Guys,

Had my oil changed today and there was a white milky substance on the end of the cap and filler neck. They guy at the Quick Lube said my engine had water in it. I'm not leaking any coolant. I told him I did some research on this board and it seems to be a common problem when the weather gets cool, since the oil fill neck is so high.

I usually do my own changes, but haven't had the time the last few weeks to do it. I know it's probably nothing to worry about, but I'm **** about my ride. Any thoughts?

John

 

you are correct!! totally normal in the cool weather. especially if you do a lot of short trips.

if there was water in the engine it would show up on the dip stick not just the filler cap. tell your mechanic to go back to school and learn about modern cars.

 

I would be hesitant calling him a mechanic!! But I'll try and make the time to change it on my own form now on. Tried to tell me I needed a full 6.5 quarts to take it top the full mark as well. Told him he was full of it and that 6 is all it takes to bring it halfway between the marks - which indicates FULL!!

Although I don't want to start that debate agian.

John

 

was'nt there just a thread from a ford tech that mentioned lower engine noises and vibration from the oil being to far up the stick and the crank counter wieghts slapping the oil and causing the problem

 

Its normal to find that goo if its been cold outside. Make sure you aren't losing any anti-freeze anywhere. If you were, like others have pointed out, it would show up on the dipstick too.

One other thing to check is the PCV system. If that has gotten plugged up a bit, the engine won't pull these vapors back in to be burned as well as it should, causing somoe moisture buildup.

If its any consolation, the new Dodge engines (4.7l and Hemi 5.7l) suffer from the same issue and is freaking out a ton of owners.

Nothing to worry about...

 

Water is a byproduct of burning gas. The water evaporates when the engine warms to operating temp. If you take a lot of short trips in winter the water will remain in the oil longer. The solution is to combine your short trips and run the engine to full temp at least once a day.

 

That's good to know since I had the same thing with my B2. I had milky oil inside my cap but clean on the dipstick and on oil changes.

 

A new PCV valve may clear alot of this up. From my experience, the PCV is one of the cheapest and most neglected parts on an engine.