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Before going for a ~450 mile drive last weekend, I checked to make sure my coolant, oil and PS fluids were all topped off. The entire trip, the car never overheated nor did I notice any smoke. This morning before going to drive the car since last weekend, I decide to check the levels again.

First was the oil. Pulled out the dipstick and it was dry! WTF?! Check it another time and still nothing. So I put in a whole quart, then I'm able to see some fluid at the low mark. As I take off the oil cap, I notice white crap on it and the downtube, which I know means moisture.






This a sure sign the engine needs to be rebuilt?

That is really odd...

When's the last time you changed the oil & filter?

I changed both on 9/20/2006 when it had 149650 miles. Penzoil filter and Castrol 10W30. That was trying to fix the HLA's sticking, so I put in half a can of seafoam and it went away. Then changed the oil again on 9/22/2006 with 149666 miles.

The car now has 151K miles. Planning on changing the oil again in December after I drive home.

my catch can has been catching a fluid much like that at about 6oz every 2 weeks. My oil level and coolant levels are just fine. Recently changed oil and filter. Compression is good and no smoke at any time w/ no cats. So i dont know, my fluid almost has a gas smell though it doesnt burn so i think its mostly oil and water. Though my friend was telling me its possible for gas to escape past the rings an dilute the oil when running rich, even with good compression. Any validity to this?

The one similarity to our situation is i also ran some seafoam through (idled 10 min with half a can in the oil then changed oil and filter) and this has only come up after running it through. I used to just get a nasty 2 layer oil/water mixture from the can but now its all white like that.

If you guys figure out what the cause is i would definatly like to know.

Threshld1 wrote:my catch can has been catching a fluid much like that at about 6oz every 2 weeks. My oil level and coolant levels are just fine. Recently changed oil and filter. Compression is good and no smoke at any time w/ no cats. So i dont know, my fluid almost has a gas smell though it doesnt burn so i think its mostly oil and water. Though my friend was telling me its possible for gas to escape past the rings an dilute the oil when running rich, even with good compression. Any validity to this?

The one similarity to our situation is i also ran some seafoam through (idled 10 min with half a can in the oil then changed oil and filter) and this has only come up after running it through. I used to just get a nasty 2 layer oil/water mixture from the can but now its all white like that.

If you guys figure out what the cause is i would definatly like to know.

yes that's true, if you run too rich you will wash the cylinder walls with fuel, the oil scraper is designed to leave just a very thin film of oil on the walls of the cylinders to give the rings some lubricant when running back up to the TDC. if you're excessively rich then you'll be washing that oil off the cylinder walls and whatever doesn't burn that remains on the cylinder walls will get scraped down into the oil pan, just like oil.

to have a white foamy fluid means just that, foam, it's foaming up like it's airrated. you didn't use any Lucas did you? and to have so much missing is another good question, why is your oil foaming up and why do you have two quarts of oil missing.

flush the oil pan again and check your radiator and see if you're getting foam or black spots in the coolant - if you are: headgasket.

usually a white pastey goo in the oil filler cap area means a blown head gasket, it is due to back pressure into the oil feed system. NOT GOOD.

you better have money saved for a new engine or a rebuild.

that is not always true
lots of short drives where the car does not get a full run to warm compleatly up will make it so the condensation in the block will end up on the oil cap like that.

I had a very small amount of that white crap in my oil cap after a few weeks of only very short drives.

Do you live in a wet climate? There is the possibility that moisture could be seeping under the cap while it sits

wallgood358 wrote:Do you live in a wet climate? There is the possibility that moisture could be seeping under the cap while it sits

Seattle, is pretty darn wet. Although, I spend 9 months of the year in Klamath Falls, OR which is high desert (~4300 ft). Lots of snow/ice during the winter.

Cleaned as much of the white stuff out as I could a few days ago. It hasn't returned from a few days of driving in all this snow. Will check it again next Wednesday after I do a road trip to Salem (to get my 5MT installed -- w00t!).

it could just be condensation, but to be sure i would have your head checked for cracks or leaks just in case.

It IS water in the oil, condensation build up, when absorbed by oil it form a white goo, don't be too worried about it

It's emulsion. Yes, water and oil do mix

Nice, 9 year thread bump. Don't see that too often.

I wonder how guys come across threads like this haha

lol right. Just to add to this old thread since it got bumped. My air-cooled VW bus will have a cap similar to that during winter after I run the engine for a hour or so.