[tgriffi2]

i recently purchased a '96 1500 5 speed with the small V6, and ive been getting a white milkshake like foam in my oil, and the oil also has almost the smell of gas in it. also, the truck seems incredibly slow. on the highway i can barely make it to 60 mph. I know the engine isnt the biggest, but still, i should have more power than that. i just took it into the shop tonight, but im curious of others input, i don't know much about cars/trucks and im stumped. any input or advice would be great. thanks! Tim

 

[hrusso]

Milkshake you have a blown head gasket. Also depending on how long this has been going on you may have also destroyed the bearings in the engine as well. Sorry for the bad news.

 

[tgriffi2]

i have heard that it could be a head gasket, however im not losing any engine coolant and the engine never overheats. thats part of the mystery i cant solve. the engine itself seems to run fine, i have been regularly chaging out the oil to try to protect the engine, thanks again for the info.

 

[hrusso]

When your truck is cold take the radiator cap off, start the engine and let it warm up. Watch closely to see if when warm that there is alot of bubbles in the coolant. The loss of power that you talked about makes believe you have a blown head gasket. Another possability could be the front cover gasket is not sealing and the coolant is going into the crankcase(oilpan). See if you can get a block tester. It's a chemical test to see if theres carbon dioxcide in the coolant which means a blown head gasket. Regardless of outcome coolant destroys bearings.

 

[Ret.ArmySF]

He already said he wasn't loosing any coolant.
When was the last tune up?
Could be the CAT getting ready to go too.

 

[hrusso]

It only takes about a cup of coolant to turn oil into a milkshake. The main problem is the oil is getting contaminated. Do you think somebody could tell there loosing a cup a week? Answer:NO

 

[tgriffi2]

you both have good points. from what you are saying, it seems that the head gasket (if that is the problem) is only leaking a small amount of coolant (again, assuming thats the problem). therefore, i hope i havent done any permanent engine damage. i was wondering what the 'CAT' you refered to is. again, just trying to learn some new things. thanks

 

[hrusso]

He's talking about the CATalytic converter. This is in reference to your loss of power. Diagnos the milkshake first and foremost.

 

[spirit-dodge]

I could smell coolant before my water pump went but it never used any. 2nd gens have a history of bad water pumps(not sure on V6). When shes cold tap the cat and if she rattle it bad.