# Disappearing coolant and increasing engine oil , please help😟



## Garth1212 (Aug 21, 2021)

Hi all.
long story short, got a 1988 ih 685 4x4. Brought cheap as a project. Starts sounds fine.
However haven’t driven it yet properly other than unloading using shuttle lever and parking up. So went to start my exciting project and checked fluids and found radiator dry and rusty, so put coolant and water etc in and came back 4 days later as was busy opened rad cap to find out it was bone dry again. But no leaks. Checked engine oil to find dipstick was over flowing with a watery oil. (Never started either since coolant so no pressure etc) it just sat there and managed to find its way into the sump?
removed radiator since to find the bloody thing is full of gunk. And I mean full as in a trickle of water wouldn’t even pass through. The tractor was used only for yard scraper for last ten years and maybe only used for that as he knew there was a problem etc.
and never used gears only shuttle, as gear linkage was seized which I have now un seized.
any thoughts??


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## sixbales (May 18, 2011)

Good Morning Garth,

Does your radiator have an oil cooling section? Otherwise, sounds like you have a head gasket leak.


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## Garth1212 (Aug 21, 2021)

It does have a oil cooler radiator just in front of actual radiator


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## harry16 (Dec 8, 2011)

Separate radiators, with no interconnection, will not be the source of the leak.


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## Garth1212 (Aug 21, 2021)

Ok thanks, so guess best thing is to pull the head then.


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

http://vieux.tracteurs.free.fr/pdf/Case_International_385_485_585_685_885.pdf



If you don't have a manual, see if you can open this web page.

Your tractor is a sleeve engine, an O ring may have let go on a sleeve, I say may have.

If the gunk in your radiator is oily gunk, then you certainly may have a head gasket problem.

And your transmission only uses Hytran hydraulic for the transmission.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

I've observed over the years that head gasket leaks rarely puts coolant into the crankcase. As FredM said, the most common way a diesel looses coolant and increases the fluid level in the crankcase is the liner o-rings are leaking. You can run a test by using a radiator cap that has an air fitting, or schrader valve in it, and use a locking air chuck. You need to put a pressure regulator in the air line that reduces shop air pressure down and put a constant 15-18 lbs of air pressure into the cooling system.

Pull the dipstick and use a long mechanic stethoscope to listen for the coolant dripping into the oil, or air hissing in the crankcase. The longer route is to pull the pan and look for leaks or air bubbles at the joint between the liner and the block where the o-ring is supposed to seal. I use the stethoscope first and then pull the pan to confirm visually what I suspect I'm hearing with the stethoscope. Unfortunately, it's usually not just one liner that is leaking, and if there are leaks, you need to hope the lower liner bores are not pitted to the point where the o-ring(s) can't seal (DCA level not maintained). There are ways to repair the lower liner bore, but it can get expensive and time consuming. The process to repair the lower receiver bore is done with a “step” bore machining technique and a lower repair sleeve kit. In other words, the block has to go to a talented machine shop to save it.....


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## MF231/232 (Mar 9, 2021)

I see above where you said the oil cooler and radiator are separate. On my 2004 Duramax, the engine had a separate transmission cooler. It still had a small line (not sure why) that ran through the radiator. Well that small line that went through the radiator happen to go develop a whole one day and sent coolant thru the Allison transmission and fried the tranny.

maybe double check for any other line going through the radiator…..


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

It would be disappointing to change the head gasket and have the leak continue. Could be a cylinder o-ring leaking, or it could also be a pinhole leak in the cylinder wall. It\s best to check where it is leaking if possible, before pulling the head.


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## Bob Driver (Nov 1, 2017)

BigT said:


> It would be disappointing to change the head gasket and have the leak continue. Could be a cylinder o-ring leaking, or it could also be a pinhole leak in the cylinder wall. It\s best to check where it is leaking if possible, before pulling the head.


Pinhole in the cylinder wouldn't likely dump oil into the crankcase because of the huge differential between water pump pressure and the combustion pressures in the cylinder. One way I was taught to check for a blown head gasket, or even a liner pinhole, is to hook a radiator pressure tester and watch it while the engine is running. If the needle "flutters", you've got a problem. One tell tale sign you're burning coolant in the combustion chamber is the exhaust manifold will start showing a chalky white that looks like a bird has been crapping on it. Don't know why, heard it's what happens when steaming hot ethyglycol reacts with the ductile iron in a manifold. I'm not a chemist, but an old school mechanic showed it to me on an engine one day and it sure enough had a blown head gasket.


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## FredM (Nov 18, 2015)

And us older blokes removed the radiator cap, run engine to operating temp. and watched for bubbles, sure sign of blown head gasket when the bubbles showed a white hue in their formation.


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## mrfred (Jul 5, 2011)

Just did a 685 last march with same problem. Coo!ant in the oil. Radiator was junk, liner orings were rotten. Worst part of disassemble is getting the cast iron oil pan off,if you do an in chassis overhaul. Easiest way for me was to remove front axle assembly as it is bolted to the pan with six 5/8 bolts. To replace the rear main bearing you have to remove engine from transmission. I would recommend this as then you can do a complete overhaul with engine on a stand.


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