304k & HG worries

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YotaLvr

Joined
Aug 25, 2013
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welp! Just crossed over 304k and I'm pretty sure the HG is gonna be an issue soon. I noticed some milky nastiness under the oil cap & I'm getting some bubbles in the overflow tank.
I'm in Corpus Christi TX and I'm wondering if I should get towed into a mechanics to get checked out & worked on or risk it driving all the way into San Antonio or Houston from here? I guess I'll start off with getting it tested somewhere here in Corpus 1st just confirm. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
The evidence you now have is a pretty solid confirmation of HG failure. Any vapors in the exhaust? How is she running?

I’m not a fan of the stop leak products but some members have used it successfully and for extended periods of time. I have no experience with it so I don’t know about the possible negative side affects. Keep us in the loop though.
 
Well when I start it up there is some white exhaust but it goes away in a few seconds. The sweet smelling exhaust has stayed about the same since I've owned it back from 220k/3years ago.
 
The white stuff under the oil cap MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING related to the head gasket.!!!!! GOD, I wish people would STOP posting that!

I would be more concerned about the bubbles in the radiator. Get a test kit from your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store) to test the exhaust in the radiator.

Have you been losing coolant?
Is the OIL milky?
Is the coolant in the RADIATOR milky?
You already stated you only see steam out the exhaust for a few minutes until it is warmed up so that's not a problem.

If you are not LOSING coolant and neither are milky, you don't have a problem.

The only thing the milky looking stuff under the oil cap is telling you is that it is begging you to drive it for at least 30+ minutes. That means you have not been driving it enough to bring it up to full temperature to boil off the accumulated moisture in the oil and engine.

It's getting cooler out (even in TX) and the moisture will accumulate more.

Drive it.
 
While I respect what is posted above by BILT4ME, I suspect you've got an issue. In an arid climate like mine, milkiness under the oil cap usually does indicate an issue. Plus, bubbles. So, I'd suggest a Blackstone oil sample. Here's why: Blackstone can tell you to what degree you're getting coolant into your oil (if it is infact a leaky HG), and how soon such a job would be required - in addition to a whole mess of other useful data. How do I know? My first 80 was suspect as I bought it with a weeping radiator. (In my experience, an 80 Series LC for sale with a new or leaking radiator is pretty indicative of a current HG issue! LOL, but seriously.) Anyway, sure enough I did have a HG leak. They indicated that it was slow enough that I could get by for a short period with more frequent oil changes. So I went ahead an did the HG myself and had the brass radiator rodded and re-soldered. The HG on that rig was pretty bad when I pulled the head, and I'm glad i did it when I did. If a mechanic is going to do your HG, it's going to get expensive. Are you capable of doing it yourself?
 
I'm gonna do a radiator test today.

How do I get the black stone test done?
 
I have never had milk shake on my oil cap and I’ve live east west north south and in Europe.

Pulling the spark plugs starting with #6 will tell you the story. My HG let loose at #6 in very rapid fashion. I barely made it home 5 miles. #6 plug was virgin clean and I hadn’t lost a noticeable amount of coolant yet.
 
Here's a poorly-produced video with an obnoxious intro that otherwise effectively demonstrates how to use a head gasket test kit:

 
Ok I did the head gasket/block test kit & there was no change in the color of the tester liquid! I did notice a tiny bit of coolant under the sticker of the radiator cap. Could that be causing my bubbles in the overflow tank?
 
BILT4ME said:
The white stuff under the oil cap MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING related to the head gasket.!!!!! GOD, I wish people would STOP posting that!

I would be more concerned about the bubbles in the radiator. Get a test kit from your FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store) to test the exhaust in the radiator.

Have you been losing coolant?
Is the OIL milky?
Is the coolant in the RADIATOR milky?
You already stated you only see steam out the exhaust for a few minutes until it is warmed up so that's not a problem.

If you are not LOSING coolant and neither are milky, you don't have a problem.

The only thing the milky looking stuff under the oil cap is telling you is that it is begging you to drive it for at least 30+ minutes. That means you have not been driving it enough to bring it up to full temperature to boil off the accumulated moisture in the oil and engine.

It's getting cooler out (even in TX) and the moisture will accumulate more.

Drive it.
Click to expand...

This is so extremely accurate. Thank you for not buying into the extreme paranoia.

Listen to this.
 
YotaLvr said:
Ok I did the head gasket/block test kit & there was no change in the color of the tester liquid! I did notice a tiny bit of coolant under the sticker of the radiator cap. Could that be causing my bubbles in the overflow tank?
Click to expand...

See, don't get all paranoid. HG is a real problem for many, but you seem like you take care of your truck, many are paranoid here.

I'd be more concerned about pressure/air in the system, and thats probably where this is coming from.
 
I do live and park my truck at work about 200-500 yards away from the beach. & about 2 weeks ago I had the truck sitting for 3 weeks while I was sent to Florida. So I'm hoping a new radiator cap could stop the bubbles in the overflow tank.

I am just very aware of the HG issues with these trucks and would rather deal with it when I notice it arising instead of on the road possibly in the middle of nowhere. Relocating for my job is always a distinct possibility.
 
Formulaonehd said:
Never assume its a HG, its most likely the central locking button, sometimes they get stuck
Click to expand...
Youre right. The extra torsional stress is fine offroad but can cause leaks
 
304K and you are worried about the HG going bad.

Got it.
Any work you perform under the hood from this point on it will be simply called V8.
 
Still, spend the $26 on Blackstone, or whatever it is, and post up once you get the results. At the very least you'll get a baseline and an overall picture of the health of your engine. Paranoia, in part, comes from a lack of information and knowledge.
 
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