D 15 oil change
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=201129
Printed Date: 11 Oct 2025 at 6:15pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: D 15 oil change
Posted By: ACinSC
Subject: D 15 oil change
Date Posted: 01 May 2024 at 10:13am
| Loosened my drain plug just enough to see a trace of water drain out . June 2022 I had a lot of water in the oil . Pulled head and had it rebuilt . Checked oil several times after that and saw no water . Have had condensation blowing out of the oil fill/breather . At operating temp (180) when idling engine I can see flecks of water? blowing out when I remove oil breather . Filled rad today and it was about one quart low . Plan to rent rad pressure tester again and see if system will still hold 10 psi all night like it did in August of 2022 . Have had tractor at our 'farm' working it pretty hard . Any advice is welcome . Thanks ! |
Replies:
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 01 May 2024 at 10:30am
| WATER ?? or COOLANT (antifreeze mix) ?? |
Posted By: Acdiesel
Date Posted: 01 May 2024 at 10:55am
|
you can taste it and see if it taste like antifreeze. I have had moisture/water sprinkle out of the exhaust my D10,12,14 and 15's if the engine is cold and they have been sitting for a couple weeks but only for about 5 or so seconds after I first start the engine. You can always loosen the drain plug again and check for coolant after the engine has not been ran for a few days. not seeing any bubbles in the Radiator with the engine running are you? ------------- D19 Diesel,D17 Diesel SER.3 2-D14, 2-D15 SER.II WF/NF D15 SER.2 DIESEL D12 SER.I, D10 Ser.II 2-720'S D21 Ser. II Gmc,caterpillar I'm a pharmacist (farm assist) with a PHD (post hole digger) |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 01 May 2024 at 12:20pm
| Thanks Dr Allis and Dan . I assumed it was coolant but it did look clear ? Sorry , I didn't think to taste it . I'll pressure test the system tomorrow and report back . Tractor has no hour meter but I've probably put about 50 hours on it since the last oil change 14 months ago . I always run it long enough until it's up to 180 degrees . Thanks again ! |
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 01 May 2024 at 12:51pm
|
Verify the accuracy of the temp gauge first, it’s possible the engine is operating a lot cooler than you think. ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 01 May 2024 at 1:41pm
| Good info Lars, I'll check it out. Thanks! |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 03 May 2024 at 10:20am
| Pumped cooling system tester up to 10 psi , 16 hours later it's on 5 psi . Pulled valve cover and even tasted watery oil build-up . Doesn't taste sweet to me . Also used Dawn soap bubbles on a few spots around thermo housing on top of head . Found no leaks . Thanks ! |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 03 May 2024 at 3:59pm
| Pumped tester up to 5 psi. I'll let it sit again and see what it reads tomorrow. Maybe my radiator cap isn't 4 psi? Thanks |
Posted By: MadCow
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 12:32am
|
If no leaks OUT and it doesn't taste like coolant, could be a leak IN. Getting up to temp isn't necessarily enough to stop condensation. Has to be at temp long enough to purge. Edit: Don't take my words with any sort of undue authority or to much confidence, I'm just a MadCow after all. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 6:32am
| Thanks Madcow, it's definitely getting hot. I've been running it 5-6 hours at the 'farm'. Remember now I put a new temperature gauge on as old one was cracked. They both read 180-190 degrees. Don't know how engine could be pulling water in? Was outside 8 weeks but covered. Thanks again |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 8:37am
| Tester gauge is on 4 psi this morning. Took all night to lose one pound. Thanks |
Posted By: MadCow
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 8:41am
Rain or snow in through the filler? But if you've had it covered, that not likely either. Again, I would await someone smarter than me. But being low on coolant, probably normal, especially considering the water in the oil isn't coolant. it's from 1965, and a tractor at that. Boil off. Small leaks, even THROUGH the hoses, evaporation... How much water? Flecks of water here and there definitely sounds like condensation. A whole quart of water would be something different. Perhaps drain the oil, refill, and track how long it takes for noticeable water to form again. |
ACinSC wrote:Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 9:29am
| Yeah I plan to crack the drain plug on a regular basis and see if any water drips out. Checked it yesterday and looks like clean oil to me. Thanks |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 9:29am
