Oil in radiator

[Mark Owens]

I have a 52 8n .Under load it started spewing coolent from radiator. After it cooled check coolent level & noticed much heavy thick oil goo in radiator. Thinking head gasket ? Is it possible for water pump gasket to cause this? No water in crankcase. Please steer me in the right direction.

 

[oldtanker]

Head gasket.

Rick

 

[Bruce (VA)]

Considering that there are no oil lines in the head, the chances of the goo being oil are pretty slim.

If it's a head gasket - and I doubt that it is - you will have a "steamed cleaned" plug. Or two. Maybe, but by no means always, low compression in one or adjacent cylinders. A leak-down test is the best way to confirm a head gasket problem.

Go w/ the simplest explanation first.

It overheated. The goo is probably Barr's Leak or some other 'mechanic in a bottle'. Or just 40 years of crap in the block.

The most common reason for an N to “over heat” is over filling the radiator. Only add enough fluid to cover the core. (check out tip # 24, below as well as tips 25 & 35) It is not actually over heating; it is just spewing out the excess water.

If the radiator is not overfilled, check for low coolant, a loose fan belt, debris in the radiator fins or a stuck thermostat. A bad water pump will usually squeak or leak.

The fan belt should have 1/2" of flex at the mid-point; no more, no less.

Unless you have a pusher fan, blowing out the radiator from the engine side is always a good idea.

Use 50/50 anti-freeze & distilled water as your coolant. The anti-freeze contains rust inhibitors, pump lubricant & raises the boiling point of the coolant.
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[grhouse]

Mark, I've got what sounds like exactly the same problem and several people have told me it is the head gasket or a cracked head.
Others have said some type of stop leak. It is really interesting how divided how people are over this. I even took a sample of the substance to a well-known restorer of N tractors and he immediately said "head gasket". Like I said, other,well known and respected, members of this group, disagree. One local even told me it was an old farmers trick to get the tractor motor through another season (no one else had ever heard of it).
This is what I've done so far. First I removed the top and bottom hoses and ran water through the radiator until it ran clean. I then hooked up the upper hose, plugged the lower radiator with a rag and ran water until it ran out of the block clear. After that I reconnected both hoses and started the tractor. After a few minutes I got the same substance coming out of the top (I kept the radiator cap off). It looks like lava and feels like grease.
I've got a leak-down tester but, since you have to bring it to operating temperature to use one of those properly I've been hesitant because I really didn't want that stuff plugging up my system.
I'd be REAL interested in knowing what you find if you figure it out before I do. Otherwise, I plan to pull the head sometime in the next couple of weeks (already got the gasket) and take a look. But, I'll look for "steam-cleaned" plugs first.
My e-mail is listed so please send me a private e-mail so we can keep each other updated on this and eventually the rest of the group. I'm sure it will come up again. Gene in Indiana

 

[souNdguy]

as bruce said.. no oil in the head. IF it is a head gasket and you are seeing combustion byproducts.. it's likely been doing it for quite a while a lil bit, check it out as the others have posted. pulling the plugs is a good start.. comp test next.

soundguy

 

[MDFord8N]

As a newbie at this and on here, I will throw my 2 cents in the pot. I would say yes head gasket. But if your getting debris in your radiator, I would say the leak is from the exhaust valve in the head. If it was anywhere else you would get coolant in your oil...Am i on or off on this. There are many pro's (wisemen)on this message board to figure it out.

 

[R Geiger]

sorry, no valves in a flat head engine.

 

[Montana Wayne]

Oil in the radiator is most always a cracked head or maybe a blown head gasket. Water in the oil is cracked block. Spent many years in the Ford business and that is normally the case.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

It's a flathead engine. It has no oil lines in it. How does the oil get in the radiator if there are no oil lines in the head?
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