Oil in coolant - 2005 GTX 4-tec

[TxAg15]

Hey guys,

I have a 2005 gtx 4tec that was running just fine, until recently I had a coolant hose clamp going to the ride plate fail mid ride and lost all the coolant to the bilge. First indication was the overtemp beeper. Shut it off immediately and let it cool until I could make it to land. Replaced all the hose clamps, and refilled with antifreeze and thought it was good, until this last ride I found a dry dipstick and oil in the coolant reservoir and ride plate. So I just drained and pressure tested the coolant system to 13 psi and its leaking out the pressure over about 15 mins. I removed what oil was left in it through the drain plug in the scavenge oil pump and noticed some black specks coming through the suction tube.

Where should I start? Oil cooler? Water pump / Pto seal?

 

[kms]

100% Oil cooler is the first thing you should check. I went through this 2 summers ago on my 2003 4-tec. Pressure tested the oil cooler twice and it seemed fine. I then replaced the head gasket and the water and oil seals and it was still pushing oil into the coolant. I was literally about to put a new motor in it as I was sure I had a cracked block. I figured what the hell, I’m in it this far I may as well spend another $300 and put on a new oil cooler. Damn if that didn’t solve my problem. Ski has been running great for the last 2 seasons. Just do the cooler. It’s 15 years old and it’s a known point of failure.

 

[TxAg15]

100% Oil cooler is the first thing you should check. I went through this 2 summers ago on my 2003 4-tec. Pressure tested the oil cooler twice and it seemed fine. I then replaced the head gasket and the water and oil seals and it was still pushing oil into the coolant. I was literally about to put a new motor in it as I was sure I had a cracked block. I figured what the hell, I’m in it this far I may as well spend another $300 and put on a new oil cooler. Damn if that didn’t solve my problem. Ski has been running great for the last 2 seasons. Just do the cooler. It’s 15 years old and it’s a known point of failure.

Thanks! I am really hoping this won't head down the head gasket route as I am currently dumping a bunch of money into my other ski. But if it does, I'm going to use it as an opportunity to go ahead and replace the exhaust valves.

Sounds like you bought a brand new OEM if it cost 300 bucks. Do you know if there are any quality aftermarket alternatives?

Also, side topic, have you had the exhaust valves replaced in your '03?

 

[kms]

I did end up buying a brand new one. I also needed to buy new hoses as well as the angle of the inlet and outlet is now different. The OEM cooler is actually made by KTM. It’s stamped right on the side of the cooler. Maybe you could look up KTM parts and see if you can match one up. I didn’t do the valves when I had the head gasket done. It’s a pretty low hour motor (135) and the mechanic thought the head was in great shape. I will say this, the ski ran a hell of a lot better after the head gasket was replaced. It was starting to come apart and it was only a matter of time before that was going to be an issue as well. This is two years ago which makes it exactly the same age that your ski is now.

 

[TxAg15]

Interesting. Yeah I saw several out there with straight hose nipples instead of the curved ones that were original. My ski starts, runs, idles fin, and hits full rpm at WOT. So I wasn't really concerned with how it was running previously. But yeah it probably should be done soon.

Did you mechanic say anything about particulates in the oil when he did yours?

 

[kms]

He did not. I do know that he did a complete coolant and oil circuit flush. What that entails exactly, I do not know.