The Ford Barn

tbirdtbird · 11-06-2013, 10:58 AM

Anyone remember this topic?

I had a chance to discuss this with an old time mechanic who I haven't seen in years. This guy is pretty sharp. His answer makes sense to me. I do not know more than what I am about to post, so I doubt I'll be back to make any more comments. I am sure the Barners will chew this up and spit it out!

You may never actually see a layer of water and a layer of oil on the dipstick; you would have to have a lot of water in there for that to happen. BUT if there were that much water, then what is on the dipstick will not look like oil at all. It will look milky. If you see milky, then no how matter how much or how little water got in there, it became an emulsion with the oil and rendered the lubricating qualities of the oil useless, and your bearings are or will soon be toast.

It matters not if you are running AF or plain water, either will form an emulsion with your oil as the oil pump whips everything up like making whipped cream. A car of any vintage is subject to this issue. It could happen to anyone with any car at anytime.

The bottom line for me is to check the stick each and every time you are about to start the car. Checking head bolt torque now and then may not be a bad idea, either. I have worked on a lot of As for customers only to find the torque is 20# low across the board. I discovered the same thing on an old Stude truck.

Modern high quality head gaskets for modern cars from Felpro are made such that a re-torque is not necessary, such as the SBC 350 I am changing the heads on now. So, whether you need a re-torque depends on the type and quality of the gasket itself. Wipe a little never-seize on those stud threads and you will still be able to turn those head nuts years later if need be.

I have no idea if this will help anyone. Each person on the barn is doing what has worked for them over the years. It makes sense to me, and looking back I have seen milky oil, knew what caused it, but was too young to understand how detrimental this can be. And I wasn't the one in charge of fixing that particular car. Also remember the harder and faster you drive the car the more likely you are to blow the head gasket, even tho the compression on an A is 4.2.

I will be checking the stick just before I drive it every time from now on

11-06-2013, 10:58 AM	#1
tbirdtbird BANNED Join Date: May 2012 Location: inside your RAM Posts: 3,134	Antifreeze or water in the oil Anyone remember this topic? I had a chance to discuss this with an old time mechanic who I haven't seen in years. This guy is pretty sharp. His answer makes sense to me. I do not know more than what I am about to post, so I doubt I'll be back to make any more comments. I am sure the Barners will chew this up and spit it out! You may never actually see a layer of water and a layer of oil on the dipstick; you would have to have a lot of water in there for that to happen. BUT if there were that much water, then what is on the dipstick will not look like oil at all. It will look milky. If you see milky, then no how matter how much or how little water got in there, it became an emulsion with the oil and rendered the lubricating qualities of the oil useless, and your bearings are or will soon be toast. It matters not if you are running AF or plain water, either will form an emulsion with your oil as the oil pump whips everything up like making whipped cream. A car of any vintage is subject to this issue. It could happen to anyone with any car at anytime. The bottom line for me is to check the stick each and every time you are about to start the car. Checking head bolt torque now and then may not be a bad idea, either. I have worked on a lot of As for customers only to find the torque is 20# low across the board. I discovered the same thing on an old Stude truck. Modern high quality head gaskets for modern cars from Felpro are made such that a re-torque is not necessary, such as the SBC 350 I am changing the heads on now. So, whether you need a re-torque depends on the type and quality of the gasket itself. Wipe a little never-seize on those stud threads and you will still be able to turn those head nuts years later if need be. I have no idea if this will help anyone. Each person on the barn is doing what has worked for them over the years. It makes sense to me, and looking back I have seen milky oil, knew what caused it, but was too young to understand how detrimental this can be. And I wasn't the one in charge of fixing that particular car. Also remember the harder and faster you drive the car the more likely you are to blow the head gasket, even tho the compression on an A is 4.2. I will be checking the stick just before I drive it every time from now on __________________ '31 180A