3406B coolant in oil (oil analysis), fuel in coolant

Discussion in 'Heavy Duty Diesel Truck Mechanics Forum' started by parkway, Feb 6, 2026.

  1. parkway

    parkway Bobtail Member

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    Jan 16, 2024
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    So I have a quandry with my 3406B. I'm doing yearly maintenance and sent in an oil sample just mostly to see how my oil is holding up to extended changes. I've been losing coolant but it'd been leaking out the upper radiator tank gasket for a few months till I could get some maintenance time. The oil analysis showed evidence of coolant in oil but there was none visible from the pan. Also elevated copper (950ppm) but normal tin , lead, etc.. I decided to put a new water pump on it and a new oil cooler as well as the ends of the tubes looked kind of gooy. I pulled the valve covers and found a little bit of coolant drops here and there and around one valve spring base. After the drained coolant sat for a week, I pulled the lid off the final drain bucket and found what looks and smells like fuel on the top. I pulled the injectors and injector adapters and I cannot form the life of me understand how fuel could be getting into the coolant with this set-up. No visibly cracked adapters.? What am I missing? ( I don't have a fuel fired heater on the sytem) Please weigh in if you have any good thoughts on this. Thanks
     
    4mer trucker Thanks this.
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  3. wore out

    wore out Numbered Classic

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    Fuel and coolant dont mix unless you have some type of coolant running through the fuel as a heater.

    Have you poured coolant in from a jug that possibly had fuel in it?


    The nozzle keeps all the fuel contained in it. So it’s not set up anything like an E which uses a cup. Before the masses go to saying cups the B doesn’t have them. They have a nozzle adapter that the nozzle sits in. Again all the fuel is contained in the nozzle. A bad nozzle puts fuel in the oil. A bad adapter puts coolant in the oil
     
  4. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

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    Why not run it a while, then take a coolant sample and find out for sure first?
     
    D.Tibbitt Thanks this.
  5. Star Rider

    Star Rider Road Train Member

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    Does it have a water separator?
    I remember some of the older ones had coolant lines going to them for heating the fuel in the winter.
     
    D.Tibbitt, 4mer trucker and wore out Thank this.
  6. parkway

    parkway Bobtail Member

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    Jan 16, 2024
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    well, my wife thinks that I mistakenly put the coolant into a bucket with a bit of fuel in it as well. I thought I checked it first, but I'm certainly not above mistakes. I hope that's case. I just wanted to get an opinion from some experts on the matter to help give me some clarity. I couldn't see a reasonable path for the fuel to reach the coolant. I guess I'll finish up the reseal of the adapters and injectors run it like you say, see how it goes. One of the adapters came out real hard. It had a gauled thread at the end. Hope the threads in the head didn't get too tweaked for the new one to thread in properly. Does anyone know how much to tighten the new bleed screw on the injectors? The seal kits for injectors came with new springs. Should I open them up and put in the new springs or just outside seals and let them be? It has a water separator filter but no coolant lines to it. Thanks For the advice!
     
    D.Tibbitt Thanks this.
  7. mtoo

    mtoo Road Train Member

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    Labs have been known to screw up at times. Do what your doing and pull another sample in the future. I wouldn't spend much money on an engine based on one sample. Two samples in a row, yes. One sample, I want confirmation.
     
    Oxbow and wore out Thank this.
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