White sludge in oil

[thinger2]

Did you use some type of an oil stop leak or do you suspect that someone else did?
What does the bottom of your oil fill cap look like?
Do you have the same crud?
Could be caused by short runs when the block never gets hot enough to make the moisture cook off.
But what I see on that dipstick shot is not just emulsified.
That looks chemically bound or in the process of binding when its cold.
And additives will definetly do that.
Are you running sythetic or a blend?
What coolant did you use?
Warm it up and change the oil for sure.
If thought it had any type of magic goo in it I would change it 3 or 4 times.
If it is chock full of magic goo I would rebuilt all of it.
Carbs and TBIs and Throttle bodys are no different then when you know that your wife will tell you that you are in charge of the gravy.
****.
Its all good untill you have to read the instructions

 

[Schurkey]

Drained radiator a bit. It runs 210 now all day long.

Lovely.

It's not proper procedure to drain the radiator to achieve proper operating temperature.

Something else is wrong.

That white sludge hasn't burned off. As for PCV I don't have it hooked up at all, both valve covers have open ports. you happen to have a diagram of how I should set it up?

Well, there's probably the root cause of your "white sludge". The PCV system is essential. Everything you need to know is in the service manual; but the short story is 3/8 nipple as a source of manifold vacuum, 3/8" hose to PCV valve in one valve cover, and another hose from the other valve cover to the air cleaner or the air cleaner spacer to allow fresh, filtered air into the crankcase.

 

[Erik the Awful]

That white sludge hasn't burned off. As for PCV I don't have it hooked up at all, both valve covers have open ports.

Yup! There's your problem. Fix your PCV. It doesn't hurt anything and it keeps that sludge from building up.

 

[92Raiderburban]

Did you use some type of an oil stop leak or do you suspect that someone else did?
What does the bottom of your oil fill cap look like?
Do you have the same crud?
Could be caused by short runs when the block never gets hot enough to make the moisture cook off.
But what I see on that dipstick shot is not just emulsified.
That looks chemically bound or in the process of binding when its cold.
And additives will definetly do that.
Are you running sythetic or a blend?
What coolant did you use?
Warm it up and change the oil for sure.
If thought it had any type of magic goo in it I would change it 3 or 4 times.
If it is chock full of magic goo I would rebuilt all of it.
Carbs and TBIs and Throttle bodys are no different then when you know that your wife will tell you that you are in charge of the gravy.
****.
Its all good untill you have to read the instructions

I have used the STP oil stop leak.
Bottom of the fill cap shows no white sludge at all. Speaking of additives, I did use STP zinc additive. I am using 10w30 synthetic blend, since conventional is pretty much obsolete. I run straight distilled water in my radiator.

Lovely.

It's not proper procedure to drain the radiator to achieve proper operating temperature.

Something else is wrong.


Well, there's probably the root cause of your "white sludge". The PCV system is essential. Everything you need to know is in the service manual; but the short story is 3/8 nipple as a source of manifold vacuum, 3/8" hose to PCV valve in one valve cover, and another hose from the other valve cover to the air cleaner or the air cleaner spacer to allow fresh, filtered air into the crankcase.

Not proper but it works. Remember the old Mark IVs ran 210 no matter what. Won't hurt nuthin. As for that sludge it's presence is disappearing slowly.

 

[Schurkey]

I run straight distilled water in my radiator.

Straight water in the cooling system, and no PCV?

Are you TRYING to destroy that engine?

Not proper but it works. Remember the old Mark IVs ran 210 no matter what. Won't hurt nuthin. As for that sludge it's presence is disappearing slowly.

The old Mark IVs ran whatever temperature the thermostat was rated for, or ten--fifteen degrees hotter...unless there was something wrong.

Just like every other engine that's operating properly.

 

[thinger2]

Are you really running just water?
You will not only kill that engine dead.
That is for sure.
Running just water went out in the 1930s.
It is also extremelly dangerous.
Any part of that system that gets plugged full of rust.
Which it will.
Becomes a steam bomb.
Constrained steam is deadly.
Automotive history is chock full of people who died from face burns because they poked a finger at a swelled radiator hose that was plugged.
Not to mention the history of steamboat and steamcar explosions.
And lets not forget about the women who got decapitated from pressure cookers.

