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Thread: Grey oil in recently rebuilt 302

  1. #1
    Senior Member bil1024's Avatar
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    Grey oil in recently rebuilt 302

    SO since I rebuilt the engine, I just noticed grey oil on dipstick, was brown. I see nothing in the coolant. Pulled valve cover and see some grey film on gasket but normal colored oil on valves ? Engine has overflowed thru coolant overflow tank a few times, temp about 180. Been doing a few short drives and a few 3 min or so warmups, think a bad head gasket ?
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  2. #2
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    Grey isn't water. That would look like chocolate milk. Is it shimmering like metal flake in it? Run a magnet through it or filter it out.

    It's not uncommon to have some super fine metal in oil right after a rebuild and should not be there any longer after first oil change. You didn't say how long ago it was rebuilt. If it's there, it should be in oil in pan but not in top of motor (filter gets it out). Should go away quickly, like after the 100 mi oil change it shouldn't be gone as bearings all burnished in and all.
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  3. #3

    Steve >> aka: GoDadGo
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    1. Change the oil and filter, check your intake and head bolts and re-torque if possible, or at least check the ones you can get to without pulling the rockers, to see what that those torque specs are okay.
    2. If any the torque specs are on the low side, re-torque the heads and intake back to factory torque specs.
    3. In addition, did you start the car off with water or coolant because coolant in a new motor can leak a little easier than water during the initial start-up and break-in phase?
    4. Restart and inspect again because Oil & Filters are cheaper than an engine.

    NOTE
    :
    I'm in the process of dealing with Chocolate Milk Oil so this issue is near and dear to my heart.
    In my case, it looks like the intake gasket is the problem, but I'm still in the process of getting back to ground ZERO after about 20 miles of Go-Kart testing.
    Good Luck!
    Last edited by GoDadGo; 09-17-2017 at 09:14 PM.

  4. #4
    Seasoned Citizen NAZ's Avatar
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    Any contamination in the oil needs to be investigated and a determination made as to what it is and where it's coming from -- don't continue to run the engine with contaminated oil. The best way to check for metal particles is to remove the oil filter and using a filter cutter, open it up and unroll the media for inspection. Also a simple crackle test of the oil will tell you if you have water or coolant contamination. Google "Crackle Test" for details but it is an easy go/no-go test that you can do with a $20 hot plate. You can't quantify water content but it will detect water down to around 500 PPM. Once you determine what the contamination is and how it got there you can develop a corrective action plan to remove it and prevent it from returning. There are simple chemical test kits that will tell you if you have a leaking head gasket by detecting combustion gasses in the radiator. Prts stores like Napa can hook you up with a test kit.
    Last edited by NAZ; 09-17-2017 at 08:59 PM.

  5. #5
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    Oh I just remembered!

    Some engine assembly lubes will cause grey oil also.
    '33 Hot Rod
    Ordered: 3/25/17. Delivered: 5/6/17. 1st start: 8/24/18

    MK4 Roadster
    Ordered: 7/10/13. Delivered: 8/20/13. Completed: 10/26/15.
    I did everything except spray it. She ain't perfect, but she's mine.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Big Blocker's Avatar
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    True, some engine assembly lubricants can cause "weird colored" oil after initial startup. If this is showing up after your first start and test drive (read: 200 miles), change the filter and oil and recheck again after a few more miles.
    The tests mentioned above wouldn't hurt and will give you peace of mind and reassurance that you did the engine right.

    FWIW, grey is the first color change moving toward "milky" - when the water-in-oil condition just happened . . .

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  7. #7
    Senior Member bil1024's Avatar
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    Ok update:
    Drained oil, smells like gas big time. I recently had hard start issues, removed plugs, they were wet, blew them dry and it started right up. After that its been hard starting also, never had hard issue prior. Thinking flooding big time. Using Holley carb with electric Holley mighty mite fuel pump. Maybe stuck float causing all this ? Idle has been hard to control also. What you guys think ? Oh, and thanks

  8. #8

    Steve >> aka: GoDadGo
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    Quote Originally Posted by bil1024 View Post
    Ok update:
    Drained oil, smells like gas big time.
    Didn't see that one coming.
    What PSI do you have your fuel pressure set at?
    Also, doesn't your fuel pump cut off as soon as you shut down the engine?
    Last edited by GoDadGo; 09-19-2017 at 07:39 AM.

  9. #9
    Seasoned Citizen NAZ's Avatar
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    The fuel pump you're using is claimed to be regulated at 7PSI. If it is functioning correctly that would work fine for any Holley carb or clone. If you have fuel in the oil my prime suspect is the carb, or more specifically the fuel level in the bowl. If the pump runs when the ignition switch is on (regardless of the engine running or not) and the float valve is bypassing fuel either because of high pressure or a faulty valve it can result in fuel spilling over and into the manifold which will eventually end up in the oil pan. Same thing for an out of spec high fuel level due to a damaged float or misadjusted level. It's an easy check to see if the fuel level in the bowls are correct and I suggest you do this first before pulling the carb apart. That way you are checking under the actual conditions you have been experiencing without disturbing anything.

    If you find the fuel level high you will want to do a bit more troubleshooting to determine "why" it's high before simply adjusting the level. I've seen high fuel levels from higher than recommended fuel pump pressures and from leaking float valves (leaking due to wear, damage, or debris under the seat) -- both of these causes can be adjusted out of the problem if not too severe. It's better to "fix" the problem than mask it by an adjustment. A leaking float is a "hard failure" and would not be fixed by adjusting. Hard failures are usually easy to find and give you that Eureka moment but some causes need a bit more investigation to find. Be sure that you have found and corrected the root cause before declaring victory.

    Remember that when you are looking for a root cause you need to keep asking "why" (Google the rule of 5 whys). It starts with "why is the oil gray?" Then "why is there fuel in the oil?" Keep asking "why" and you will find the root cause and the fix will follow. Good luck.

  10. #10
    Senior Member bil1024's Avatar
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    Yes it's at 7psi, some searches say use 6 psi, but I think it lays in the carb like you say will look into that for sure and the pump runs as soon as I turn the key
    Last edited by bil1024; 09-19-2017 at 08:58 AM.

  11. #11
    Senior Member Gromit's Avatar
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    I'd look at float level Back before I knew better I had a Holley carb that would drip fuel from the booster and fill up the secondary throttle. Well I let it go it diluted the oil and yep spun a main bearing
    That was with a mechanical pump so it sure could happen with an electric
    And before I get run over for not adjusting the float level it was a Holley that didn't have external float adjusters of course when that motor got rebuilt that got fixed too... Expensive lesson

    Chris

  12. #12
    Not a waxer Jeff Kleiner's Avatar
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    Instead of throwing darts at the wall why don't you just send a sample for analysis? Neither gas or coolant are good lubricants and will wipe out the bottom end in no time.

    Jeff

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