Help! 408 SBC Oil in Coolant

[tireman]

Help! I've got an oil foam in the radiator. Last time I checked, there wasn't any visible coolant in the oil, but I obviously need to check that again. Before I tear into this thing, do you guys have any troubleshooting recommendations? I don't want to pull the heads and find nothing, then be stumped...

Thanks!

[rocketman]

Have you pressure checked the cooling system>if it's a stock 400 block the steam holes in the head gasket maybe letting oil leak in th coolant.would bet its a head gasket or cracked head.Pressure check it first.

[tireman]

Thanks, I'm trying to find a pressure tester right now. What should I look for once it's pressurized?

[rocketman]

Bleed off,you might compression test it too,do the plugs look wet,I would compression test it and see if you get any bubbles in the cooling system,pressure checking the cooling makes sure it sealed too.

[red67camaro]

Do you have an auto trans? If so, the trans cooler in the radiator could be leaking.

[c4racer]

one easy thing is to drain the oil and see if water comes out. water is lighter than oil, so it comes out last. Or it comes out first. One or the other - point being, it is real obvious if you have a lot of water in there. BTDT.

good luck!!