Technical Engine oil milkshake

As explained I don’t think your engine will run with low of compression ! Do as instructed Check gauge , prop throttle wide open , all pugs out . Remove coil wire , spin engine 4 strokes of compression to get read . I don’t think it is possible to be that low even without a head gasket

 

Hmmmmm. Minnesota. Winter. Anti-freeze. Oil in water. Terminally tired engine. I don't have a crystal ball, but I see a cracked block, and a search for a new engine in your immediate future. Free advice via the inter web!

 

I'm pretty sure I did the compression test correctly. LOL! Those are the readings I got. Sorry, I can't change them.

 

That's why I'm tearing down the block. The heads and the studs are already off.

 

oops, did i just drop this here?

 

Lol! That is tempting but I'm sticking with the flathead.


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What he said. Plus, both the battery and starter motor should be up to snuff as well.

 

HATE to say this, but a sbc goes in easier than the flathead comes out...
Stock Chevy fan, stock Ford radiator; block off lower left and upper right hose ******s on rad. Oh, run 12 volts...
But ONLY IF the flathead will be laid up or destroyed, in other words: "Just for now..."
Ha! That happened to me so many times that I built a nice '64 283, dressed-up, mild Duntov grind on cam. It is a SPARE engine that 'fits'. (between flathead troubles)

 

Given the compression figures given by the O/P are correct, I find it interesting that the engine seemed to run OK. (He didn't mention it running poorly in his original post.) Back when I was a kid, we fooled around with a lot of old engines in all states of disrepair and we were usually able to get them going. I seem to remember helping and older neighbor with his Model "A" with compression numbers that were similar to the O/P's, and it ran pretty well.

 

Not doing a SBC. I will in the next couple of years be putting a 351 Cleveland in a 56 Chevy if ever comes together.


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Funny how those old boilers will act … I had a friend's '46 convert entrusted to me to bring back to life. It had been in dry storage for decades after being run hard. Cleaned the carb & plugs, filled the radiator, hooked it to a gas can & battery. She lit off immediately, idled with decent oil pressure, not even much smoke … however, after 10 minutes, bubbles started to appear around some headbolts … we figure probably a couple head gaskets if we're lucky. Off come the heads, and due to time elapsed, I don't remember which we saw first - the wear in the bore so great we could see every broken top ring, or the uniform cracking of all 8 exhaust seats into the bores.

 

Here’s what I found when I took off the intake manifold. You can see coolant on the driver side of the block.

 

Find any cracks? Bad head gasket?

 

I'm still looking.

 

Getting the block to be taken out and get magnafluxed. While underneath my Ford was trying to feed my Frosted Rusty Flakes cereal. I'm still tasting them. Yuck.


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OK. Now what?

 

The Flathead is out. Now for a little victory groove. Next it’s time to get it magna-fluxed. I hope the block is still good. I got a lead on a 50 Mercury crankshaft.



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Ahh, the victory dance over the engine crane at having whipped the beast in the third and fourth pictures! Did you observe any cracks that could contribute to the "milkshake" or appearance of a blown head gasket?

 

So far no cracks. Took the oil pan off and then had expert flathead builder over and he couldn't see anything either so he said to go ahead and dismantle the whole block. So I'm slowly going to start taking everything apart to see what I can find.


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Make sure to let us know what you find, it came from somewhere.

 

I will.


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If it was a head gasket, how did water get in the oil? Down past a piston?

 

I never saw a dude so proud of pulling a motor out! Ha, Ha. Really looks like you are having fun. I hope the block is good. best of luck.

 

Wish I had neighbors like that. Could drink beer and help "stupervise". Tough job, tho somebodies gotta do it.

 

I’m not an engine expert, or a Flathead expert either, but, to help answer your question, I suspect Possibly down some of the other holes, or valves.

What I do know is that I had the exact same problem as the original poster described, and it was a blown head gasket. Replaced it and I was back up and running.

I don’t have enough knowledge to understand why many believe that the block is cracked also.

Maybe others will comment.

 

Along with down the cylinder. Block cracks are common on these engines, some cam be OK, some can be repaired, and some can be devastating rendering the block junk.

 

This is because around 90% of them are cracked ...

 

Valves, yes I guess so, that would do it. I was trying to figure in my head, sitting here, what communication between water and oil there was under the flathead head.

 

I just changed out some of that milkshake oil in a flathead, and have been thinking more about cracks than about head gaskets. The block magnafluxed good, but we weren't set up to pressure test it. I damn sure will be set up to test the next one. Now I'm getting hopeful about the gasket, cause that sure would send water down a valve port, wouldn't it? Seems like you might see signs of it on a spark plug.