The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

porous block or head gasket ford 3000
I am new to this forum and ford tractors

I have a small amount of oil in my radiator water when i drained the block. how do i determine if this is a porous block or head gasket?

it starts ok and runs ok . is there some thing i need to keep an eye on

what antifreeze should i be using and is there an additive.
thanks R

I would say head gasket, porous block tends to be water in the oil. Keep an eye on the oil level on the dipstick, if it rises you could have water getting into the oil. The antifreeze should be ethylene glycol IAT, not the modern OAT stuff. Although these engines will plod on for years with a bit of oil getting in to the water if they are not used hard it is better to get it sorted as it doesn't help the cooling and it certainly won't get any better! Also, when you stop the engine push the stopper back in, if it is left out when parked up for a while the metering valve inside the injector pump has a habit of sticking shut meaning you can't start it

Hi John,

Interesting what you say about the coolant. What harm will oat do except in one’s wallet?

Hi Emiel, I'm certainly no antifreeze expert but apparently some OAT has additives that can affect older type gaskets, seals and rubber hoses. It is recommended that only IAT antifreeze is used in pre 1998 engines

Lots of questions on classic car sites about using modern OAT coolant on old engines.
Generally not recommended.

Thanks for this advice
R