Crazt Oil Change

jboggess

Senior Member
So i just bought the Model A below, and did an oil change, after takeing out the oil plug, a cup of water flushed out before the oil drained out. Any body else had this happen? Could it be condenstation from seting all those years? Could it be a crack in the the engine somewhere and water is leaking in to the oil area? Any thoughts would be great thanks.
 

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I doubt a crack, have you taken the head off to look at the gasket to see if is cracked and water is getting into the cylinders?? Start there and of course check the block anyway for any cracks
 
I would drive it for a while and check the oil often! Every few miles or so to make shure the oil dosen't get milky. If it looks ok I think you would be ok. If not ok then take off the head!
Why take it apart if there's nothing wrong!
 
Before adding the new oil I think I would have filled the cooling system and let it set for a day or two and then drained the c/case again to see if you had another cup of water. JMO
Paul in CT
 
I agree with Flamingo.

A crack is quite possible - Model A's do have some history of the block cracking between the exhaust valve seat and the cylinder bore on cylinders 2 & 3 .
(My own '28 has done this on # 2, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that K-Seal stop-leak will keep it stopped until I can get it overhauled.)

However, if you're working on something that's been sitting for a long, long time, would suggest leaving the oil-pan plug out, placing a clean container underneath, and filling the cooling system with clean water, and letting things sit for a couple days, and see if any water has collected in the container underneath...

If not, then you can probably put the plug in and re-fill with oil. Might want to check again after a week or 50 miles / 5 hours time on the engine.
 
After the new oil change and a little driving, let the car set overnight, then before starting the engine loosen the oil drain plug enough to let out several drops. If it's only oil comming out I'd continue to drive it, but if several drops of coolant come out then you have a problem that needs to be fixed. Also check the dipstick daily for any milky film. Sometimes it may look more like chocolate milk.

Another check is to fill the radiator to the neck and remove the fan belt. Start the engine and goose the throttle several times and see if any bubbles apear in the coolant at the neck.
 
Also, I would avoid using anti-freeze until you've determined whether or not you have coolant leaking into the crankcase: anti-freeze kills bearings QUICKLY !

Water in the oil is not great, but anti-freeze-coolant mix in the oil means "death" to your bearings !
 
Do a compression test, if one cyl is down, throw a little oil into the cyl and test it again. If it's still low, check the radiator for bubbles. Was the water milky? If it was milky it's been in the engine since the last time it ran, if not, then it's probably condensation.
Terry
 
Happened to me recently -I had swapped out the distributor and had not tightened up the head stud the holds the ignition cable clamp enough . Over three weeks water had leaked into number 3 and 4 and into the sump. I drained the sump Took the head off wiped out the bores and changed the gasket and then flushed the engine with oil and have changed the oil twice within the first 100 miles and it seems to be running fine now
 
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