Mike Simard

Yea, it does sound like the engine to me too. Actually the block and not the heads at all. I'm no expert like all the Gregs but given that the engine has that going on after an accident and the radiator tested OK, I'd tear it down.

Don't waste your time pulling heads in car, roll up your sleeves and settle in for a nice engine removal day, header nuts and all. I would come over and help if you were closer. Maybe you can takes some pics so we can live vicariously through you!

James Bailey

Can someone tear off the plastic end tank on a dead radiator and send Mark the cooler that is inside so he has something to hook the oil lines on to futher test. However IF water is getting in the cylinders and sitting on top of a piston there is a possiblity of getting corrosion where you might not want it to be. Really depends on what the liner is made of and the ring materials.

mark kibort

Thanks Jim. that would be great if someone has one of those. Or, the two fittings that go into the radiator cooler, are threaded with a smaller pitch and diameter than the oil lines. maybe I can find a hose that can fit between the two fittings and then attach the oil lines to them. (or I could have a short pipe welded in between them.)

There doesnt seem to be any water in the cylinders at all. compression good, but no leak down yet. Ill do that test , just to be sure.

blau928

MK,

I have a set of fittings that adapt the cooler lines to AN-12 and an AN-12 hose that you can use to make a loop if you want to borrow it. I can mail it to you on Saturday, or I can drop it off at your home/work on Tuesday/Wednesday, or you can drive down to Prunedale, near Monterey and pick it up Saturday at my dad's place..

These are new fittings, with Kevlar lines that I plan on installing on my car in the next month, so I will need them back. However, you are welcome to borrow them to test your setup..

Sorry, I lost your card, so send a PM with your contact details, and we can hook it up.

PS.. I'd lend you an entire radiator, but I have not removed it from the car to install my aluminum rad yet... (It's on the lift though, and I may get to it this weekend.. If I do, you can borrow the rad to test..)

Happy New Year..!

mark kibort

UPDATE: Well, never said I doubted Greg B, but it sure looks like it might be the radiator oil cooler. I dont know how its possible, but it is. Someone please explain the fluid dynamics on this one!
I blow on the fittings, it feels and sounds air tight, I even suck on the fittings and there doesnt seem to be a leak, but when I install the radiator in the car with the added gravity pressure of the overflow reservior filled to the rim, it goes, "drip........drip..........drip". This is GREAT news, I think. maybe such a small leak wouldnt show up in a pressure check, , after all, its a drip every 10 seconds. do the math, there is the 2 quarts after 4-5 days. . what about the oil in the water. guess, the extra viscosity, is counteracted by the 5x extra pressure . but, there is much less oil in the water . I just hope it is transfering from that same leak. I have a bowl, in a oil pan, right under the oil cooler line fitting. the drips are for sure, coming from the oil fitting.

as a note, I pulled the oil filter as well, as I was planning to add oil back in and do some other testing after I was going to remove a cam cover and pressurize the cooling system and check for leaks at the oil return passages in the heads. (visually) anyway, the oil in the oil filter was pure, no water at all.

It just cracks me up that the radiator shop is able to give it a clean bill of health when there is a serious problem still. I cant see how a pressure check wouldnt work in this situation. I mean, if you have a little tiny leak like this, bubbles should still rise as this looks like it can drain a radiator over time. maybe a week?

Ill see what it looks like in the Am

So, time to add another oil cooler to the side of this radiator?

thanks for all the comments and help all!
mk

Lizard928

Plug those holes and convert to an air oil cooler in the fender or front of the radiator.

Darklands

Kick the old radiator in the trashcan and buy a new one.Coolers for 5 speeds are not so expensive.450 € or so here in Germany.
I had oil in the reservoir to and it was the cooler.
The new radiator will last again 20 years.

jcorenman

Actually marton made that call in post #2

Sure. It's a crack, and cracks can do whatever they want. The interesting thing about cracks is that when they are not displaced, the broken edges generally fit together perfectly, and they don't leak.

Whether it leaks or not will depend on pressure and temperature, and probably most importantly will depend on the stress on the parts. Factory oil-cooler hoses are pretty stiff (especially when aged a bit), and engines move around a bit on their mounts. Lots of variables, stuff happens and entropy always wins in the end.

As for testing, folks tend to get the results they are looking for. It's just human nature, everyone is happier when things turn out as expected. You might have been expecting or hoping to find a leak, but you weren't doing the testing.

My guess is that the shop wasn't looking forward to ripping apart plastic radiator side-tanks, so they didn't look as hard as they might have. They probably didn't connect hoses to the oil fittings and stress them in various directions, didn't use dye to check for tell-tale leaks, didn't heat things up, didn't pressurize the oil side to the 100+ psi that it sees in normal use. And they got the result that they were looking for, a radiator that didn't need fixing.

I'm glad to hear that the filter was clean with no sign of water, that was a good check and very good news for the engine.

And I second the motion for some sort of external cooler, if Porsche didn't consider the in-tank cooler adequate then you probably shouldn't either.

Happy New Year!!

James Bailey

That stroker motor deserves an external air oil cooler which greatly increases the reserve capacity of the radiator and adds much additional oil cooling. Both can be good things for engine longevity even on A -OIL. I am not even going to comment on..."I blow on the fittings, it feels and sounds air tight, I even suck on the fittings.... " But given that much of this "discussion" was mental masturbation it fits......

mark kibort

Thanks guys! Yep, it certainly proves that the obvious was right. The oil cooler has issues. I'll plug it for now just to be sure that it is also the reason why there was oil in the water. Any suggestions on the oil in the water? same cause?

Here is the water what accumlated after a few hours.
This morning, it was over half full.

certainly good news and could be the problem for both problems.

mark kibort

It really does. Scot has some extra lines that came on the euro mystery motor from Anderson. the lines are long for an external cooler, but the lines are shot. I guess I could have them re-fitted with new lines somewhere. then, buy a simple cooler . Ill have to investigate that when the racing starts again. Until then, I may as well refit the radiator with a good cooler from Greg B.

thanks

Mk

SharkSkin

Glad it appears to be something simple. BTW, you really should not run straight water in the cooling system for any length of time. There are any number of inexpensive products that you can put in there to lubricate the WP seal, e.g. water wetter, formulations that do nothing more than lubricate the seal, etc.

No need to put coolant in until you're sure that the system is tight, but a lubricating additive is cheap insurance.

GregBBRD

I'll send you one on Monday. It will cure both problems, obviously. Almost had to be the problem, given your symptoms, that's why I was flabergasted.

You can scratch that radiator shop off your list. A blind person could have found that leak.

James Bailey

NOTHING is as permanent as a "temporary fix" .....trust me on that one Once it is "working" all motivation seems to go away. Greg Brown is a Goodridge Hose dealer has fittings and hose in stock I am sure he can make up anything you need.

mark kibort

Thanks! You think the oil in the water came from there too?

thanks again for sending the oil cooler!

Mk