Milky Oil

ModelADrew

ModelADrew

Junior Member
I have water mixed in with the oil on the dip stick. I drained it, removed and cleaned the belly pan. Replaced the oil with fresh oil cranked it over without starting it but the dip stick has milky oil again. I then drained it out through the drain hole and put fresh oil in again. I drained the fresh distilled water out of the radiator and it was still very fresh. The head is a 'police head' with the letter B on it. I'm having difficulty finding a gasket as described in the fordgarage.com website, this link : http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/ABcylinderheadgasketguide.htm .
I understand it could be a cracked block or a head gasket or??? Before I spend the money on a head gasket, what should I do?
Thanks for any advise anyone can give me.
 
Last edited:
Milky Oil - what ever could it be ?

I too had to wrestle with the 'Milky Oil' issue.

BACKGROUND: A few months earlier I had begun a long and thorough effort to clean the rusty crud, melted 'sealer', and other manner of flotsam from my gas tank. The tank was to remain in the car. Part of that process was to remove my instrument panel from the gas tank, so as to gain access to the gas tank.

To accomplish that I had to loosen the head-bolt that secures the ignition/distributor cable. I suspect that when reassembling everything, the head-bolt did not get sufficiently tightened to prevent water seepage into my engine, which eventually worked its way down to the oil pan.

Of course it took a bit of trial and error investigating to find that conclusion. But once I did the proper method of tightening ALL of the head-nuts, I have not had the problem since.
 
Those are some great links to find my problem. A little daunting but I'm gonna have to get in there. Thanks
And thanks for the welcome. I picked up my '29 A about a year ago. It was in a barn for 45 years. The guy had it running but without water. I sandblasted it, epoxy primer, painted and clear coated it. Named it Nelly. Dropped the oil pan, it was nasty. Cleaned the carb and fuel lines. Put in alternator and 12 volt battery, ignition key, coil, distributor. Re-cored the radiator. Can't seem to get her running but maybe that's for the best since lots need to be done to make her road worthy.
Thank you for your help, I appreciate it.
 
Model A Drew, running without water is not a good idea. I would pull the head and check the head for flatness using a good straightedge. If it is bowed have it machined flat. Look for any signs of cracking in the head and top surface of block. If cracks are visible in the block, stop here. Your problem is now more involved.
If there are no cracks install a new copper gasket and torque the head to 50#-Ft using the proper tightening sequence. Thoroughly clean your radiator and fill with distilled water. Add a head stop leak product like Barrs to the radiator. Start engine and let it run for 15 min. Let it completely cool down (cold) and retorque the head bolts following the proper sequence. Start engine a drive car at normal slow speeds. Repeat the cool down and retorquing procedure a few more times. Check oil for milky condition. If the problem remains you probably have a crack somewhere in the cooling passages. This is the least expensive way to try solving your problem.
 
CT Jack,Thanks for the great advice. I'm a little hesitant about putting stop leak into my newly re-cored radiator. Maybe it's been updated since I used it back in the 80's. It's refreshing getting advise since I've been working on this by myself. Thanks again,
 
DougVieyra said:
Milky Oil - what ever could it be ?

I too had to wrestle with the 'Milky Oil' issue.

BACKGROUND: A few months earlier I had begun a long and thorough effort to clean the rusty crud, melted 'sealer', and other manner of flotsam from my gas tank. The tank was to remain in the car. Part of that process was to remove my instrument panel from the gas tank, so as to gain access to the gas tank.

To accomplish that I had to loosen the head-bolt that secures the ignition/distributor cable. I suspect that when reassembling everything, the head-bolt did not get sufficiently tightened to prevent water seepage into my engine, which eventually worked its way down to the oil pan.

Of course it took a bit of trial and error investigating to find that conclusion. But once I did the proper method of tightening ALL of the head-nuts, I have not had the problem since.
Click to expand...
Doug,
A friend removed the cable nut & the whole stud came out. He put it back & GRUNTED with a box end wrench.---"You'll be SORRY"---He didn't listen & later had a miss when starting!!--HEAD GASKET TIME:eek:--The Dog:cool: is LAFFING!--"Give 'em HELL, Dad":eek:
 
ModelADrew, I agree about not using stop leak in general. The newer formulations will not affect your radiator. The main ingredient in Barrs stop leak is a very fine ceramic type sealing agent. It is used to seal up very small cracks and gaps. Once you have run your engine a 100 miles it can be dumped and replaced with conventional antifreeze and distilled water.
 
Update: the head appears to have a nasty crack from one side to the other. I'll pull it off and replace if necessary. Luckily i have another motor in the yard. Sad to lose an original high compression head but it will make nice garage art. Thanks for all your input. Very much appreciated.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20160830_214832370.jpg
    IMG_20160830_214832370.jpg
    57.6 KB · Views: 95
That is a strange crack. Normally they like to freeze crack from front to rear. I wonder if someone pried hard in the middle to remove it at one time? Best to use the head puller sold by the parts houses. Also soak the studs with Kroil. It looks like you found the reason for your milky oil.
 
ModelADrew said:
Update: the head appears to have a nasty crack from one side to the other. I'll pull it off and replace if necessary. Luckily i have another motor in the yard. Sad to lose an original high compression head but it will make nice garage art. Thanks for all your input. Very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

You can always practice your crack stitching. In the old days they uses brass threaded rod or even screws.
 
Yeah Tom Wesenberg that was my same thought but I don't know a lot about this. Yeah there's no way I would pull the head without fully researching how. So I already have a head puller on order from Bert's. I also thought maybe someone started the engine with the nuts removed in order to get the head to pop off, since I've seen people getting heads off that way on youtube. Thanks for all the input everyone, this car means a lot to me and I appreciate all the advise I can get.
 
Last edited:
"I also thought maybe someone started the engine with the nuts removed in order to get the head to pop off"

This method is safe and will not crack the head.

it has been pried on.
Once it is off I bet you can find some witness marks to that effect on the block deck and the underside of the head
 
tbirdtbird said:
"I also thought maybe someone started the engine with the nuts removed in order to get the head to pop off"

This method is safe and will not crack the head.

it has been pried on.
Once it is off I bet you can find some witness marks to that effect on the block deck and the underside of the head
Click to expand...
I know someone who destroyed a low mileage Ron Kelley engine, by prying a CHUNK out of the side of the block, when removing a head:eek:
Bill Sad
 
My antique engine rebuilder recommends a half tube of radiator sealer in a freshly rebuilt engine. He likes the "aluminum" stuff. The purpose is to eliminate the white "laces" that etch down on the block from the head gasket when you aren't looking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top