I didn't install the head gaskets correctly (?) because they're new felpro gaskets. Also, I'm sure I dabbed sealer on the head bolt threads, but I might pull them one by one (in order) and check. I'll also pull the intake - if water is seeping past the intake gasket, is there a tell? What should I look for?
That sucks.... Is the water in the radiator low??? I mean do you have to add to it alot, or is it constant? if its constant its condesation..... but if you gotta take it apart, go slow and use a straight edge on all machined surfaces, makeing sure they arent warped.... Ya that really sux man
I'm not losing a lot of water from the rad - it's a drop or two coming from somewhere. What tipped it for me is that the compression numbers - 125 (lowest) to 140 (highest), but the 125s were paired up. I'm pretty sure that means head gasket. So, I figure... I'll pull it apart weekend after next, check everything as I go along- and at the same time bore a hole in the back of that C4B to allow for a pcv valve. That last part was on the to do list already, it's just been 'bumped up' Ordering up some new arp head bolts and gaskets now... Anyway, at least i don't hafta yank the motor out to do all of this - it's quite happy sitting where it is...
We get capuccino and myo on the cap all the time 'round here. Seniors who make short trips and live near the water. I'm betting it's just condensation. Gooood luck!
I'm a little concerned about these two comments - "fresh motor, built over the winter" and "It's never gone over 2500rpm either. " Along with short run times. If this truly is a "Fresh" motor, meaning a New Cam and Lifters, I'd be really worried about cam damage. The first 30 minutes or so are the most critical to cam life, unless it's a roller cam. The universally accepted method for flat tappet cam break in is a minimum of 2,00-3,000 RPM, varying the rpm slightly for at least 20 minutes, 30 is better. This sets the wear pattern and slightly work hardens the faces for long life. Failure to do so can easily result in a cam going flat pretty quickly.
Rebuilt engine will have some blowby before the rings seat. That will put water vapor into the crankcase and the oil has to heat up enough to boil it out. It probably won't get over 212 without a load. It is warming up enough to get it to the top of the engine.
You're right, it's a cause for concern - and why I've posted it here for your (collective) expertise. I didn't take it past 2.5k, but that was during break-in. The rest of the time it's just idled, maybe revved up to 2k. (I now know I should have snapped it up to 3k- I thought the range was 2-2.5k for 30 minutes, that's what I did.) There was no water when I checked the valve covers after the break in though. This happened after. When I ran it again today, I let it warm up to operating temperature. It hit 200, but settled at 180 or so. Oil pressure was a steady 40. Vacuum at idle was around 12. If it were not for the cafe latte in my valve covers, I'd say this was a pretty healthy motor. I would have liked to see better compression numbers, but I'm pretty sure that the bottom end 'rebuild' consisted of a hone/rings and bearings. I re-torqued the manifold bolts later this afternoon, and I'll give it one more go before I tear it down and re do everything. But I'm pretty much resigned to new head and intake gaskets. I'll post back tomorrow eve - if I still have foam or not Sidebar: The internet is amazing, I would NEVER have been able to accomplish any of this without the knowledge of the collective. Thanks everyone. D
If you let it sit overnight and drain the oil, any water should be at the bottom and come out first. If milky oil isn't showing up on the dipstick, I doubt you have a water leak.
lol- BA, I had the same idea last night... 60 ft/lbs all way around. These little ideas are awesome, btw- thanks very much. Good things to do while I wait for payday
You do NOT have to drain the oil to check for water in the pan,just loosen the drain plug 2-3 turns . Water will flow out around the threads. This of course is for when the dip stick does not show milk shake.
Just thought I'd jump back in with an update- I figured I'd start "from the top" - and I'm pretty sure it was the intake gaskets / intake that was leaking water. I pulled the intake, cleaned the crud off, and replaced the gaskets. This time I used sealer around the water ports on the intake (just to be safe). While I had the intake off, I drilled the back of the intake and put in a PCV in a baffled grommet, which, surprisingly I found at my local Canadian Tire (which is sort of like Walmart, but with an only slightly better auto section). I put it all back together last night, but it was way too late to start the motor- and I was tired so I wanted to get a good-nights sleep before kicking the motor over again. Reset the timing and idle (now with the PCV). Good vacuum @ 13-14 Ran it up to operating temperature and revved it up a little (2.5k rpm or so). Oil pressure stayed good, temp creeped slightly over 200, but hovered around 175 at idle. No more water. I repeated it again this evening and we're all good. PS: Gasket Remover makes a pretty powerful paint remover. FYI.
Sure looks like a lot of snot for a few times running. I had a Ford 400M motor go bad after 30K, noticed a slight bit of condensation at the oil filler when doing oil changes. Found out at 50K when oil pressure went to 0 that the bearings were wiped out. Very small crack in the block.
I figured it was probably intake manifold related. Seemed like way too much water for just condensation. Glad you found it to be a cheap fix. Bob
Congrats on finding the fix and thanks for updating. Sometimes people forget that others may need the info and out come.
Make sure you use some kind of sealer on the head bolts like liquid teflon for example.I am with everone else on this being a pcv related event,but years ago i had a set of 882 heads hot tanked and it caused 4 of the factory studs to seep coolant ,so off they came and I put screw in studs in with sealer.
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