Water, heated and under pressure, has an amazing potential energy.
Thats how nuke subs work.
Steam
Coolant raises the boiling point of water.
To a safe realm that the hoses, components, heads ,etc...
Wont explode.
All it takes is one little temporary blockage that holds that pressure back untill you apply some imbalance to that pressure.
just a touch will do it.
That is all it takes.
Just a touch of your finger.
Your next stop after a radiator explosion or a cold shock boil over is the local burn unit.
Thats where they pump you full of morphine for a couple of months while they try to keep you from dying from shock.
Then they decide which part of your ass or leg or whatever is left that they can maybe, maybe get a skin graft from
If you manage to fight off the infection,
And you still havent givein up and you just arent ready to die yet.
That is when the fun starts.
The morphine the ******* whirpool all of that.
The ******* skin scrubbing.
Buy some damn coolant cheap ass

 

[Frank Enstein]

Get a bottle of Justice Brother's Radiator cleaner.

Drain the coolant enough to remove the 180 T-stat.

Rip the center out of it and put the outer ring back in.

Put the cleaner in and top off the coolant level.

Put cardboard in front of the radiator so the coolant gets to around 200 degrees F.

Run a tank of fuel through the truck. The cleaner won't harm metal or rubber and it self neutralizes in 300 miles.

Flush the system thoroughly, and open the block drains if you can.

Inspect/Replace any hoses and clamps while the coolant is drained.

Especially the ones that are difficult to access in the parking lot of the auto parts store @ -5 in a blizzard.

Put in a T-stat like this

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I use this gasket.

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Pour in one of these.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/red-80204

One is enough. Two will waste your money.

If you can get a Justice Brother's Radiator Cool pour one of those in and you just might save the water pump.

Fill the cooling system with a mixture of distilled water and enough name brand coolant so that it reads 10 degrees F colder than the vehicle will see or 0 degrees F on a temp tester whichever is colder.

Use a tester like this.

Page Not Found

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Even if it NEVER freezes where you are you still need 0 degrees F worth of antifreeze for water pump lubrication and corrosion protection.

Connect the PCV to the intake.

Change the oil and filter.

I put in this level of detail so someone new to vehicle maintenance will have the whole story.

I apologize if I put in steps you already knew.

 

[Hipster]

Coolant raises the boiling point of water.

^^^ This.

Seeing 220 on a gauge is not a problem if there's sufficient anti/freeze in it but people panic. Boiling over is another matter.

Just the anti-corrosive/lubricating qualities are worth using it.

Cooling systems are closed systems that need to develop pressure. I'm assuming the expansion tank is being run empty or it would suck whatever's left back in everytime the truck cooled off IF the cooling system is operating properly.

In jest, what's after checking radiator air? Muffler bearings and blinker fluid? LOL

There's quite a few mis-steps and possibly overlooking another problem.

 

[454cid]

Get a bottle of Justice Brother's Radiator cleaner.

Where do you buy it? I don't even see it on Amazon. That sounds like some good stuff.

Drain the coolant enough to remove the 180 T-stat.

Rip the center out of it and put the outer ring back in.

Put the cleaner in and top off the coolant level.

Put cardboard in front of the radiator so the coolant gets to around 200 degrees F.

What's thge idea behind running the partial thermostat if it's going to be run through a tank of gas?

 

[Erik the Awful]

Some racing organizations require running straight water instead of coolant because if your system dumps on-track, it's not as slick and greasy.

Coolant is no less dangerous than straight water. Yes, the boiling point is raised, but not significantly. Your coolant is under pressure to keep it from boiling in the engine. If you take the radiator cap off, the pressure drop causes coolant to steam just as bad as water. Whether straight water or coolant, you need to treat your cooling system with respect when hot.

The biggest problem with running straight water is that it causes corrosion inside your engine. You'll want to change the water regularly. If you can put a sacrificial metal in your cooling system and check it regularly, that might help. If I remember right, Cadillac put aluminum balls in their radiators back in the '90s.