Hi, just removed my intake and cleaning my engine bay when i found this thick milky stuff in a small area in the block. Think it may be coolant from a leak somewhere, but hoping otherwise....what do you think? its not much, but it surprised me. Could this be from just an intake gasket leak (intake gaskets replacements were the original reason i took it apart). Thanks for your comments.
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thought i uploaded a pic i took of the spot. but i can email it to someone if you need to see it. thanks again.

 

Depending where exactly you're seeing it, it could very easily be coolant that spilled from the intake into the oil cavity (lifter valley possibly?) and mixed up.

 

there is/was an intake leak that may have triggered the check engine light at idling, but didnt expect there would also be coolent involved in the problem. is it foolish for me to just install my edelbrock, or should i think about taking the heads off to replace those gaskets too??

i've never replaced head gaskets before since the bolts always seem to be tight and im afraid to removing them for fear of breaking off a bolt in the head. can this be too much to tackle?

 

Did you look at the intake gaskets when you took them off? If so, were they rotted in any place where coolant passes thru the intake? The picture isn't real clear, is the stuff real thick like pudding, or more like chocolate milk? More than likely it was the intake gasket. I've yet to see a head gasket leaking into the lifter valley.

 

the gaskets were original and the general area on did seem to be easier to remove, and a little more decayed than the rest. after posting this thread and hearing from you guys i feel more confident that intake gaskets may have caused this thick milky stuff from coolant mix. possibly spilled when i removed the intake and didnt notice it until the next day.

the only real uglies i saw were the valves and they are very much coated with crud. Its a low mileage engine, but then again it is almost 25 years old and had a lot rest in a garage from the original owner. Maybe some BK44 or whatever its called in the oil will help clean them before i change the oil again.

thanks again for the information!

 

Just want to thank everyone for the great advise. I just finished some work to my TA and FINALLY got the timing where it should be tonight. The car is sooooooooo much more fun to drive now!