| Drain the oil,put a pressure regulator @ 10 lbs on system and a pan under the drain. If you don't have coolant dripping out in a couple days you don't have a problem. The pressure tester is leaking off but no way of knowing where or why. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 9:33am
| Yeah Steve, that's a good point and good advice. I'll check to see how long I can keep this $270 loaner tester. Thanks |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 9:52am
| Poor man's way is use a 15lb cap and connect a pressure regulator with some plumbing to overflow pipe and set it at 10lb. It may leak and sizzle a little but pressure will be constant to try and force a leak. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 10:09am
| If I'm reading this right I can keep this tester 90 days and still get my $270 back. Thanks |
Posted By: SteveM C/IL
Date Posted: 04 May 2024 at 11:16pm
| My point is that you need steady constant pressure to prove a leak. I'm not real familiar with leak testers so not sure of the ins and outs. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 05 May 2024 at 6:35am
| Yeah Steve, this tester will hold 10 psi for a little over an hour. I did drain the oil and left system pumped up all night. It was down from 10 to 5 psi this morning. See no water or coolant in the catch jar. I'm going to do that several times and see what happens. Thanks |
Posted By: MadCow
Date Posted: 05 May 2024 at 9:12am
|
Do you fill the system to the brim before testing? Leak might be high on the radiator. I'm not super familiar with the process either. But it's almost just as concerning if you don't know where the fluids going if you're losing a lot! A quart after 100hrs, eh, I'd chalk that up to it being old. A sacrifice to the machine God. A quart overnight at 10psi... How does the cap hole look? My cap hole on the 8N is bad so the cap doesn't seal right. About every 6hrs I need to add water. Also, check the hand clutch and transmission fluid. I had a car once that didn't leak coolant into the oil, but into the transmission. |
Posted By: Les Kerf
Date Posted: 05 May 2024 at 10:26am
That is plenty of time to boil off any moisture in the crankcase
You live in South Carolina. I spent 7 months there in the Marines. You can go swimming in the AIR in SC. Just turning off a hot engine that doesn't have a sealed crankcase will suck significant amounts of moisture inside, which then condenses. Also, for every gallon of hydrocarbon fuel burned, (very roughly) a gallon of water is produced. Some of this goes past the rings as blowby. Modern engines having effective Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PVC) reduce this by a very significant amount, and is partly why they tend to live longer. I dunno if your engine has a leak or not, but some condensation inside the engine is inevitable.
|
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 05 May 2024 at 11:04am
| Thanks MadCow and Les . I did fill the rad before testing . I'm trying to keep the tester pumped up to 10 psi . Just put a clean piece of cardboard under engine in case a hose is leaking ? Yeah , humidity here is a killer , but I'm thinking something ain't quite right . I did order a new 4# rad cap .Thanks again . |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 06 May 2024 at 8:07am
| Gauge is down to 4 psi again this morning. Only a couple drops of engine oil in the catch jar. Cardboard is also clean. Gonna button everything up and keep an eye out for any water/coolant in the oil. Thanks for everyone's help! |
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 06 May 2024 at 8:17am
| Sometimes a coolant (not water) leak only occurs when the engine is at operating temperatures, not when cold. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 06 May 2024 at 8:40am
| Makes sense. Thanks Dr Allis! |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 07 May 2024 at 7:35am
| Read the post from Les again. My oil bath air cleaner must be pulling air from somewhere besides the inlet. I can cover the inlet with my hand and it idles down but doesn't shut off. Could that be causing water in engine oil? Thanks |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 07 May 2024 at 2:13pm
| Right before I replaced the oil drain plug today I saw one drop 💧 hanging on the drain hole. Tasted it and it was bitter not sweet. Thanks |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 07 May 2024 at 4:30pm
|
I have added 3-4 oz of Bars Copper Head gasket sealer on a B that had a small weeper like that... Week later, no problmes... 5 years later.. no problems.
------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: ACinSC
Date Posted: 07 May 2024 at 6:32pm
| Thanks Steve. I'll keep an eye on it. Old D 15 probably won't get used much until fall. Did run it 15 minutes or so today. |