This 94 I just bought runs good now that it has had a compete tune-up, when the plugs on a stock engine are gapped at .077, it runs a little rough. <grin>

Anyway the question. This is the second 460 like this. There is oil in the water, but no water in the oil.
I have changed the oil a couple times in the few weeks I have owned it and it comes out dirty but clear of water.

Where could this be coming from? The last engine I checked everything, oil cooler, tranny lines, everything except pulling the heads. This time I know it is not tranny it is definitely motor oil.

It has 246,000 miles on it untouched, so should I just expect head gaskets?
Remember it is running good. Purrs in fact.

Rodney

 

Does it have a stock oil cooler? Does it have a stock transmission cooler in the radiator?

What do you mean by "the last engine..."? Did you replace the engine in this truck?

 

Stock oil cooler. Stock Transmission cooler. Stock engine.

I meant that this is the second truck with a 460 doing this.

 

Those oil coolers are known to leak, especially if the coolant has been neglected. Bypass it & join its coolant hoses, and then delete it and install a normal oil filter. When the lower hose goes out, install a normal one.

 

I sure hope so.

On the first truck doing the same thing, it was what I suspected but took it to a radiator shop and they pressure tested and it checked out ok. I wasn't going to do it to this new truck. So I will by pass and see. It does sound suspect since the oil is obviously under more pressure than the water to do what it is doing.

 

I am really glad to read this, I am having the same issue, I also have the factory oil cooler. Was it just a bad design?? Are there any drawbacks to deleting it vs replacing it??

 

No, I wouldn't blame the oil cooler. It's poor coolant maintenance that causes this problem. The oil cooler is just the first thing to go. Even if you bypass/delete it, you'll probably continue to have leaks cropping up over the next few years: heater core, freeze plugs, engine nipples, radiator... Once the damage begins, it doesn't stop. You can slow it down by getting back ON-schedule...

Cooling System Tech

 

so should I replace or just delete the oil cooler?

 

I did have to replace the heater core first thing when I got this dude soooo maybe on to something.

 

Did you read post #4? If you were racing in the Baja, you might get some benefit from having one. Otherwise, it's not worth it. Ford used to put them on cop cars, but they found the risk of leaks outweighed the possible benefits, and it was decontented.