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2019 model coolant intrusion in oil?

Smitty908

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Anyone had this issue? 2019 w/ 90k ish miles.

coolant was disappearing, so I immediately thought it could be a head gasket issue, but when I pulled the dipstick it looked / smelled fine. Figured maybe I had a small leak in the coolant system somewhere.

So now ~1000 miles later, when I changed oil, there was some water /coolant that came out when I pulled the plug, and the oil seemed thinner than normal.

so, I freaked out obviously. Pulled the oil fill cap and there was a little bit of brown sludge under it.

truck has been running fine, no smoke / codes / missing etc…

how the heck is the water getting in the oil if it’s not somehow in the head / combustion cycle?

im about to pull the plugs and borescope the cylinders since it hasn’t been driven in a couple of weeks, I’ll update when I do.

any thoughts?
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LawnMM

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Cracked cylinder, I know some guys have had leaking EGR systems but I don't know if that's in a position to leak into the area where it could mix with the oil or not

Not a mechanic, definitely tag in @airline tech
 
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Smitty908

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Ok, took the plugs out and scoped the cylinders..

Here are the plugs 1-4 L to R in the photo..

IMG_0137.jpeg


Looking outward at the cylinder wall of #1 there is what appears to be liquid rivulets trailing from top to bottom of the cylinder..

IMG_0135.jpeg


would that indicate a compromised head gasket? And also, why isn’t it smoking? (And how is coolant making it past the rings into the crankcase?)
 

LawnMM

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Looks more like scoring to me, again I ain't a mechanic. There's plenty of blow by around rings, that's a lesser concern. No signs of a crack in the cylinder wall right?

Wait for some folks with more knowledge on the subject to chime in on this. Maybe the EGR is the culprit.
 
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airline tech

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Ok, took the plugs out and scoped the cylinders..

Here are the plugs 1-4 L to R in the photo..

IMG_0137.jpeg


Looking outward at the cylinder wall of #1 there is what appears to be liquid rivulets trailing from top to bottom of the cylinder..

IMG_0135.jpeg


would that indicate a compromised head gasket? And also, why isn’t it smoking? (And how is coolant making it past the rings into the crankcase?)
It appears minor, But I can see evidence on #1 Plug, the coolant is cleaning it.
(Insulator Tip & Side Electrode) are clean as compared to the other 3.
Hopefully it's just the Head Gasket and not the block or head.
All engines have a small amount of blow-by past the rings, this may be the source of how the coolant is making it into the oil or the head gasket passages (oil & coolant) could be mixing at the crack.
 

Jason B

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If you had a serious leak, I'd expect the oil to look like a milkshake when drained.
But a leak is a leak and needs to be fixed no matter how minimal.
 
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Smitty908

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It appears minor, But I can see evidence on #1 Plug, the coolant is cleaning it.
(Insulator Tip & Side Electrode) are clean as compared to the other 3.
Hopefully it's just the Head Gasket and not the block or head.
All engines have a small amount of blow-by past the rings, this may be the source of how the coolant is making it into the oil or the head gasket passages (oil & coolant) could be mixing at the crack.
Gotcha, think I’m gonna order the gasket (and associated gaskets for the job) and replace it, do a good visual inspection and hope that’s it.
If the problems persist, then I’ll get rid of it.

anyone know if there is a service manual that would cover head removal available?
 

Conman50

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Has the engine ever overheated? You may be able to take it to Ford and have them do it. even if out of warranty Ive heard they sometimes take care of things like this.
 

Grandaccess

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Blown head gasket can leak oil and water between passages...
and if it just started its probably a small leak and dont smoke, it will when it goes :(
its been a year now since I did a flush when I blew my Lower hose, it hasnt lost even a drop, I still keep checking because when the hose blew I over heated it, it went into limp mode and it even turned the truck off, and that worried me on these engines ...
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