Other, less common causes include:
* Cracked cylinder head: A crack in the cylinder head can allow fuel to leak into the cooling system.
* Cracked engine block: Less likely than a head gasket failure, but a crack in the engine block could also cause this problem.
* Oil cooler failure (rare): While less frequent, a severely damaged oil cooler, which is part of the cooling system, *could* allow fuel contamination if it’s also interacting with the oil that has fuel in it (due to a head gasket issue). This is usually a secondary problem resulting from a head gasket failure.
It's crucial to immediately address this issue. Running the engine with diesel fuel in the coolant will severely damage the engine, including:
* Corrosion: Diesel fuel is corrosive to the engine components and will damage the radiator, water pump, and other parts of the cooling system.
* Lubrication issues: Diesel fuel will affect the lubrication properties of the coolant.
* Overheating: The contaminated coolant will not transfer heat effectively.
If you have diesel fuel in your 7.3L radiator, you need to have the vehicle professionally diagnosed and repaired. Ignoring it will lead to catastrophic engine failure.
