Coolant in oil,98 3.8

[rdana]

Noticed oil under engine and after checking found milky oil on dipstick,the engine has 120k on it,what is the most common cause?and solution.

Thanks,new member
Bob from Wichita

[phantom_smack]

We mostly see failed head gasket but I would have the vehicle checked out before just condeming the head gaskets.

[rdana]

After tracing the leaking coolant,I found it coming out of the bottom of the air cleaner housing. I removed the rubber tube between the throttle body and the MAF only to find clear coolant running out from the center of the throttle body.Where is it coming from? is there a water hose to the TB to heat ir cool it? or a leaking intake gasket??

Thanks again Bob

[BryanF]

Originally Posted by rdana

After tracing the leaking coolant,I found it coming out of the bottom of the air cleaner housing. I removed the rubber tube between the throttle body and the MAF only to find clear coolant running out from the center of the throttle body.Where is it coming from? is there a water hose to the TB to heat ir cool it? or a leaking intake gasket??

Thanks again Bob

there is no water line to the TB.

it's either leaking past the intake manifold gasket, or a leak has devoloped in a head gasket.

you can do a compression check in all 6 of the cylinders to verify whether or not it is a head gasket.

if you're at least somewhat mechanically inclined, both causes can be fixed in the garage over the course of a week.

good luck

[mytmous]

I've got the same issue on a 98 3.8, except there is no source it's in the oil when I drained it, also engine will not turn over at all, starter is good, but the engine looks like it's locked up. Any help on that or do I just need a new engine.

First post and new to fords, but long time racer and shade tree wrench monkey.

[BryanF]

while there is a possibility that you just have a leaky intake manifold gasket, it's most likely that you have a bad head gasket. the 3.8's are known to devolop head gasket leaks around the mileage that your van has.

mine lasted about 140k miles before a head gasket went bad. fixed it in my garage over the course of about 4 days. if you're mechanically inclined and have a torque wrench, then it is a messy but doable job. the gasket set runs you about $250. check out this thread to see what you're in for: http://www.ford-forums.com/ford-wind...fix-today.html

like others have mentioned, you can run a compression test on all 6 cylinders to verify whether or not you have a head gasket leak. but the best advice i can give you is not to drive the van (or even start the engine) until it is fixed. after i did my head gaskets, i drained the oil after about a week of driving it to make sure all the coolant and emulsion was out of there, and have been doing oil changes at regular intervals ever since. with that said, apparently the bottom end of these engines is pretty solid and can handle a little bit of abuse. the engine should continue to last if you decide to fix it.

anyways, best of luck with the fix. if you have any questions about it, i've been there and i check this forum just about on a daily basis, so if there's any way i can help you then feel free to ask.

p.s.
have you had your transmission rebuilt yet?
seriously though, the transmissions in these vans have a pretty high failure rate too, and if you haven't had yours rebuilt yet then the engine may not be worth fixing. not trying to be a downer, but if your tranny hasn't failed on you yet, it's just a matter of time...

[rdana]

Mine was a leaking intake manifold gaskets(both sides) drained the oil and coolant,replaced gaskets,added 1 1/2 oz. of Sea Foam for each qt of oil, the coolant left in the engine evaporates,thanks to the Sea Foam.I changed oil and filter again and there is not a trace of coolant in the old oil.

[vindctar]

Am I grateful for this forum or what!!!

[mark v]

Any coolant found in the oil probably has done damage to the bearings, entire engine failure usually follows soon, especially if the oil is milky/foamy looking you have irreversible engine damage to the internal bearings.

[mark v]

Your left over coolant evaporated by the engine running and turning the coolant to steam while it most likely reduced the life out of your engine.

All traces of coolant must be removed prior to engine starting to avoid more engine damage.

Originally Posted by rdana

Mine was a leaking intake manifold gaskets(both sides) drained the oil and coolant,replaced gaskets,added 1 1/2 oz. of Sea Foam for each qt of oil, the coolant left in the engine evaporates,thanks to the Sea Foam.I changed oil and filter again and there is not a trace of coolant in the old oil.