I've been having some hesitation when at WOT around 120 mph in 4th. As I was looking the car over today I decided to change the catch-can oil. The below pictures are what I found. Is that coolant that has leaked into the oil? Not real experienced here so would appreciate any opinions as to what I'm looking at. Car seems to run fine other than the aforementioned miss.

Thanks,

-Jeff



I cut a water bottle in half to fit it around the bottom of the catch-can so the oil doesn't run down the side of the engine. In this picture is the bottom of the catch-can piece sitting in the water bottle with oil around.





Here are a couple of pictures of just the catch-can piece covered in this muck.

 

Looks like water in the oil. What's the oil on the dipstick look like? If the oil in the engine looks OK, I'd clean up the catch can and drive it for a while and see what happens.

 

Depending on where you live and the atmospheric conditions (temp/humidity) it very well could be condensation.

If your crank case oil looks fine, there should not be an issue. If you crank case oil looks abmormal, you need to start looking for oil to coolant leaks. Unless you start pulling heads, that can be tough.

The oil in your crankcase is the answer.

Your next question is going to be "If there that much water in the catch can, why isnt it in my crank case?"

When the engine is at operating temp, the oil is at a high enough temp to shed the moisture "and send it to the catch can or if you dont have a catch can, in the manifold to be consumed in the engine.

If you still uneasy with those answers, send an oil sampe to one of the oil analysis labs.

Heres something I found on the internet:

Lesson No. 5 - Signs of Coolant Leak

Brown bubbles or a dried crusty-brown residue above the oil level line on the dipstick could be an indication that coolant (water and antifreeze) has leaked into your engine. The oil on the dipstick might even look like chocolate milk. Never taste motor oil as a test for antifreeze.
Another prominent indication of coolant leak is white exhaust smoke that has a sweet odor. In this case, the dipstick oil level may actually rise, indicating a significant amount of coolant has leaked into the crankcase.
To confirm a coolant leak, shut off the engine, let it set for an hour or two, unthread the drain plug and use a clear glass or plastic bottle to catch the liquid. Because both water and antifreeze are heavier than oil, they will puddle up at the bottom of the oil pan. Collect a couple of ounces of fluid and immediately retighten the drain. Inspect the fluid for glycol and water. Glycol and water often look like a thick mayonnaise-like paste, depending on how long the coolant has been in the crankcase. You might also detect a sweet antifreeze smell.
If you have detected coolant in your motor oil, your engine should be taken in for immediate service.

 

My builder mentioned the same thing, check the oil in the crankcase (which I just did and it looks fine on the dipstick). Down here in the South, humidity is pretty high so not too surprising that a lot of moisture could end up in the catch-can.
My car doesn't get driven a lot so I'm going to try and change the oil shortly just to ensure the crankcase oil looks okay. I do give it a nice 30 minute (or more) run every month, so I'm thinking it should be fine.

As always, thanks for the help guys!

 

Unfortunately, I think is a byproduct of the catch can. Normally, that would be drawn in and burned but the catch can allows things to cool a bit and condense, oil as well as water. At least you aren't burning it. I would also clean it and keep an eye open. Failure of stock head gaskets are rare.

 

do a compression check if unsure about head gaskets.

 

Alarming looking at first, but as mentioned not a problem. My catch cans have looked like that (about 90% water and 10% oil) for a decade. Short trips (5 mile commute to work), high humidity seem to cause this issue (which isn't an issue at all).

Dope

 

I have a buddy of mine with a VR6 VW, his catch can looks just like yours does no matter how long he drives it. We ran a leak down test and everything was fine. We decided it was just condensation.

 

Sounds like I'm in the clear then.
Thanks for all the responses guys!