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17K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Detour1977 
#1 ·
Okay so i bought a 2003 f350 270k miles on it from a guy who used it for his roofing company and got it real cheap since they stated there was a problem with the truck but weren't sure what it was. The guy driving the truck said he saw white smoke, pulled over and saw coolant dripping from one of the core plug holes on the engine, drivers side. He said it didn't over heat on him and that after he noticed the water leaking, he shut the truck off, had it towed and has been sitting ever since.
It was missing the plug on the block. I found it was missing one on the passenger side too and a few of the heads core plugs were starting to pop out a bit. I found the thermostat was destroyed into pieces too?? After fixing all that i found water in the oil! I thought egr and oil coolers were bad so I removed them and had them tested and to my surprise, they were original and they BOTH were still good!! The hose in between the coolers was busted though. I drained the oil and a few gallons of water came out then oil. I left the oil drain plug out, poured water in hole on top of the front cover where the intake goes and as I expected, water started pouring through the oil pan hole! Could this mean the front cover is bad? maybe cause of cavitation? I've seen a 6.0 without a front cover but I don't know that it's possible for oil and water to meet there? is this possible? has anyone seen this problem before? does this relate to the plugs and the blown up thermostat?
I'm thinking the core plugs on the block are actually part of the crank case, water filled up the crank case high enough for a pistons to catch some during BDC and high enough to start leaking out of the core plug hole. thanks in advance
 
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#2 ·
Yes, coolant can get into the oil system at the front cover.

At other locations in the oil system, the oil is at higher pressure so the oil tends to end up in the coolant. At the front cover, though, it's the other way around.

If you haven't already, download this book:

http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/download-2.php?f=20032560LCoffeeTableBook.pdf

...and look at pics 28 and 42 for a better view.
 
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#3 ·
Out of curiosity, what methods were used to test the EGR and oil cooler out of the truck?
 
#5 ·
I used to work for a commercial Ford dealer. I had a guy who was my mentor when I worked there test them out for me. I believe there is a special tool for the egr cooler to plug it up then connect shop air to it and you check for leaks like that while it's submerged under water. For the oil cooler I just shoved my garden hose into one of the coolant passages and plugged the other one with a few rubber gloves and my finger and checked if any water started to come out of one of the oil passages. it flowed the water very very well and no water was coming from the oil sides.
 
#6 ·
Okay so I removed the front cover and it looked fine. Checked for pin holes and decavitation and all good. I shoved my hose in the coolant passages to the engine where they would go from the front cover and i didn't get water draining out the drain plug hole so I assumed the front cover gasket was bad. it wasn't in the best shape either. After replacing the gasket, i filled it up with water and after a while, water started pouring down the drain plug again!!!! I was starting the process to remove the heads to inspect when I had another idea: remove the oil pan and see where exactly the water is coming from! I did just that and the water is coming from the second piston on the drivers side! I couldn't see any cracks or anything so i'm going to be removing the had and check out whats going on. might do head studs while i'm at it!
 
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