engine and drivetrain New owner in Philly area, Coolant in oil but steady compr.

[MattL]

Hello All. I've been lurking on the forum for a while now, and this site/forum/community of knowledgeable people is a big reason I've been interested in buying a 2002. I picked one up yesterday, so I figured it's about time I actually joined the forum. And I'm jumping in today with a request for opinions/advice from you who know more than I do.

I bought a 1974 2002 non-tii, and am looking forward to starting work on what is sure to be a long project. The car's got no shortage of problems, but since I don't need it to be a daily driver, I don't want to use a cherry car to "learn on", and the price was right, I pulled the trigger.

The good:

Solid shock towers and inner rocker panels (as far as I can tell by knocking through the outer rockers and poking at the inners)

Solid sills

Solid and straight panels (except for some bubbling)

Apparently solid frame rails

No obvious evidence of accident damage (although, admittedly, the paint job could hide some of that)

Starts up without hesitation

No weird/white/black/sweet smoke

All in one piece

The bad:

Cheap paint job (navy blue over Amazon Green)

Rotted outer rockers and spare tire well

Rotted lower front panel/lip

Likely head/gasket problem (see below)

Corroded clutch and brake pedal springs (both pedals stay down after being depressed)

The floor panels are apparently on their way out: solid from inside, but crumbly from below.

My first item on the to-do list WAS going to be rebuilding the pedal assembly and bleeding the clutch and brake lines. This morning, though, I noticed that the oil is milky. (I know; stupid of me not to check this BEFORE buying the car, but the seller said he had the engine rebuilt <1000 miles ago and gave me the shop's number to call for records. He also asked me to keep him updated as the project progresses.) I took off the oil filler cap, and it's definitely got a milkshakey look to it. Same story when looking inside. The coolant, though, is bright green, with no sign of oil as far as I can see.

According to the seller, the car has not been driven since October, only receiving periodic starts. My question is this:

Is there any possibility that this isn't a cracked head or blown head gasket? For example, could the car's sitting for months result in the oil discoloration?

Any suggestions for next steps?

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[mooseheadm5]

How long did the car sit? Does the exhaust smell sweet? If it sat outside in foul weather without being run for many months the motor will tend to breathe a bit and accumulate condensation. This is not as common on newer vehicles with sealed crankcase PCV systems, but seeing some milkiness when the car has finally been started is not uncommon. That doesn't mean you have no problems, but there is hope. I'd try pressure testing the cooling system to see if it holds. If it doesn't hold and there is no extrnal leak then you'll find your coolant in the oil. If it does hold I'd drain and replace the oil and see if the milkiness clears after it warms up enough to boil off the remaining moisture.

[MattL]

Thanks for your quick reply!

I stood by the tailpipe when the seller started the car up, and no, the exhaust didn't smell sweet or out of the ordinary to me. Granted, I've never smelled the "sweet" exhaust I would be sniffing for. There was also no smoke - black or white - from the exhaust.

According to the seller, the car has been sitting since October. I had it flatbedded home, so I also haven't done anything except start it up for about a minute or so.

Thanks for the suggestions. Is pressure-testing the cooling system something that would need to be done by a pro, or is it a DIY-friendly undertaking? With the pedal assembly essentially seized, getting the car to even a nearby shop would involve a tow,

Thanks again,

Matt

[mooseheadm5]

It requires a pressure tester, but you can probably borrow one from somewhere. If the HG were totally blown and it was burining coolant, the exhaust would smell sugary.

Sitting since october with minimal starting could cause this. If you can't get a pressure tester (it is a hand pump and a gauge that attaches in place of the rad cap) then I would change the oil and warm the car up a bit to see what happens with the oil.

[baller908790]

When I first got my 74 2002 about 8 months ago I noticed the milky covering on the oil cap. I periodically started the car without any problems. Then all of a sudden my car wouldn't idle it would die. I changed the oil and spark plugs and what a difference. Stupid of me the gas gauge was showing full but wasnt. it was empty. So i then learned the cause of the weak idle was the gas. So you should change the oil definatly but when I changed mine my oil wasnt milky. Good Luck to You and your car!

[MattL]

Thanks again for the replies. It looks like Harbor Freight has a pressure tester on sale, so I'll probably order that and get started with the pumping (and finger crossing).

[02fanatic]

Hi Matt:

Congrats on your new purchase!

First, if it were me, before doing anything else, I'd drain "everything" regardless of how good it looks and replace all fluids (coolant, oil & filter, gas & filter, gear lub (trans & diff), and pull the plugs and analyze from their appearance. Unless they look new, I'd replace the plugs...I always use Bosch W8DC's instead of the cooler stock 7's.

Change brake fluid (DOT 4) and basically go through the car looking for any particular problem areas.

As for the "milky" look of the oil, that doesn't sound good to me, but like I said...put fresh oil in there and see what happens...you may be fine.

If the car is registered in PA, smart move buying a '74!...all pre-75 cars are "exempt" from emission requirements, so you're golden! :-)

Good Luck with things,

John

[Psymon]

Any pictures Matt?? and what did you pay for the thing??

[MattL]

Not many pictures yet, but here's one. $1200.

[Psymon]

Matt,

Looks like a great find. Great price too. Are those euro turn signals in the front? also the front fenders look like they have no reflectors, clean euro look.

[MattL]

Thanks, Psymon. We'll see how much of a good buy it was once I do the radiator pressure and compression tests. ) I appreciate the positive feedback, though!

Not sure about the turn signals - how can you tell the difference? I do like the lack of reflectors, though: nice, clean look. And assuming I get the thing up and running, those tugboat bumpers will need to come off.

Matt

[MattL]

I've now done a radiator pressure test, as suggested, as well as a compression test on all cylinders. Both were done before I drained the oil.

The radiator pressure test (up to about 12 psi) revealed a slow leak at one of the hoses at the thermostat (the one closest to the engine). I couldn't get that hose tight enough to stop leaking, but I also didn't see the pressure go down at all, nor find any clear evidence of new coolant in the oil.

I then did a compression test on all cylinders (cold/dry only). 1 to 4 read 140-140-140-145. Those look low to me (maybe just because it was a cold/dry test?), but the good thing is that the numbers are so consistent across the board. I was encouraged by this, and hoped that it was evidence that maybe the milkiness was just condensation from a lengthy period of idleness.

I then started the engine and noticed how rough it was running (shaking all over the place, really - don't know why I didn't notice it before). I pulled the ignition wires one-by-one and learned that cylinders 1 and 3 are not firing. I also noticed a rhythmic "pfft" sound that I assume was air escaping from the misfiring cylinders. All the plugs look the same (very black, but no visible damage, and I regapped them all), and the misfiring cylinders' wires don't show any clear signs of damage.

I then drained the oil (very milky) and left the plug out for a week to let it drain completely until I could come back and continue my fact-finding mission. I opened the garage this morning and could clearly see a pool of green under the collection pan I had placed under the engine: too much and not in the right place to have come from the thermostat leak.

I then did another radiator pressure test, with the same results as before. I left the drain plug out, in case there was any chance of coolant leaking out there. Nope. Only at the thermostat.

So, the facts are as follows:

1. There IS coolant in the oil, not just water.

2. Cylinders 1 and 3 are not firing.

3. Compression seems to be consistent across all cylinders.

4. There is the sound of bursts of escaping air when the engine is running.

5. Radiator pressure tests didn't reveal any clear leaks into the engine (although the leak at the thermostat could have prevented that).

These things don't seem to add up to me. Any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated.

Matt in NJ