HJ 45 Help needed! (1 Viewer)

[NOSAJ]

New to me 1980 HJ45. So I’m in no way a diesel expert but I know my way around a Ford 7.3 and 6.7. Also owned many Isuzu NPR diesels and do all my own maintenance etc. Here is what seems to be a major problem on this H engine. About 4 or 5 days ago I started the truck and let it warm up. I let it idle for awhile then just drove it down my long driveway and back to the barn. I turned the truck off and noticed it seemed hot. Not crazy hot but steaming and gurgling some. I’ve seen overheated engines and it just didn’t seem that hot (btw temp gauge doesn’t work). Today I started filling the radiator back up with coolant and saw that the freeze plug right behind the injector pump had popped out. I found it on the ground. We haven’t had freezing temps to cause this. So I went and got a new freeze plug and put it in then started filling with new coolant. The truck never would get full of coolant. When I got to putting in about the 9th gallon of coolant I started thinking something is wrong. It shouldn’t hold that much. Well right about that time oil started coming out what I want to call the breath tube which hangs down by the oil pan. I really thought something is wrong. Well I then went to go pull my dipstick expecting milkshake oil and instead all my new green antifreeze started pouring up out of my dipstick tube. So I’m guessing this engine has a huge hole in it somewhere allowing coolant straight into the crankcase. The truck seemed to run fine before started good etc. Although I haven’t even driven it on the road. I pulled it home and it’s only been driven around my farm and up and down the driveway. Even today it started fine before all this just to back it out of the barn. I’m assuming this engine is ruined because of overheating. I’ve seen engines with cracked heads and milkshake oil but never an immediate situation where coolant goes straight to the crankcase. Please experts let me know if there is anything I am missing! And how to proceed!

Thanks!
Jason

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Not sure where your located. I have an H engine block and other H engine parts if you need it. I think your hunch is correct.

 

[NOSAJ]

Thanks @ceylonfj40nut i might take you up on that!

 

[NOSAJ]

This might be a stupid question but could this in anyway be a bad head gasket and or a poorly torqued head? I’ve just never seen an engine run fairly well and have this issue. It seemed to run fine as I backed it out of the barn today just prior to putting coolant in it. How does filling the radiator result in coolant going immediately to the crankcase without major engine damage. It just seems like this engine should not run at all.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Poorly torqued head loose enough to let coolant through means you have no compression. Filling coolant does not create pressure to squeeze it through the head. There is another source for the leak. One at low pressure.

 

[roscoFJ73]

You really need to find out more, but it doesnt sound good.

 

[NOSAJ]

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

What coolant/water mix were you running? Have you drained the oil pan?

 

[NOSAJ]

Just got the truck about 3 weeks ago. I put green 50/50 universal in it. I plan on draining the oil today

 

[NOSAJ]

Is there any type of internal freeze plug, core plug? I’m talking about literally backing this truck out of the barn it ran fine for about 2 minutes then I basically poured about 9-10 gallons of antifreeze into the radiator. One gallon right after another. It just doesn’t seem like this is a crack but a gaping hole from the water jacket straight to the crankcase.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

No internal freeze plugs. Do you have any pics of the plug that fell off?

 

[NOSAJ]

Here is the one that came out

 

[NOSAJ]

Here is the new one in

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Any white smoke when the engine runs? At 9 gallons you should have flooded the cylinder bores and hydrolocked your engine.

 

[NOSAJ]

I started it and backed it out of the barn so I could get a better look at the popped freeze plug in the daylight. The truck rain for about 2 minutes. Smoke was bluish because it was cold. I turned the truck off put the new freeze plug in then poured in the antifreeze. I got in about 2.5 gallons (all I had at the house). Went to the auto parts store and bought 4 more gallons and poured that in. Still didn’t fill up so got 4 more gallons thinking that I might use 1 to top it off and keep the extra on the shelf. When I got up to maybe the 9th gallon (it never slowed down or acted like it was going to fill) I thought something is majorly wrong. Right then oil started coming out the breath tube. I pulled the dipstick and antifreeze gushed out. It’s like I was pouring it straight into the crankcase. Truck has not been started since. I drained the oil pan today. That’s all that has been done. No restart, nothing.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

What did you see when you drained the pan?

 

[NOSAJ]

About 5 gallons of antifreeze came out first then the oil. I didn’t see any metal shavings etc.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

I would remove the head or drop the pan to see if you find the cause.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

I would remove the head or drop the pan to see if you find a cause

 

[NOSAJ]

Thanks for y’all all your help!