Cranckase issues

M

MoboMac

Junior Member
Haven't owned a 567 Y-block Ford for over 35 years......but they were pretty common in the driveway in my teenage years.

Just picked up a pretty decent 55 Vic....to drive and play with..

It was an amateur restoration....done in the mid-80's....and still fairly respectable...

Drove it home on Wednesday....a 375 mile trip...and we made it....not with ease...but it could have been a lot worse..

There is some milkshake going on in the crankcase.....

The dipstick and tube have that nice brown slime on them....

I realize that water or coolant in the oil is causing this....

Head gasket...cracked head or block came to mind immediately....but I seem to recall that this was NOT an uncommon thing...with the Y-blocks I have played with in the past.

The dipstick itself.....appears to be rust pitted.....which tells me this has been going on for a while....

Car was not used and sat for about 15 years...I believe it was stored in a carport...for some time ...and garage...but not outside ..in the elements..

Any input is appreciated...
 
If you are lucky,, it could be accumulated condensation from outside storage, regardless of carport cover. Where are you, big seasonal temp. change, possible cause?
 
The car WAS in an area where there are big seasonal temp changes.....I'm in the Pacific Northwest.....where are climate is moderate...

I'm guessing we start with an oil and filter change.......and some engine/crankcase...cleaner....or flush?
 
If you don't find another explanation for the milkshake mix...
Was the engine worked on during the restoration by the previous owner?
There can be a problem with head bolts not installed correctly that will easily cause a blown head gasket and leaks. It could have been the reason they parked it.

Head bolts. There appear to be 2 different length head bolts in a Y-Block engine, 5 short bolts near the spark plugs and 5 longer bolts under the rocker arms. It’s true that the 5 short bolts near the spark plugs are identical but the 5 under the rockers are not the same! 2 of these bolts are slightly longer and are installed at the outer ends of the head where the alignment dowels are located. Lay all 10 longer bolts (5 per bank) next to each other and you should find 4 longer and 6 that are about ¼"shorter. Installing the longer bolts in the center 3 holes can cause them to bottom in the block which can result in a blown head gasket. Late production engines have only long and short bolts.

Here's the website that paragraph came from, a really good place for lots of info.
http://ford-y-block.com/technical.htm

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Also,,,,the first easy place to look is under the valve covers,, where moisture can collect, an indication of what to expect. ,,,,,,,,,,another place to leak is the intake manifold to head if the manifold is not settled down properly and tightened down in sequence.
Did
you check the oil before the trip ? Is the level up?
Drain and refill with some cheap sacrificial oil, 4 quarts would be enough,, along with a filter change, drive it gently for a bit, and drain again, cut the filters open, look for rusty crud.
If you get more than just a bit of water out of the pan, pull it to check the bottom for deep rust and acid corrosion.

Good luck , and keep us posted,,,,Park Olson
 
If it is a small amount of "slime" in the tube, it is likely condensation from running the engine too often, and not long enough. If it is actually in the oil itself, it's bad news. you have coolant leaking into the oil. Usually a head gasket, or cracked head.
 
Left unsaid in the above is what oil to use. Because of the lifter on cam of the old engine, motor oil of high zinc content is required. The easy way to do this today is to use an oil meant for the modern truck diesels. Delvac is one, Shell Rotella T is another. Both are easy to find anywhere in the US.
 
Thanks for everbodys input...

Sounds like a "sacrificial" oil change/flush is in order...

There is muck...on the dipstick....most of the way up....

Actual oil on the stick is quite clean...but the tip has some muck on it...which would indicate that thee IS some scum,,,on the top of engine oil...

SO....if I am looking for clues...as to which bank is the problem...Where do we start?
 
You haven't mentioned,, is
there is slime in the radiator too,,?
Your mention of "bank", is that a reference to which valve cover to remove ? Take 'em both off and check rocker oiling while at it.
When you do drain it, poke a stiff bent wire in the pan and feel around for "CRUD",,,,
 
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