GM 2.2 forklift engine

I bought a hyster forklift at an online auction sight unseen other than the picture in the listing. It runs and drives but the engine oil looked like a vanilla milkshake. The radiator was somewhat low as well. Head gasket I say to myself, and pull the head.

I didnt find any obvious failure in the gasket. In fact, it appears to be a reman engine. The head is stamped and has one of those overheat buttons glued to it and the pistons are .75 mm oversize.

I dont see any cracks, but havent pulled the valves yet. Anybody know where a crack would be likely? As best as i can tell, its not warped much if at all. Also, is there any other way besides the head that i could be getting coolant in the oil? Other than a cracked block somewhere, i dont see anything. This is the same or similar 2.2l engine as the s10s and late 80s and 90s front wheel drive cars.

I bought it cheap enough that I have no problem buying a head if thats what it needs, but I'd sure like to find the issue before I put it back together.

What type of block ? Could a water pump seal failure allow coolant into the crankcase?

Cast iron block. The water pump sits off to the right side( on the pic below) and driven off the belt.

Anything is possible not knowing the history of the machine. If it has been frozen the block could be cracked internally.

I would take the head to a reputable machine shop, tell them why you suspect there may be a coolant leak, let them check it over. I have heard of those leaking around the spark plugs, but that is an external leak, not into the oil.

If it checks out put it back on, carefully follow the repair procedure. I think that uses the one time head bolts, if so replace them and follow the tightening procedure by the book.

If it still gets coolant in the oil, remove the pan and pressure up the coolant. Even if you have to pull the engine to get the pan off, get some pressure on the coolant and watch for coolant coming down from the block area or anywhere that can leak coolant into the oil.

Jeff.From the pic the head looks like it is eroded some between #2 ans #3 water port bottom side of your pic.Have the head checked and planed as those were bad to warp.

Just a few things to think about.

Forklifts are notorious for having oil that look like a milkshake.

Rarely ever get up to temperature to burn off condensation. Typically sit until a truck shows up, get used for 10 minutes then shut down again.

Would have been better to have done a pressure test before tearing it down but too late now.

Might be quicker/cheaper to throw it back together for the cost of a gasket and see what you get.

Looking at the valves I would say it is not leaking coolant into the cylinders.

If you had a gasket fault between an oil pressure passage and a coolant passage you would be getting oil in the cooling system as the oil pressure would be higher than the cooling system pressure when cold.
I do not think there are any pressure passages going to the cylinder head on your engine.

As a forklift hardly ever runs long enough to build pressure in the cooling system a gasket failure allowing static coolant into the oil should have been fairly obvious to see and would likely have made the oil level on the dipstick show a few inches higher than full.

It does not take very much condensation to give the oil a milky appearance.
If the oil gets badly contaminated with water/coolant it will destroy the bearings in short order.

Holding a teaspoon of the oil over a propane torch will give you a pretty good idea of how much coolant is in based upon how long it sizzles and spits before it clears.

I hear what you,are saying about these engines being run cold causing condensation, but there is definitely coolant in the oil. Heres a pic of the inside of the valve cover after laying on the floor since I pulled it last night.
You are also correct that there is no pressurized oil passage going to the head, so it would seem a gasket failure there would be relatively obvious. It would also seem the most likely area would be close to the large openings where the push rods come through at the top. Possibly on the top of the head somewhere?





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A machine shop should be able to pressure test the head to tell if it has any cracks that you cannot see. Also look carefully right between the valves for a hairline crack. The valves are really close to each other. Over time, they recess into the head. This allows for a stress point to develop between the valves. Cracks soon follow.

I had the same 2.2 liter engine with a head gasket leaking. Someone said the original head gaskets had a weakness for leaking and that upgraded gaskets were made later. The mechanic that had put a new head gasket in this engine (not so long ago for the previous owner) had put the gasket in upside/backwards, I examined everything very closely and this compromised a good seal. Nothing wrong with block or head. I put a thin layer of pipe seal compound (Blue Magic) on both sides of the new gasket and never ever had a problem again.

What
Steve@Advance said

The weak link is at the triangle coolant ports on the ends of the head I have seen fairly new gaskets leak there... Use new head bolts and pay close attention to how they are installed... I am sure they are TTY bolts

https://www.aa1car.com/library/torque_to_yield_tty_head_bolt_tips.htm

Every one of those I do gets a nice new set of valve springs they are known to break...