350 Coolant in oil - sitting for a long time

[bts]

HI all,

now that I know my dozer is a straight 350, I got the filters, manuals, and fluids for it and set about draining and refilling. When I drained the oil, about a cup to a pint of green coolant came out first, much to my dismay. I know in general what this means, but am wondering if there is something peculiar to these JD diesel engines that might make this happen if a machine sits (outside under a roof) for a long time. I read through and guess it may be the sleeve seals but my question is:

Should I go ahead and start her up and see what happens, do pressure checks, oil analysis, etc after I get her running? Or, should I just bite the bullet and so a sleeve kit now?

the radiator itself was only a half gal low and the coolant that drained out was green and clean. Machine has probably been sitting for 10+ years.

Thanks,
Byron

[Scottyb]

I would start it up and keep an eye on the oil to see what happens. Running will give you a chance to see what else this dozer needs done before you dig into the engine. If the leak is very small I would add a can of stop leak to the rad. Keep a close eye on that dipstick, a small amount of anti freeze will soon make the oil murky. If you leave the rad cap loose the lack of pressure in the cooling system will give you more time to test the reverser, transmission, clutches and etc. Nice to know what issues you face before ripping into the engine. It would not surprise me to learn that after a little run time it seals right up on its own. Of course the opposite might be true as well. Fire it up and let us know what happens!
Scott

[jtrichard]

I have 2010s and they are bad about the sleeve seals..... one I got had a small amount of coolant in the pan I got a big can of bars leak and haven't had problem since and the was 5 years ago

[bts]

Thanks guys,
once I get the water and crud out of the fuel lines, I'll start her up and see what happens. Hope fully the leak "goes away"

[bts]

Just wanted to close the loop here - I ran her for a while today , finally got some time. Performed flawlessly, hydraulics are great - no leaks there under load. Blade holds the tractor up easily.

The oil is looking good and there is no sign of cross contamination of oil or coolant so I hope it stays that way, but will keep an eye on things.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement.