IH 574 Regular Gas - I think I blew the head gasket

My IH 574 has been stuck in the field with a broken spindle. Had a hard time getting it started once it was fixed due to the cold weather. I finally got it going yesterday, and since it was before dark and I was in such a hurry I think I failed to realize a freeze plug blew out which meant no coolant. I only drove it for maybe 10 minutes in about 40 degree weather when I noticed some smoking from the engine and then a change in the way it sounded when it was running, so I shut it off right away still in the field.

That's when I noticed the freeze plug missing after I tried putting coolant in. It was getting too dark to see if there was coolant in the oil for sure but using my flashlight it seemed to me that there was as it was starting to look milky.

My neighbor suggested I still try to get it back to the farm and inside to work on it. Is it safe to drive in this state? And what do you think I should expect? Is it most likely a blown head gasket or cracked head?
 
If you put cold coolant into the engine and it was hot and not running good chance you have a cracked block because one should never poor cold coolant into a hot engine with out it running and even if running still not a real good idea to do that
 
(quoted from post at 08:08:12 11/16/17) If you put cold coolant into the engine and it was hot and not running good chance you have a cracked block because one should never poor cold coolant into a hot engine with out it running and even if running still not a real good idea to do that
he issue happened before anything was put in it though. I only slowly put some in after it cooled down but it ran right back out because I didn't notice the freeze plug was missing
 
Slowly remove the drain plug and as it is at the last thread, see if coolant is trying to get out. If it is, do not operate the tractor. Tow it to the repair location. If slightly milky oil comes out, put a expander (rubber) core plug in the block and fill it with coolant. and drive it to the repair location. (assumes it is less than a mile. Jim
 
Oil separates from the coolant. If there is a cup of coolant in the oil it will tear out the engine bearings in 10 minutes. Ruining the engine to save two minutes of pulling the oil plug part way out seems like a high risk choice. The engine may have lived beyond the overheating it has sustained. Where are you located that it had no antifreeze in it? Jim
 
(quoted from post at 08:56:15 11/16/17) Is it not reliable to go by what you see on the dipstick?

Does the dipstick show overfull or does it read normal? If it is normal then you probably have a minimal amount of water. When you start it and it's cold you can get funny looking dipsticks as the oil is churned up in the cold. If level is normal then plug it like Jim says and you should be able to drive it.
 
You said engine started smoking. If smoke was coming out of exhaust it was coming from a scoring piston. If it was smoking out of crankcase breather it is a rod or main bearing. I am betting you scored a piston and running it more will damage more parts. Check the oil pan drain plug for water, and filings. I seriously doubt you blew a head gasket but a cylinder leakage test would determine if that or severe scoring is the problem before a tear down. Also, I have seen many engines run with no noticeable damage for many hours before the operator realized he had a considerable amount of coolant in crankcase. Running without any coolant is a whole different situation. Just few years ago a IH 5288 was steaming out the breather the first half hour of work after sitting for days and then went on to plant sever hundred acres of corn. Operator asked me about it and there was considerable coolant in crankcase again from cavitation erosion. A lot of the old wet sleeve gasoline engines like a A, B or C would show serious signs of having had coolant leaks into system for some time with all the anti freeze sludge hanging around in the cooler areas up in cylinder head.
 
I'm with Pete23 on this. If you didn't
torch that engine, you are VERY lucky. And
if it scored cylinders, that's a bore job
since it has no sleeves. It's probably
milky from condensation if it set outside
after running.
 
(quoted from post at 19:25:56 11/16/17) I'm with Pete23 on this. If you didn't
torch that engine, you are VERY lucky. And
if it scored cylinders, that's a bore job
since it has no sleeves. It's probably
milky from condensation if it set outside
after running.
checked the oil prior to that happening though and it wasn't the same consistency. After trying to add coolant it changed without running the engine again. Do you suggest I plan on towing it in? It was only running for a few minutes. As for the smoking, it was smoking more just from what looked like something burning on the engine and not from any one location, but when I saw it was overheating it did smoke/steam from the radiator cap once I was able to cool it down and open it up. I didn't run it long enough to even be able to inspect anything because I shut it off so fast but it still may be too late.
 
With this information (change in looks of oil over a short time window) I would tow it home. Running a broken engine is only
reasonable when there is no option, and when it is already toast and will be replaced entirely. Jim
 
my experience from running an engine with no coolant is the pistons will get scored from being too tight in the bore. it will start to labour also. very unlikely its the head gasket. the smoking could very well be coming from the missing frost plug hole , as its probably steam vapours. you didnt say if you added coolant while it was hot or cold so missing info here. stick a new frost plug in it and see what happens , as the damage is done. when you need to add coolant to a warm engine make sure the coolant is warm or hot.
 

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