I noticed about a month ago during a routine check of fluids in my car that there was quite a bit of water mixed in with the oil in my crankcase. Naturally it scared the hell out of me.

But the engine seemed to run OK although a bit rough and the fluid level was above where it should be. There was no skipping, misfiring, or vapor dripping out of the tail pipe.

I went and had the oil changed then checked each day for the next couple of days and everything seemed fine.

Lately we've had some heavy rain especially over the past 2 days. Today the sun finally came out so I checked the oil again and it has moisture in it with a milky appearance.

It is still seems to be running OK, but maybe a little rough. I have no idea how the moisture is getting into the crankcase. Everything under the hood is clean and bone dry.

I have had some experience with blown head gaskets and cracked engine blocks with other cars but this seems different. If anyone has any idea on what could be happening I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Is the milky white on the end of the dipstick tube? How long do you drive the car? If you do not regularly drive the car long enough to warm it up to full operating temperatures, as in short trips of a few miles then what you are seeing is condensation on the tube. Not a head gasket issue. I get that due to my quick commute to work, try taking it out for a nice drive for about a hour then check your dipstick. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

+1

 

Thanks for your information. Most of my trips are only a few miles. I work less than two miles away, and every place I need to go is close by. It's been a couple of months since I drove for any extended period of time or over 20 miles straight. I'll try taking a 50 mile or so ride this weekend.

 

Take it on the highway! My 960 loves the interstate, It's a very solid car running 75 down the highway, even with almost 249,000 miles on it!

 

this doesn't sound like a blown head gasket, sounds more like condensation in your dip stick tube, and you may be getting the same in your distributor cap which would account for the rough idle. spray wd 40 on your cap and make sure the rubber stopper on your dip stick is not cracked and it would'nt hurt to spray wd 40 on the top of the tube.

 

At least once a week find someplace to go to or sight see that takes you on the freeway for at least 10 minutes. That short trip driving will really gum up your vehicle. Keep an eye on the coolant but if you aren't needing to add any regularly it's just short trips and not getting the engine hot enough between cycles.
Is the PCV system open and pulling a vacuum ?? If it's starting to plug that will aggravate the situation.

If you're still worried about the gasket you can always get a block tester on loan from most auto parts stores and check to see if the head gasket is leaking but I'd bet it is just the short trip driving doing it.

 

There is no distributor cap on these motors, just coil packs.

 

I took it for a drive about 50 miles round trip last Saturday and checked the dip stick on Sunday.

It still has the milky looking substance on it, but the car ran great. So thanks again everyone. I'm no longer concerned about head gasket or cracked blocked issues. Looks like I need to take it on more long drives to finish burning off all the condensation.

 

Not to be a Debbie Downer but... The fact that there is a milky substance on the dipstick is a little concerning to me. The head gasket can begin to leak between the coolant and oil passages in which case you would not see steam coming out the exhaust. If it's a small leak you may not notice your coolant level going down as it would decrease slowly over time. The milky look occurs when water emulsifies into the oil, you wouldn't typically get this from condensation on the dipstick tube because emulsification requires the oil and water to churn together and, in the dipstick tube this isn't going to happen. You can check for a cooling system leak into the oil system with a cooling system pressure tester.

 

A lot of times the gunk gets into the dip stick and the drive will clear the end but not the shaft.

Make sure the PCV/Flame trap is cleaned out.