# 75 ford 3000 mixing oil and coolant



## RRA (May 13, 2015)

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this and offer advice. Here is the scenario: The wife left a 1975 Ford 3000 diesel in Northern California 10 years ago . We recently went down and got it running...for about 4 minutes until the crankcase overflowed with coolant. We did have to replace a freeze plug (under the injection pump). I did not pull the cylinder head to inspect it (which I regret, it would not have taken long) My question is, Anyone seen this happen before?? Where might I find the damage?? Is it repairable?? Cost will be an issue because it will have to be towed 500 miles home for me to repair it (if the general consensus makes me believe it is worth the risks and efforts) Hoping someone has some relevant experience with the bottom end of these engines Ready to answer questions to the best of my ability.
Wade


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## harry16 (Dec 8, 2011)

Welcome to the tractor forum RRA.

Was the freeze plug you replaced damaged by a freeze or by corrosion?

Most likely a leaking head gasket or a cracked head.


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

The big question in my mind is the freeze level of the coolant left in there unattended for ten years? Even if it did indeed freeze due to too weak concentration, I think that engine will crack a block before the head. I've seen the freeze plugs pushed out in the cylinder head(there are three or four under the rocker arm shaft) causing water in the oil. Any other freeze plugs will leak out onto the ground one way or another. There are a few things one can do to help narrow down where the water is coming from, how big the leak is, and what might be necessary to correct it. If your "handy" and willing, it's probably not a terribly expensive fix, but if you have to pay shop rate for all repairs, you might consider selling it "as is, where is", considering there are always other minor issues when a tractor is parked for that length of time. Labor rate for minor issues is the same as for major issues. Your time is one thing, shop time is another.


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## RRA (May 13, 2015)

Wrote a nice long response and an errant keystroke took it away. Here is the short version. Corrosion probably wasn't the problem. The statement about the plugs in the head made us think about this a little differently. We did not have any issues until I was midway through the 3rd gallon of coolant when it started spitting milkshake out of the valve cover breather. Wonder if it wasn't when the water pump came into play. No repairs on this are that scary to me, I own a general automotive repair in Eugene Oregon but the tractor is in the neighborhood of Sacramento California. I am worried that the damage might be on the block itself. Anybody seen much of that on these engines?? That is my breaking point, I am not replacing the engine or block . I am trying to figure out if it is worth the risk to transport it from there to here(it will not be cheap) for repair. Heads are no problem, block issues will be the killer.
Thank you all for your thoughts,
Wade


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

You can remove the valve cover to look for the freeze plugs up there. I won't swear to it, but I think the three cylinder oil pan is removable without dealing with any frame/structural bolts. Simply drops off. If you can remove the pan and refill the cooling system you may find the answer to your questions.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

A couple of questions for you.
Any idea of the history of that tractor?
Was it running before?
Any idea of how many hours it has? (don't trust the tach, they almost never work.)
But from observing the clutch and brake pedals, wear and tear on the tractor, etc can you guess the hours as high or low?.
Those 3 cylinder diesels are well known for cavitation problems.
Usually at fairly high hours - 8/10/12K (they are very long lived engines)
Vibration causes microscopic bubbles to form and wear away at the coolant passages. 
There is a treatment - a little bottle of liquid, found at the CNH dealer that will treat the coolant and prevent that but many did not get it.
Normally those engines will perforate a cylinder wall.
But they also perforate into the oil galley.
The usual signs of cylinder wall perforation are the obvious steam in the exhaust and bubbles/boiling over into the radiator. But an oil galley perforation can mean coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant.
Both problems are repairable - the top by means of boring and installing sleeves.
The bottom end perf can be repaired by reaming through an oil hole in a main and epoxying a tube into it.
Upper end means a major overhaul. 
Bottom end might be fixed with the crank out, a long reamer and a few bucks worth of tubing and epoxy. You would need to pressurise the cooling system with soapy water to find the leak but that's not too hard
I have never seen a head or block on one of those crack from freezing and leak internally. Not uncommon to see them crack here in cold country from lack of antifreeze. But I always saw them leak externally. Not saying it couldn't happen.
Just haven't seen it.
Those are outstanding small tractors, very reliable, long lived, not hard to work on.
I don't know your plans, needs, ambitions for it but it's likely worth fixing even worst case.
Sorry this got so long.


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## billthekatt (Jul 2, 2015)

Don't know if this is relevant but i had a customer last month with a 3000 getting coolant in the oil. It ended up being a pin hole in the bottom of a water jacket on chum
Cyl 3. The casting was overa half in thick. It had to be a casting problem that finally showed up. We had to drill it outalittle bigger then pressed in slow cure epoxy. Working good so far..


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