Engine trouble I have a 89 F250 7.3 diesel, and recently I started to notice that there was a large amount of oil in the radiator and the engine was over heating much more frequently. also it was getting harder and harder to start, when I would crank the engine it would take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 min to turn over, and the bateries, and starter, and alternator are new. Now This is my first diesel truck and I am not to engine savy right now, but is any of this normal. ? any help would be appreciated. Thanks. John

The alternator has nothing to do with engine sludge, but the engine sludge is the source of your issues. The oil light was not telling you the level was low, it was telling you that you had no oil pressure due to the sludge plugging up the sump and starving the engine of oil. The entire time you ran the engine with the light on you were killing it. Long story short, you either need the engine rebuilt or replaced with a good one.

What is the recommended oil?

Radiator is faulty , the oil cooling compartment has made a hole to the water section...

Its not normal to use any noticeable amount of oil between services these day's.

I would contact the dealership you purchased the vehicle from, and inform them of the oil consumption, they will have you monitor the level for a period of time.

Also, have you been using the correct grade of engine oil.

I would also check your turbo oil seals, and general check of engine for leakage.

Is the engine being filled with correct amount of oil, as some dipsticks can be out of calibration, causing overfilling and oil consumption down to correct level, something to check also.

Diesel oil in with the coolant, in the radiator? Very unlikely. Engine oil in radiator indicates a leakage like head gasket, cracked block or head. Transmission oil in radiator indicates a leaky radiator where the hydrolic fluid is cooled inside the radiator.

Hi in this situation you need a mechanic to look at it as running an engine without oil is going to seriously damage your engine theres no substitute for an expert pair of eyes in this situation .
Has the car been recently serviced if so I would start by checking around the oil filter and checking the sealing ring hasnt popped pumping out the oil

How much is a "large amount"? And how long has it been since your last oil change? It is normal for a diesel engine to have fuel in the crankcase due to the high compression ratio. I believe if there is less than a liter (quart) after 4,000 miles then you have nothing to worry about. If it is more then I would suggest you have it inspected for leaking injectors.

Everyone always jumps to head gaskets. There are plenty of MINOR things that can be looked at first.
The Volvo 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 Inline 5 Cylinder dipstick tube is known to develop a large amount of condensationin winter months and stop and go driving. What you see on your dip stick is possibly just condensation. Take off your oil cap and look under the cap and inside the valve cover. Is there any thick foamy oatmeal like substance or noticeable amounts of water? If your oil was saturated with coolant, you would be able to see it up there too. Check your coolant for oil. Volvo coolant is typically brown to orange, however make sure there is no sludge. Start the car with the cap off and keep an eye out for alot of bubbles. A large amount of bubbles is a sign of a bad head gasket. A couple here and there is just air in your cooling system.
Coolant, Transmission fluid, and Oil have several places they can mix. If you have a turbocharged Volvo, the seals in the turbo can go bad and cause a mix of oil and coolant. Your transmission cooler is also in your radiator, and if it cracks your transmission fluid and coolant can mix. I believe turbo models have an oil cooler built into the radiator as well.
Overall if your car sounds fine, you dont see oatmeal, your not using coolant and oil in excessive amounts, dont have white smoke, and your turbo isnt whining you probably just have condensation in your dip stick. If you are overly concerned you can send a sample of your oil to a lab and have it tested for traces of coolant. Headgaskets rarely fail on Volvo's, even the old ones....I have seen many that have gone to replace them have not found a failed gasket and end up finding a bad transmission cooler or a bad turbo.

Shell Rotella 15W40 is the best oil to use all year round in a diesel engine. That is what we use here in Canada !!

It's more likely to be the starter than the alternator but first i would make sure the new battery is fully charged.








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