bendavis2

I had a leak in my head gasket and got some serious coolant in my oil. It was thick milkshake all around.

I've drained the system for a week, and replaced the headgasket, and am doing pump, front seals and belts. But, I'm wondering if the residual coolant in the oil that is still in all the nooks and crannies will mess up new rod bearings if I put them in right away.

Would it be better to fill up the car with cheap oil and run it for a few days to flush all the coolant mess out of the dark recesses, and then drain it again to do the rod bearings? Or should I just do them now since the car is already up on blocks (I've got the front dismantled but haven't started on the oil pump or pan yet).

I'm inclined to wait after a few days of driving to do rod bearings, but I'm nervous that they will 'go bad'. (What happens when a rod bearing goes bad anyway?)

Any insight?

Thanks for the help.


Ben in Portland
1983 Porsche 944 N/A

John_AZ

Normally when you are in this deep, and the mileage is 125K to 150K or over, do it now.

Your headgasket did not go bad overnight. It had weeks and longer to mix the coolant and oil unless you checked regularly. The damage may have already started and could damage the crank beyond a simple polish/buff.

There have been a few threads on DIY tips on how to hold the pan gasket in place recently.

Nice avatar! The position is burned in my back.

GL
John

JustinL

I'd do them now while it's up on stands and mostly apart. The damage to the rod bearings is already done and you wouldn't want the crank to get scored up any more if the bearings are shot. When you drop the pan, you can give it a really good cleaning and get most of the residual gunk out anyway. After it's all back together, do an oil change soon to clear whatever is left.

bendavis2

Thanks for the replies. I'll get working on them!

86 951 Driver

I would maybe run some cheap 10w-40 oil in there with some ATF to help clean all that stuff out, then fill with your normal oil of choice.