Well, i was thinking i had the ol submarine ready to go for the rest of winter after having the timing belt done a couple weeks ago. I took it into have a oil change today, and it was immediatly pointed out to me that there was a bigger problem at hand.

The oil on the dipstick was a pretty bad light brown color (similar to a frosty from Wendy's). My first thought was that i'm got something leaking that caused some coolant to get into the oil pan...but i don't even know where to begin the troubleshooting.

I had checked the oil myself about 3-4 weeks ago, and did not notice any sign of browness, so i'm thinking this is something that has happend recently. After i had the timing belt done, i drove the car ~800 highway miles, and it's been parked for a week til i had to oil done today. I haven't noticed any differences in the way the engine performes or sounds.

Do you guys know where i could begin the troubleshooting process to determine the cause of the problem and to find out how bad it is?

Also...this is the only car i have that can drive in the snow. I'm wondering if push comes to shove and i am forced to drive it in it's current condition, will this destroy my engine? I have a bad feeling that any repair on this will be pretty extensive and could require the car to be out of commision for a few weeks.

Finally...since i am about due for an oil change...should i go ahead and change it...or just wait til i get the other problem fixed first?

Thanks for your help

 

This is very bad news. Even though anti-freeze prevents corrosion in the cooling system, it will create problems with corrosion on crank, bearings, and cylinder walls.

Since you recently had work done with timing belt, I would remove timing cover and check your water pump for leaks.

Hopefully Tech will read this soon and have some other suggestions...

 

Very good chance this is a head gasket. I'm sure there could be other causes, but that is the first one to come to mind. If you decide to get rid of that yellow 850 wagon let me know first. My son in-law is now very experienced in removing the head and having a valve job done.

 

First off I would check to see if you are down on coolant. Secondly, it could very well be condesate on the dip stick which will occur this time of year (cold days). Drive the auto a bit and see if the goo dissapates. Is there some of the material around the oil cap? Finally, if indeed the coolant level is affected, then I would "guess" that you have a head gasket issue also.
Reg

 

Checked out the oil cap and there didn't seem to be any buildup of the gunky stuff around it from what i could tell. I idled the engine for about 4 minutes, and the oil coming up around the crank seemed to look ok. There wasn't any foaming that i could tell which i could see on an old nissan i had after i had a similar coolant/oil issue.

Checked the dipstick several times and it always had the gunk on it... it wasn't totally covered like it was yesterday, but there were several blobs of the lighter color.

The coolant level looks normal to me.

I'm on the lower end of the oil level, so i'm thinking i may throw a quart in and drive it to see if the goo dissapates. Or would it be better just to drive as is to test it out?

Looking through the old service records, i don't see that the head gasket was ever changed. How many miles/years do the gaskets usually last?

 

Wipe off the dip stick and oil cap..............top up the oil and drive the auto so that it is hot. Do your trips generally end in short distances or do you drive 15 to 20 minutes at a time? You probably have condensation that occurs this time of the year when the engine does not get to normal operating temperature. At any rate, after your drive, check the dip stick for the "goo" and see if it has lessened.
Reg

 

Ok, i'll top it off with some fresh oil and see what happens. Now that i think about it, most of my trips are faily short in it... 5 minute drive to work and 20-30 min drives around town otherwise. This is my first winter with the car and i haven't learned quite how it behaves in the cold yet.

I did notice that when running after i drove it, there was some smoke coming out of the dipstick tube. Not what i would condider to be a lot of smoke. From what i understand that means a new pcv valve...not sure if this is adding to the issue i'm seeing now.

Thanks for the help

 

I don't believe you have a 'flame trap'/PCV valve on your turbo engine. Michigan winters are brutal and if you have moisture in the crankcase, you will find it on the dipstick and oil cap. After driving around Detroit for a while, see if the gunk has lessened and if it has, perhaps you will find that an oil change is warranted to get the water out of the crank case. Hope you are planning on attending the North American auto show in two weeks............check out the new c70 flip top. I generally make an effort to get to Detroit for the annual show but unfortunately I will be in New Jersey for the next several weeks and will miss it.
Reg.

 

As long as the engine was never overheated -- needle of temp gauge ran for extended periods of time at 3/4 mark or needle pegged into the red -- head gasket will last forever.

I misunderstood you earlier. I thought that you were changing your oil, and the old oil looked milky white brown. We need to narrow it down to condensation issue or losing coolant into oil issue.

Keep a sharp eye on the level of your coolant in reserve tank. Mark the level with masking tape. Let us know if you are losing coolant.

Easy test for bad head gasket. First thing in the morning, remove the cap of coolant reserve tank. Start up the engine. Examine the coolant reserve tank for bubbles.

Ask around to see if someone will run a cooling system leakdown test. Since our cars don't have radiator caps, I ended-up using the neck of the coolant reserve tank. Be careful, because the pump will pop off if not fastened securely. Your cooling system should be able to hold 15 psi without any leaks. If you are not able to hold pressure, then -- most likely -- you have a head gasket concern (providing that all radiator and heater hoses don't have any leaks).

Still, I would remove timing cover and inspect the water pump for leaks. A leaking water pump usually indicates that the propeller shaft is about ready to break off.

 

I added a quart of fresh oil and drove around for a bit. There is still a small amount of the goo on the dipstick, but it's minimal. Coolant level seems to be holding steady, so i'm thinking this is prolly the condensation issue. I'm going to change the oil tomorrow, since i'm due for this. I'll make sure to check the oil out of the pan to see if it has any of the discoloration like on the dipstick.

I was reading somewhere about the Oil Trap/PCV valve. I'm definitely getting some vapor coming out of the dipstick tube after the engine is warmed up, so i might look at changing this stuff out sometime soon. If i undestand correctly, this can eventually cause the Rear Main Seal to leak...which doesn't sound like a fun job at all.

 

Check the oil coming out while draining it.If it looks funny like choclate milk then yes it might be the headgasket.

But if not then it is condensation.Your car doesn't have a flame trap. It only has a vent box. But some of the smaller hoses will get clogged sometimes.

 

Is the flame trap different from the oil trap? Never heard of the flame trap before...

Was looking on FCP Groton and saw they had this kit to replace the oil trap and lines. Would this help address the vapor coming out of the dipstick tube?



[IMG]local://upfiles/2134/F933E0DC4098482B9433B79507AE2C54.jpg[/IMG]

 

It might help some but will not get rid of all of it.

Almost every car has it.

 

Flame trap/PCV valve was only on non turbo engines. You need to get that engine hot prior to changing the oil and then drive it for a bit. I believe your problem is that you are not thoroughly warming up the engine if you are taking only short drives.
Reg.

 

I'm thinking i am going to change out the oil trap system... FCP sells a kit for pretty cheap. One question though... as i understand, to get to some of the parts, i'll need to remove the intake manifold and replace that gasket w/ a new one when putting it all back together. Do i need to get some type of sealant for the new gasket? FCP sells a tube of 'Valve Cover Sealant and Oil Pan gasket sealant'...but i have no idea if that should be used for the intake.

Thanks

 

DONT BUY THAT FOR THE GASKET. You don't need anything on the gasket at all.

The sealant you saw only works for what they say. Because they don't use gaskets for those places. The sealer is the gasket.

 

I had a feeling i didn't need it...just wanted to get confirmation from the experts.

Thanks for all the help!