3TGTE: Coolant found in the sump!

[toyo-al]

Hi guys, just after some help with this.

I bought a 'freshly rebuilt' engine from a member on here. Aside from issues I've found with it missing parts, bolts, having to replace parts (documented in my thread), I have just removed the sump (because it was 'modified' and leaking oil everywhere....) and found this:









Now before anyone asks, no I have not even run this engine yet. This leads me to think that it is not the head gasket as there has been no pressure built up in the engine.

I have simply filled the engine up with fluids and thats when i found the sump was leaking oil, so I drained the oil to swap the sump for a new one which had not been modified.

Could it be the turbo leaking coolant into the oil return line? Any insight into the problem would be handy so i can work out what to do from here!

Cheers,
Al

[thechuckster]

connect the coolant pipes up, pressurise the cooling system with a bike pump or air-compressor (carefully!) and listen/look for leaks. If you do this with the sump off, look at the oil-drains from the head (failed H/G?).


edit: That white stuff does suggest it's been run briefly with water-in-oil (prev. owner?). Have you followed the oil and cooling lines from turbo to block? It does suck that you've found this out after all the work so far.

[toyo-al]

I thought of something else it could have been. I had the intake manifold off while I was blocking up unused vacuum hoses. This wouldn't be an issue, except I did this after the cooling system was filled up. Coolant might have leaked into either the 3rd or 4th intake runners and seeped down around the pistons?

Just wondering, why do you say it would have been run because it's milky? Apparently this engine has not been kicked over since it was rebuilt, and I am the first to put any fluids through it. It certainly looked as though that was the case too when it arrived at my place.

I have already put the new sump on so tomorrow I'll fill it with some el'cheapo homebrand oil and top the cooling system up. Then I'll crank it over a few times and drop the oil to see what I can find!

Any other ideas?

Cheers,
Al

[thechuckster]

I thought of something else it could have been. I had the intake manifold off while I was blocking up unused vacuum hoses. This wouldn't be an issue, except I did this after the cooling system was filled up. Coolant might have leaked into either the 3rd or 4th intake runners and seeped down around the pistons?

pull the plugs for #3 and #4 an see what you can down the holes. if water came in that way there might be some stuck in the valve cut-outs on the pistons. If you did get leakage that way, you might have corrosion issues on the bores ;(

Just wondering, why do you say it would have been run because it's milky? Apparently this engine has not been kicked over since it was rebuilt, and I am the first to put any fluids through it. It certainly looked as though that was the case too when it arrived at my place.

is just a white-milky appearance usually denotes oil and water mixing. It won't do it when standing unless it's been there for a long time (in which case you'd notice rust on bare surfaces inside the crankcase).

If you can get to the drain pipe off the turbo, remove it and look inside it for evidence of water coming thru it.

Also, it might pay to pull all the spark plugs to look for rust/evidence of water in bores. It would at least eliminate that part of the motor as the leak source.

while i think of it, are you sure any household helpers (e.g. kids or retarded family/flatmates haven't accidently or deliberately poured some coolant down the oil filler?

[toyo-al]

Thanks man, appreciate your help.. I'll try the above tomorrow and report back.

Fingers crossed the bores aren't corroded if that is how the coolant got in! wouldn't the coolant just run straight over the oil? I didn't notice any rust in the crank case as it was all covered in a nice clean coating of oil.

I'm positive no-one could have poured anything into my engine. It's been locked up and I have the keys on me all the time. I'll pull the plus and shine a light down there to see what I can see first thing tomorrow morning.

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!