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Orange/Red spillage from degas.

11K views 49 replies 7 participants last post by  Boomer Pledge 
#1 ·
Hey guys so I am new to diesels and recently purchased a 2004 lariat 6.0L
I looked online and didnt find this issue, so i am sorry if this is a repeat.
When i purchased it I did the temp test between the engine coolant and the oil. It never got greater than 5 degrees. Temps reached to about 180-185F.
I opened the oil cap and there was no blow back.
At the time there was no residue on the degas cap.
So I thought the truck was in decent conditions. besides the Ac not working.
I drove the truck for not even half a tank of gas and then i went to do my weekly fluid check that i usually do to my car and now truck as well. When i opened the hood there was a red/orange overflow around the degas bottle and inside it was like a dried up powder.
I was freaking out that the head gasket might be bad.
I was told it could be the degas cap.
I recently got a scangauge 2 that i will be running the temps to make sure they do not vary more than 15 degrees.
Should I just get some motorcraft coolant fill it back up (since its empty) and replace the cap?
Should I be afraid to drive it 500 miles on a road trip unloaded?
Has anyone run into this issue or know what it can be?
Any help or direction would be appreciated.
I uploaded pictures to show the problem.
 

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#29 ·
When you let that sit, does any of it layer out?

What kind of smell does it have?

I don't like running completely up to temperature with only water. You get more rust formation that way.
 
#30 ·
And the waterpump is not getting the benefite of the lubricant in the coolant.
 
#31 ·
That being said, I had no problem when flushing mine and running it 25 miles each way to work. I don't know what you have going on there. Did you run it with the garden hose in the degas bottle with the lower radiator hose off to start the flushing? I ran mine for a good 30 minutes or more that way before closing it up and going to the distilled water. I have 220,000 miles on my original waterpump.
 
#32 ·
@Ford06 thats what i did this weekend. I ran the hose thru it for about 10 mins till it was clear. then i drove it and when i flushed it again it was red again. Im going to do that again and again till it stops getting red and i can fill it with distilled water and put the cat rated coolant in it. Also i let a bottle settle over night and this is what it looks like. Someone mentioned if it settles then its oil in it....?
 

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#33 · (Edited)
Are you flushing it with the t-stat removed and the heater ON?

If you are just flushing it with a garden hose then I wonder if the temp is getting high enough to open the t-stat?
 
#34 ·
Oil and diesel will both float on the top

On the bottom will be rust and scale
 
#35 ·
I do not get this truck. sometimes the deltas are within 5 degrees of each other and sometimes they are a constant 12. It depends the day and time for this truck. I changed the oil to rotella t6 with new oil filter. i drive it around and the temps were with in 3 delta of each other till about 160. then the coolant stayed around 164-168 while the oil climbed to 180. the oil didnt really go above that and i was driving on the highway at about 60-70. The delta did go to 16 degrees for a breif min. but then it went back to within tolerance. To close for my comfort. but is that okay?
 

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#36 ·
i dont get this truck. it depends the day i drive it if the deltas decide to be good and stay within 5 degrees of each other or not. yesterday i changed the oil to rotella t6 and changed the oil filter. today i test drive it and the deltas were within 3 degrees of each other until about 160 degrees where the coolant just hovered from 16-168 and the oil climbed to 180. today it decided to be a constant 11-14 difference with it hitting a difference of 16 for a brief min. With synthetic oil should the operating oil temp be lower? It really didnt go about 180 and i was driving on the highway at 60-70 mph. Also is the 16 degree delta detrimental or is it okay if it did that for a minuet?
 

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#37 ·
For what it's worth, I just installed a new OEM Oil Cooler and BulletProof EGR Cooler and my deltas are usually 5-10 degrees. I run Zerex HD Coolant (Red).

I think people stress too much about the EOT / ECT deltas. If it is about 16 degrees and stays there, then you might have issues.
 
#38 ·
I think people stress too much about the EOT / ECT deltas. If it is about 16 degrees and stays there, then you might have issues.
+1

Also, don’t the Deltas only matter when the truck reaches operating temperature?

ECT of 160* ? Is that normal temp for a 6.0 ?
 
#39 ·
Certainly the 15 degrees is only a "guideline".

Remember Navistar and Ford first came out w/ a 25 degree limit. Later dropped down to 15 degrees.

