Oil not dirty

Nicfin36

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L2501 HST, BH77 Backhoe, SSQA Loader ZD1011 Mower
Jun 19, 2019
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Don't know how that's possible. Never saw an engine leak coolant into oil or oil into coolant without making a milk shake. Unless it's leaking in without running
It was a sloooow leak, and I never figured out why. I read about cavitation in the piston liner, but if that was it, I would think it should not have ever stopped. Yes, I ran it just a bit when he delivered it and parked it. I may have changed the fluids a day or two later and I never noticed anything. I checked the oil about a week or two later and noticed it slightly higher on the dipstick. I cracked the oil plug and coolant came out. I checked the oil when I bought it for that reason alone. I have experienced the dreaded milkshake before.
 

Bulldog

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M 9000 DTC, L 3000 DT
Mar 30, 2010
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Glad to know. I guess at least the Amsoil did a good job with it. I know from past experience the T6 will do as well or better.
That's funny. T6 is good chain lube if you don't have anything else. It's not even in the same class as Amsoil.
 

JerryMT

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Kubota M4500, NH TD95D,Ford 4610
Jun 17, 2017
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Not always. Depends a lot on the level. The coolant will sit on top, and unless it gets sucked into the oil pump, it will stay there.

Milkshake oil is proof of coolant in the oil.

Lack of milkshake does NOT prove there is no coolant in the oil.
coolant will be on the bottom.
 
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lugbolt

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ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
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coolant will be on the bottom.
and if the engine runs at all it will be milky. The oil don't just sit in the pan. The rotating assembly and crankcase air movements whip the oil that's in there (pan or otherwise) into a froth. Years ago when I was doing performance engine training, they had a 400" small block chevy with a special oil pan on it for demonstration purposes. The pan had the sides and part of the bottom cut out and replaced with plexiglass so you could see what was going on inside. Trust me, it's a mess. And with that being said, we've (performance engine guru's) have learned that controlling "windage" can result in some pretty serious power improvements. In or close to 2012 when Kawasaki was testing the "new" (at that time) ZX10RR, they found 8 horsepower just by notching the bottoms of the cylinders. A small notch was cut/machined into the bottom of the paired cylinders. Being a 180 degree inline 4, the 2 center pistons are going in exact opposite directions as the two outer pistons. There is air being displaced below the pistons causes some drag, much like sticking your hand out the window while you're driving down the freeway, and controling how that air moves between the outer and inner cylinder led to both reducing aeration of the engine oil, and how it's controlled also helps to reduce the pressure below the piston-which aids in cylinder filling and a reduction of drag. The piston is traveling at about 70mph right in the middle of the stroke and has some surface area, so they calculated how much aero drag is on the pistons, and how to control it (reduce it) and found some power-and longevity.

A sidenote on the track version of the ZX10RR. It uses Titanium connecting rods, made by a company called Pankl. They are over $1100. Each. Some NHRA pro stock engine builders tried Pankl "composite" connecting rods a number of years ago and found some pretty significant power with them. No bearings in the traditional sense, the rods rode directly on the crank, so they were quite light. But they were real expensive and the NHRA outlawed them. I think Pankl also makes rods for the old LS6 engines (titanium) and probably Ducati, Ferrari, and others as well. Not many people have heard of Pankl, but I have-and I use a set in the race car that I picked up on the used market, but they are not Titanium.

Lots of physics involved in engines and to me, it's quite interesting.
 
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Mark_BX25D

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Bx25D
Jul 19, 2020
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coolant will be on the bottom.
Oh, I think I just had a senior moment! :D


Still, milkshake is not a sure thing. I have been on many different vehicle forums, and there are always people saying that any coolant leak will always result in milkshake, and there are always other people reporting their own experience of NOT having milkshake with coolant in the oil.


"Usually" does not equal, "always".
 

Nicfin36

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L2501 HST, BH77 Backhoe, SSQA Loader ZD1011 Mower
Jun 19, 2019
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Decatur, AL
I did not mean to sidetrack the thread, but I will say I never got the milkshake with the tractor. Perhaps I was very vigilant and the coolant that was in the oil was minimal, but it did drain most of the coolant into the oil as it sat in the barn. I will say, in my lengthy readings of coolant in oil for tractors, most guys just report higher dipstick readings. I never really saw reports of milky oil.

I had an old 77 Toyota Corolla and the head gasket blew or went bad on it. I definitely had milky oil from that.

The biggest mystery to me is what caused it in the first place and why did it stop.
 
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GeoHorn

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Flintknapper

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Not always. Depends a lot on the level. The coolant will sit on top, and unless it gets sucked into the oil pump, it will stay there.

Milkshake oil is proof of coolant in the oil.

Lack of milkshake does NOT prove there is no coolant in the oil.
Coolant is heavier than oil so will be on the bottom (when separation occurs). But the rest is correct.

Depending on how MUCH coolant is in the crankcase, how long it has been there and how much agitation it has undergone from engine use, it may or may not emulsify with the oil.

And owing to the color of most diesel oil after use (black or nearly so) it won't appear as a brown milkshake anyway.....but WILL be noticeable in consistency IF it has emulsified with the oil.

In short, IF you check your dipstick and your engine is seemingly 'making oil' (oil level higher) something is amiss.
 
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Nicfin36

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L2501 HST, BH77 Backhoe, SSQA Loader ZD1011 Mower
Jun 19, 2019
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Decatur, AL
What brand of oil was it?
I think my first change when I got it was Shell brand and then I discovered the leak. Subsequent oil changes were Wal-Mart Supertech oil, and that's all it gets now.
 

Bugzilla46310

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2022 BX2680 198? AC 916H
May 22, 2022
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Auto Zone has STP 5W40 full synthetic diesel oil for $26.00 a gallon. Think I’ll use that, but will use the Kubota hydraulic fluid when the 50 hour change is due.
 

GeoHorn

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Auto Zone has STP 5W40 full synthetic diesel oil for $26.00 a gallon. Think I’ll use that, but will use the Kubota hydraulic fluid when the 50 hour change is due.
Supertech full synthetic is only $24…. for TWO gallons. And it’s every bit as good as most others.
 

lmichael

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Kubota G2160
Apr 23, 2021
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Supertech full synthetic is only $24…. for TWO gallons. And it’s every bit as good as most others.
Have never been able to find it here. Otherwise would use it. I use it in my 11 Toyota Highlander in the recommended 0w-20. Other car is 2020 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid and it gets oil done at dealer in 0W-16 Mobil 1. Have not been able to find any diesel 5W40 from Warren Oil (maker of SuperTech, Amazon Basics, and Costco branded