2.8l Water In The Oil - Please Help

BlazerHelper · October 18, 2008

My brother just bought a used 1984 S-10 Blazer with the 2.8L V6. He said the engine overheated and now there's water in the oil. My first thought is head gasket.

I'd like your opinion, since I'm not a GM guy. Sorry, don't roast me. I'm trying to help out one of your own.

I've done some searching on head gasket problems with the 2.8L motor and there seems to be an issue with these motors blowing headgaskets.

So, what do you think?

Did he likely crack the head too? Is this common on this motor? Could it be the intake manifold gasket? If he needs a new head too, can the head bolts be reused?

Helpfull tips/tricks?

I've done headgaskets and engine rebuilds, so I know what I'm doing. Just not on a 2.8L.

Thanks,

-kevin

Zembonez · October 18, 2008

2.8 is KNOWN for head gasket issues once they got a bunch of miles on them. I can't believe an 84 is still alive. Many 2.8s got replaced with the GM crate 3.1 engines years back. If he didn't get it too hot, he may be able to just do the head gaskets. Pretty easy tiny V6 to work on... even in the truck. They aren't usually bad about cracking heads.

Only way to know is to tear it down. I'd do a compression test before I started for sure. If water and oil are mixed, I'd look at a couple of rod bearings while I had it apart... If you see brass, either rebuild or replace it.

ALange · October 18, 2008

I agree with Zembonez, the 2.8 was not known for its longevity. If the miles are high I would check compression and oil pressure before slapping some new gaskets in and hoping.

pennzoil29 · October 18, 2008

I think I would look into doing an engine swap. With it being an '84, there is no doubt a lot of miles on it, and probably has already served it's purpose. Over heating is an engine killer, and even with a good fix it might not never be the same.

BlazerHelper · October 19, 2008

I think I would look into doing an engine swap. With it being an '84, there is no doubt a lot of miles on it, and probably has already served it's purpose. Over heating is an engine killer, and even with a good fix it might not never be the same.

Thanks guys for your advise against the 2.8 V6. Thanks for your advise, I knew no history on the GM 2.8. I did some soul searching and with the help of a buddy of mine to push me over the edge.......I decided to buy him a $500 1986 F-150 Extended Cab 302 fuel injected powered Ford. My brother is super poor and only had $100 today to fix the head gasket on the 2.8 V6, so I knew I was in for a couple more hundred to do the job right.......just to have the head gasket blow again in who knows how many miles. At least I know that the 302 is a tried and true motor (and I know it from end to end since I bleed Blue). I drove it 45 miles on the freeway and an additional 15 miles through city traffic. What a difference getting back to a time tested V8. I say as long as you're buying American, then you're part of the solution! Go GM, Go Ford.....not sure what to say about Dodge/Chrysler anymore.