Originally, it was to prevent EGR cooler failures due to the restricted oil cooler preventing coolant flow through the EGR cooler. Then they started seeing more and more oil cooler failures. Then we started seeing some examples of melted oil filter standpipes from extra hot oil!

IMO the OEM oil coolers are a GREAT design, but if the temperature differentials get too high it causes mechanical stress on the heat exchanger. The result of this stress is a failure. I believe that the 15 degree limit is possibly conservative, but this is an area that warrants the conservative approach.

The other thing to watch is the actual oil temp. Remember that the oil temp is really the coolest temp for the oil in the engine. The oil in the pan is often times as much as 50 degrees hotter. Oil in some engine locations could be even higher. Ford's oil temp (EOT) limit (when the PCM begins to "de-fuel") is 253*F. IMO this isn't conservative enough. I would put it closer to 235 *F personally. The hotter things are, the less operating life they will have.
 
#40 ·
Bismic,

I learn alot every time you post.

I should have been more specific. I think the 15* Delta has been shown a good rule to follow but I wonder if there are not parameters when the temperatures should be compared.

For example, an engine still warming up could see big deltas and so could an engine in traffic or topping a pass, etc..

Isn’t there some standard that the truck should be cruising on fairly consistent terrain with a steady load on the engine, etc?

Thanks
 
#41 ·
Most of the time the reading is done while at a constant in the highway. Takes some of the variable out.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
#42 ·
Fords procedure states a "careful acceleration to WOT" or something like that. Many people got frustrated with the vagueness of it, so an internet standard was sort of adopted. The standard is now a steady 55-65 mph on level ground. Of course it requires the engine to be fully warmed up.

That said, if an oil cooler is 100% healthy, you shouldn't exceed the 15 degree differential even when towing. Some people worry about a 20 degree differential when towing heavy on a 100*F day. I wouldn't be too concerned with that, but 20*F would be my upper limit when towing heavy (as long as you were below the 15*F under normal driving).
 
#43 ·
Spoke to a friend and he said once the radiator gets rusts there's no taking it out. So just to use it till it breaks and then replace it. What would be the negative effects if I used just distilled water and wetter in the degas redivior until I have to replace the radiator then I replace it with the cat elc1? I plan on doing it in the next two weeks. And not putting more than 500 miles on the truck. Also I noticed while I stay still the eot and ect get close like 3 degrees apart to each other (178 coolant 181 oil) the coolant gets hotter and the oil gets cooler while I'm driving they're a constant 10-13 difference the coolant gets cooler while driving and the oil gets hotter(172 coolant 185 oil).... is that normal?
 
#44 · (Edited)
There are a number of chemical flushes that remove rust.

Products like water wetter work by a different chemical process than glycol coolants.

It will require a very thorough flush when you go back to a proper coolant.

Plus I don’t think Water Wetter is even diesel rated or has sufficient SCA levels and would risk issues of cavitation. Hopefully someone can provide some facts.

I would add around 40% ELC coolant for the week it takes you to get a new radiator. Just one of the cheaper products.

There are some real junk aftermarket radiators. I would choose to keep my Ford factory radiator and have it cleaned at a radiator shop rather than buy a cheap aftermarket.
 
#45 ·
Isn’t your Ford radiator aluminum and does not rust?
 
#46 · (Edited)
I was driving the truck and out of no where both the EOT and ECT dropped by 25 degrees or so. Then I also noticed that when I came to a stop and then accelerated it sounded like an 18 wheeler acceleration/ or maybe a vacuum sound (that loud hum and the harder I accelerated the louder it was)? After it dropped the oil temp wouldnt go above 150 and the coolant was around 135-150 also im pretty sure MPG dropped as well. there were points where the deltas were 17 degrees and it stayed there for a while. I parked it and letting it cool down to see if the same issues will be replicated. Any ideas on what it could be? I googled it and it could be the turbo is leaking somewhere so I should check the hoses. but would the turbo cause the decrease in temps?
 
#47 ·
No, the noise was the fan coming on.
Those temps seem low. What was outside temp?
I have to ask, are you a sooner?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
#49 ·
Oh, Florida. Well that answers that. Lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
#50 ·
So this is the sound im talking about. Im not sure if the video helps. But i also noticed like a jingling sound... like chains or keys or something.

The first two are about the vacuum sound.





^ this one was supposed to be the sound of the jingle if you will. but you cant really hear it.
 
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