Oil Problems

[ccampo]

Has anyone ever had their oil boil in the engine. We have a 1993 Explorer that seems to boil the oil in the engine. It seems like it is not circulating and the it just get super hot. It actuqally burns the oil off and then we have to put more in. You can also here the valves hittingg when the oil gets too hot.

 

[mrboyle]

Have you tested the oil pressure? I don't mean "does the guage read good", I mean, hook up a mechanical guage and make sure there is good oil pressure. Is the cooling system working properly? Is the engine full of sludge? Is there a major oil leak anywhere?

 

[ccampo]

We have not checked the pressure. The oil does not look very much like sludge but it smells and looks burnt from the overheating. Someone said it may be an oil filter or pump in the pan but it looks fairly complicated to get the pan off to check.
There are no major leaks and the cooling sytem seems fine.

 

[mrboyle]

Is the oil level dropping rapidly? The only thing I can think of is that you have a blocked oil passage somewhere. It may not be totaly blocked, but restricted enough that when the engine reaches opperating tempature the area that has the oil restriction is not recieving enough oil to properly lubercate/cool and begins to burn the oil. Thing I don't understand is, why the cooling system isn't reading hot. Any friction excessive enough to burn oil should also transfer heat into the cooling system. How many miles are on the engine?

 

[ccampo]

Well, This one is my dad's car so I asked him some questions that were suggested by you. I did not know this (And my dad knows better) but he had the radiator full of only water. The water was frozen solid. I told him to flush it and then put radiator fluid in. I am not sure that this would cause the oil to overheat but that is probably the problem.

 

[Carguy3J]

Well, This one is my dad's car so I asked him some questions that were suggested by you. I did not know this (And my dad knows better) but he had the radiator full of only water. The water was frozen solid. I told him to flush it and then put radiator fluid in. I am not sure that this would cause the oil to overheat but that is probably the problem.

Better hope he didn't crack the block! If the water completely froze in the radiator, it probably froze in the block too.

 

[gijoecam]

Assuming it didn't freeze in the block (causing other issues), running straight water in the cooling system isn't going to cause the problem you encountered. It can cause some corrosion, and can cause premature wear on the water pump bushing, but it's not going to otherwise affect the engine temp.

Boiling oil?? That's a new one... Are you sure it's not just burning it through the intake? Aside from the dropping level, what evidence do you have of an over-temp condition on the oil? Are you seeing a drop in oil pressure? Hearing the valves begin to clatter is different than a single knock on every revolution of the engine... calling something a 'knock' isn't very helpful for troubleshooting via the 'net.... can you describe it a little more?

 

[aldive]

Have you measured the oil temperature?

 

[ccampo]

Yes, the valves begin to make a tapping noise as the engine warms up. After shutting the engine off as the noise starts, we take off the oil filler cap and you can actually see the oil bubbling. He said that the other day he drained the radiator ant put on a new thermostat. He went to fill the radiator and it took over 5 gallons before it was filled. He then started the motor and there was white smoke from the exhaust. The fluid in the radiator seems to be getting lower.

 

[737dezertking]

Head gasket or cracked head. Engine is done Time for a Rebuild.

 

[JohnnyO]

Head gasket or cracked head. Engine is done Time for a Rebuild.

That's what I was thinking. It probably has water in the oil and that is what is boiling.