Re: Coolant leaking into oil, water pump issue or worse?

Posted by kevinpackard On 2020/12/9 22:59:38

To add to Ross's point, we ran into an issue when rebuilding my dad's '38 Super 8 that caused water/coolant to enter the oil. The block was a donor block and had corrosion. After being dipped and cleaned, the cylinders had to be bored to slightly larger. In the end #2 had a very thin spot that was impossible to see, and when the engine was first started up the water blew through the cylinder wall and into the oil. The engine ran but not smoothly, and #2 wasn't firing. Pulling the dipstick told the sad tale.

My understanding is that leaks like this can happen in the cylinder walls or sometimes the valve seats. I'd think a compression test will help potentially diagnose it.

-Kevin