"JohnH" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 08:59:19 -0500, "Matt"
wrote:

From reading and research, it appears I might have a cracked block.
(Milky
oil and condensation by the filler cap) Now my problem lies in
determining
if in fact that is the case. What tests / areas do mechanics look at to
determine a cracked block? I have a reliable mechanic but still I heard
it's hard to determine that anyway. I know it might be a gasket or
something but i'm looking worst case.

Thanks!

Milky oil and condensate at the filler cap inform you of water in your
oil. It
does not inform you of the cause. A hole in the manifold or riser, as
mentioned
earlier, is a very possible cause. Have you removed the manifolds and
risers and
inspected them? You could simply have a bad gasket.

John
On the 'Poco Loco' out of Deale, MD

Yep!
You need to either do some investigation by tearing down the engine to some
degree, check out the exhaust risers for example, or get the tools to
pressure test the engine assembly. I would NOT tear into the engine without
some proper pressure testing. Your assumptions of where the leak may be are
probably wrong.

In a somewhat unrelated example I had a customer bring an engine in to me
that I had rebuilt a short time before. Seems the oil was getting milky. He
had jumped in and removed the head and oil pan looking for a problem. This
engine had wet sleeves that just dropped in place so they were disturbed in
the process. I ended up disassembling and then reassembling the engine and
pressure testing it, and do not find a leak! Basically did a total rebuild
again, on his dime. He put the engine back into service and the milky oil
problem so showed up again. This machine was used to remove snow, and after
so investigation I moved the air intake hose to inside the drivers cab. No
more problem! Seems the air intake was drawing in enough snow to foul the
oil. This gent could have saved himself hundreds of dollars with the proper
use of a pressure tester and some common sense! If he had brought the engine
to me right away I probably would not have charged him a cent to check it
out as I had just rebuilt it.
so I am cautioning you to be careful where you go with this if you are
unsure of your abilities and the proper use of tools. It may be cheaper to
get someone to take a look at it that has some experience. You may save
yourself a bunch of money in the long run!
Greg