84 Chieftain oil in my radiator

johnfrederick · July 16, 2023, 02:55 PM

I just removed the radiator from my 84 Chieftain. I found a lot of oil in the coolant. This 1984 454 only has 23,000 miles on it. It runs like a scorched cat !!

Any thoughts on cause. A cracked block might be a deal killer for my project.

Thanks, John

Eyez Open · July 16, 2023, 07:43 PM

Look closer, I believe your oil is cooled in the radiator. That is more than probably your leak your radiator is very old. Do you have oil lines going to your radiator?

Oil being forced into a block gets what's called a milkshake.
. Failing Oil Cooler
The oil cooler on your vehicle works like a radiator, but for engine oil. Hot oil exchanges heat from the engine into the coolant system. The warm coolant then dissipates heat through the radiator into the air. These systems together help prevent a car or truck from overheating.

If the oil cooler is rusty, leaks can develop. These leaks can allow the engine oil to mix with the coolant. Seeing oil in the coolant reservoir can be a sign of this component failure. Without a working oil cooler, a vehicle will be at a higher risk of breaking down.

The good news is that an oil cooler rarely fails before other engine components. Even so, any mechanical part of the engine could break at any time. If you are noticing oil in your coolant, a failing oil cooler might be the culprit.

https://scanneranswers.com/oil-in-coolant-reservoir/

Eyez Open · July 16, 2023, 07:46 PM

All these double posts are annoying.

RockwoodMike · July 16, 2023, 08:32 PM

There is the possibility that the transmission cooler is letting tranny fluid into the water..2 lines from the transmission go to he bottom of the radiator to cool the fluid before it goes back to the transmission.

Can you take a picture of the coolant..is it milky like Eyez is asking?

johnfrederick · July 17, 2023, 09:07 AM

Attached is a picture of my anti-freeze with oil in it. There is no sign of coolant in my oil. It appears that my oil runs thru tubes in the radiator to be cooled ?

I am wondering if these tubes may have failed ? There are also tranny lines running though the radiator. Maybe that is the sorce of leak.

Thanks, again.

John oil leak.jpg

RockwoodMike · July 17, 2023, 10:14 AM

Is the oil that is in the coolant black or red?

johnfrederick · July 17, 2023, 11:11 AM

Oil is black.

RockwoodMike · July 17, 2023, 11:45 AM

I know that I am comparing a apple to an orange.. And I know nothing of the 454 P30 chassis. But does your engine have one of these type of engine oil coolers??

This is off a Ford 460 engine. It bolts to the block at the oil filter location. It has the oil filter and has coolant running in and out of it. Also has the engine oil flowing through it.

If it fails, the engine oil pressure will pump oil into the coolant and give the results you are showing on the ground..

If you do not have a cooler such as this, then you may have a cracked block or a blown head gasket.
I doubt you have a cracked block from a freeze. That coolant looks pretty fresh.keeping it being cracked with a freeze.

RockwoodMike · July 17, 2023, 11:52 AM

Quote from: johnfrederick on July 16, 2023, 02:55 PMI just removed the radiator from my 84 Chieftain

Why did you take the radiator out in the first place?

johnfrederick · July 17, 2023, 03:25 PM

I took the radiator out because it was leaking. I dropped my radiator off at a shop today. The guy explained that my radiator acts as the oil cooler for my Chietain, and, sometimes there is an internal leak. He's checking it out. I'll report back.

Thanks, John

DaveVA78Chieftain · July 17, 2023, 03:45 PM

Are you saying you have the following hoses connected to your radiator:

2 water radiator hoses (normal)
2 Transmision fluid hoses (normal)
2 Engine oil hoses (optional)

Chevy Service manual implies for P chassis, a small separate engine oil cooler in front of the radiator may be installed rather than using the radiator.

johnfrederick · July 17, 2023, 05:41 PM

Dave VA, thanks for your imput. That is correct. As you are looking at the radiator when installed, there are two oil lines on the left side with two tranny lines on the right.

Thanks, again.

John

johnfrederick · July 17, 2023, 05:42 PM

Dave VA, thanks for your imput. That is correct. As you are looking at the radiator when installed, there are two oil lines on the left side with two tranny lines on the right.

Thanks, again.

John

Eyez Open · July 17, 2023, 09:33 PM

I might wade in here just a smidgen, the radiator tranny fluid coolng ideal gm used was a bit suspect, actually a bad idea. Highly suggest you add a aftermarket cooler on your rig. Your tranny a th 475 is a beast, that does not like heat at all.