I purchases a 61 dodge d100. The previous owner said he used to run it in his driveway till about 10 years ago. I popped off the valve cover and was filthy, but nothing a soak and scrub didn't fix. My main problem is when I drained the oil, about 2 gallons of coolant came out before the oil. The head gasket seemed fine. I cranked the engine over and inspected cylinder walls, all good.

Is there a specific spot, like freeze plug, that would cause an internal leak like this? Where should I be looking for cracks? Top of block appeared to be crack free. Could a blown head gasket really displace 2 gallons of coolant?

Thanks,
Fred

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'61 Dodge D100

with the valve cover off you should be able to see a couple of pipe plugs,
those are the only internal water to oil pasages that I can think of,,

who knows what could happen in 10 years of setting,,
I would change out the oil, antifreeze, get the motor running to clean up the cylinder bores,, then do a compression - leak down test.

Do you mean 2 pints or 2 quarts of coolant? 2 gallons is over half of the system's coolant!

If it is really 2 gallons, then just about all of the coolant that was in the head and block ended up in the pan. I would be pulling the pan and refilling water in the coolant passeges of the block (just temporarily) and see where it was leaking down. Could be a crack or could be a pin hole in the casting since this was not run in so long.

If the head is off, then take it in for a pressure test, but I am not sure you could get 2 gallons of coolant from a leak up high in the engine, like head or head gasket. The head gasket might show some signs of a leak if it was that persitent. And I can't see how an engine would run with all that water in it so that a head gasket would ever leak anywhere close to accumulate even 2 pints of coolant in the oiling system.

It wouldn't surprise me if there were 2 gallons of condensate in the sump after 10 years of not being started, especially if it was sitting outside.

Get everything buttoned up and run it, letting coolant level settle and take note of where it is. Pressurize the coolant system with a tester . It should be obvious if its a head gasket or crack.

+1. Back when I lived in Anchorage, Alaska, cars that sat through the winter, or even were not started often enough, would have enough condensation build up in the crankcase to turn the oil into a milky looking goo. However, a few heat cycles of bringing the engine up to operating temperature for 30 minutes+ in the spring cleared the condensation out of the oil and all was well. Ten years sitting outdoors would build up a lot of moisture.

I say change the oil, change the coolant, and start it up and let it run for a good while as you pay attention to oil pressure and coolant temp.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

If the head is off check it with a straightedge. If you've already reinstalled it, run a compression check.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Something must be wrong. My D100 sat for 20 years before I got it, and the only thing that leaked into the oil was gas, since the diaphragm on the fuel pump was bad. The gas tank on the other hand was a different story.

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KAKAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

It may vary greatly by ambient temperature and humidity. But it can and will happen. It's no different then early morning startups in winter when you see condensate in your exhaust coming out your tailpipe or boiling off as a white fog. Condensate gets trapped in the crankcase and if it never boils off it can accumulate. If the crankcase wasn't as sealed that could vary too, the less humid air entering the case the less this would happen.

Easy to figure out: condensation won't have any signs of antifreze in it. The OP says it was coolant but perhaps he should chime in an verify if it had antifrezze in it or just straight water. (Assuming the prior owner actually kept antifreeze in the car... another unknown.) I am mildly skeptical of 2 GALLONS of condensate in 10 years.... but then again 2 gallons of anything would be pretty serious.

In ten years of sitting the oil could separate into its component waxes, polymers, hydrocarbons, and binders.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

well, 2 gallons was probably an exaggeration. It was a decent amount tho. maybe around a gallon. At first it was yellow anti-freeze, then turned to milky color, then oil. I replaced head gasket. Trying to get it started now... but after cranking for a total of 30 minutes today, the coolant level is staying. so i don't think there is a major crack. But we'll see once i get her running.

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'61 Dodge D100