I took my 1998 F150 in for an oil change and they said that there was water in the engine. All I saw was some condensation on the inside of the oil cap. How bad of news is this? Is this an easy fix?

I was told that there is a small leak in the oil pan gasket. Could this be the source of the problem?

Thanks,
Poole

 

I assume by "water in the engine" you mean "water in the oil". I suppose you could have a leak somewhere that is letting radiator coolant into the engine where it ends up in your oil. How has your anti-freeze coolant level been lately?

 

Yes, in the oil. I checked the coolant level and it is a little low.

Thanks,
Poole

 

The oil pan gasket is not the source of your problem then. It is most likely an engine gasket. I would think it would be major money to repair it. Maybe someone else here has had to have a gaskets replaced and knows the cost for different types of gaskets.

Unless someone poured water in your oil filler...

You can read this...

http://www.leakingfords.com/signs.html

And be sure to see this part...

http://www.leakingfords.com/tsb99207.html

and maybe this thread...

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...+engine+gasket

 

temp1, thanks for the info! This morning, after the truck sat all night, I unscrewed the oil plug just enough to get some oil to seep out and didn't notice any coolant. This was to check and make sure no coolant was settled at the bottom of the oil pan as was suggested in one of the articles you supplied me with.


Thanks,
Poole

 

Just be sure to note that "His" oil was lighter than the coolant. You could always drain a little more oil into a small glass jar (Like a baby food jar ) and then suck some of your coolant out with a turkey baster and add it in to the glass jar with the oil just to verify that your oil is lighter than your coolant. Oil and water do not normally mix and should seperate into layers within the jar...

 

Excellent. By waiting overnight, the coolant separates from the oil, and oil being lighter than water, you would have gotten water out of the bottom of the pan.
It's my guess the gentleman at the garage could use a lesson in how condensation from the air forms inside an engine just like it does in the gas tank, especially during changes in temperature, as when it's 70* one day and 35* the next. The cure? Take the vehicle for a 30 minute to hour drive. This warms the engine enough to boil off the water. Take your best gal along for a road trip! In the future, don't worry about seeing condensation on the oil filler cap. It's one of those things that nature does...just wipe it off. If you see it other places too, WORRY.
Good Luck,

Dan

 

I think the big question here is "How much water was in the oil?" and was the water "water" or "anti-freeze"?

 

I posted a bulliten from the engine reman. asoc. about corroded plugs in the front of the block behind the water pump sometimes allowimg coolant into the oil. They put out the bulliten because a lot of head gaskets were being done and the problem not being solved. you might want to keep an eye on your coolant level.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I marked the coolant level last night and it seems to be holding pretty steady. I will keep an eye on it for the next few days to see if it drops anymore.

Thanks,
Poole

 

poole, water in your oil is normal. Water is a by-product produced when you burn gasoline, and enters the oil when it blows by the rings. If the oil is warm it will evaporate quickly. However, if you take many short trips, or idle a lot you will see it condesation on the oil filler cap.

Anti-freeze is not normal and will damage your engine rather quickly. You can do an oil analysis that will prove you need to make repairs or calm your concerns by showing you how much, if any, coolant is in your oil.

As for water in the engine because there is water on the oil fillter cap. Well, that is an old trick to get more work for the shop. There is water in every engine. Just watch it come out of your tail pipe some time.

 

As was suggested by greencrew, an oil analysis would determine once and for all if there is coolant in your oil.

It is normal to have a small amount of condensation under your oil cap. Sometimes the H2O looks like a milky substance.

The signs of an engine coolant leak could range from excessive steam comming out of the exhaust after the engine is at running temp. (not from cold weather), with a coolant smell in the exhaust. You would also notice (from a big leak) coolant beads floating on the drained oil (oil and water doesn't mix).

Either way, the least expensive way to tell for sure if you have a small coolant leak is by UOA.