Symptoms:

1. Drips coolant
2. Drips oil
3. Pulled the oil cap today and found a creamy yellow goo inside.

1. & 2. it has been doing intermittently for around 2 years. I wasn't able to locate the source of either.

3. Has developed recently. Because of the oil leak I check the oil on a fairly regular basis and there was no sign of aforesaid gunk a couple of weeks ago.

I assume a HG problem, but given the time & expense involved in fixing, I'd appreciate a second, third or even fourth opinion

Thanks, liPPy.

 

When you check the oil level, is it fluctuating? If you're losing coolant into the pan, you should notice a change in the oil level in addition to the milky oil. Unless of course your oil leak is dripping at the same rate as your coolant leak -- but I doubt it would be that perfect.

Have you completed the 60k service found in the sticky?

Exactly how much coolant are you losing?

 

There is no milky oil on the dipstick - only on the inside of the fill cap.

I replace roughly half of the coolant overflow reservoir every 6-8weeks.

Not sure what you mean by oil level fluctuating?

Checking the dipstick periodically shows a gradual decline consistent with the oil leak.

I have a piece of whiteboard I have been putting under the vehicle. It loses 8 -10 drips (maybe 1/2 fl oz?) per night.

Is there a definitive head gasket leak test I can perform?

 

By fluctuate, I mean if your coolant is flowing into your oil, the oil level should rise -- and then fall -- depending on how much oil/coolant you could be losing. No milky oil on the dipstick is a good thing -- no coolant in your oil. We could anticipate that because your leak is clearly external if it's on the ground, but it's good to be sure.

I have heard if you don't drive the truck long enough for internal condensation to evaporate you will find moisture under the oil fill cap. Could that be what you're experiencing? Hopefully more people will chime in.

You can pressure test the cooling system by using a special pump with a gauge (You can probably rent one from an auto parts store -- if not they are pretty inexpensive). That won't necessarily point directly to the head gaskets but it will tell you if you're losing pressure. The best thing to do is pressure wash your motor after a liberal coating of engine degreaser and look for the leak afterward.

 

You can test for the presence of exhaust gas in the cooling system. Easy test and most shops have the ability to do it. The tool is under a hundred bucks if you are so inclined.

 

I was thinking moisture as well if it was not on the dip stick.

Maybe change the oil, see what comes out just to be sure.

 

If you are leaking coolant, then quit driving it unless you want to buy a new engine.
If you want a second option then go get the coolant system pressure tested to verify the leak.