L134 Coolant in Oil/Exhaust

[LarrBeard]

Wow - that is a nice looking lil' CJ 2A with the top and roll bar.

That's good, consistent compression for a cold crank turn-over. I'd bet a Coke on a head gasket too. There is one more possibility that you will eliminate or confirm after you pull the head - a cracked head - yuk..

One of the L-134's on the truck had a cracked head back in the late 50's. I remember it laying around in the garage- until it wandered off in a pile of scrap metal.

[teamxdr]

I think you are on track. The clean plug is classic of a "steam" cleaning that the plug gets when water begins to enter the combustion process. I think it is a head gasket also. It has good compression for cranking and fairly uniform. Typical for a head gasket that is just starting to go. The fluid present in the leak helps make a seal. The way to be totally sure is to put a pressure checker on the cooling system. If you put 10 psi or so on it I bet the water leak will show up. If the head gasket is leaking it will not hold pressure for long. Also when it is running you should see bubbles in the water. Running the motor with the radiator cap removed, look for bubbles in the water flow once the thermostat opens.

Will have the pressure checker on Sunday, so that'll be my last test before tear down of the head. Don't feel too comfortable letting it run to that point and risk further damage.

Wow - that is a nice looking lil' CJ 2A with the top and roll bar.

That's good, consistent compression for a cold crank turn-over. I'd bet a Coke on a head gasket too. There is one more possibility that you will eliminate or confirm after you pull the head - a cracked head - yuk..

One of the L-134's on the truck had a cracked head back in the late 50's. I remember it laying around in the garage- until it wandered off in a pile of scrap metal.

I'm hoping its the gasket and clear cut.