Motor oil looks light brown or milky
 

I just took out my winter motor oil. The oil has only been in the car for the winter and the car has never been driven only started and warmed up. I decided to change the oil to get it ready for spring and it came out milky. It did not look like there was any water in it but it was cloudy. Any thoughts on what would cause this. Blown head gasket?

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

That would be my first guess.
Good luck

Bob

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

If the car wasnt driven, it is possible it is only condensation (lots of it).

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (69vetteL46)
 

only condensation You said it wasn't driven just started. You have to get a motor very warm, usually to operating temp and then drive atleast 10 miles to keep from getting condensation (water) in the oil.
Just do a complete change, and filter, aswell as PCV valve, should be fine.

My solution to this problem when mine are stored over the winter and not driven is (1) disconnect the battery and place on a trickle charger. (2) Remove distributor so I can insert a shaft to spin the oil pump to keep all parts well oiled.
Hope that helps :seeya

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (BTRNSEX)
 

If not condensation build-up over the winter then it's going to be a blown head gasket or cracked head.

But I would think it's only moisture build-up. :cheers:

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

I am pretty sure it was just condensation. I rented a very nice cooling system tester from Auto Zone for free. This was a great deal. You have got to love the Zone for stuff like this.

The system held 25 psi with only a 1/2 lb drop in over 10 minutes. In addition, the instructions said to start the car with the tester connected on make sure that there is no quick pressure build or needle fluctuations. I did this and all was ok. The system seems in great shape. I changed the oil and finally got the oil up to 180 and most if not all the remaining cloudness is gone.

Thanks for all your help.

Philip :jester

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

I would tend to agree with condensation, it could also be a lot of other crap that is in there after sitting so long. Just change oil, filter and pcv if so inclined and you should be fine.

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

I was gonna suggest the exact thing, until I got to the bottom of the thread...
I also rented the autozone pressure tester. GREAT DEAL. You can purchase one for 5 bucks more, but how often do you use it??
When I tested mine, I put in 30lbs and it held for 18 hours, unmoving (once I fixed the leaks that is). I had problems with my head studs trickling coolant past the threads and ARP sealant.
The fact that your's lost pressure in 10 minutes tells me that you're experiencing some kind of leak somewhere...
Did you see anyplace where the coolant may be leaking? Or actually hear the hissing of pressure? I found the head stud leakage by using a light weight household oil and looked for bubbling, while the system was at 30 psi.
My rental didn't have the instructions, so I didn't check for pressure surges and such after starting...
But I am worried about the amount of leakage you're experiencing.
What if it is a head gasket?? What about the intake gasket? Dumping ethelene glycon into oil in not healthy for the motor. I can't remember if the coolant would float or sink in oil... but if I were you, I'd keep a VERY sharp eye out for more cloudiness, at the LEAST. (if it does sink, you should be able to crack open the drainplug and see if its cloudy)

I think it best that you should track down the coolant leak, (some of you might disagree). Either buy a UV dye kit, or go to a shop that has one. I may be overreacting, but if it seeped all winter, imagine how much will leak under heat(expansion) and pressure.

Get some more opinions first, though...
I don't want to get you tearing down your motor UNLESS its absolutely necessary.

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

You really need to get your engine oil up to normal operating temp to cook out the condensation,(and keep it there for a while) or you end up with your situation,(condensation). If you don't run it long enough, you are better off not running it at all.
People make that same mistake with snowmobiles-by starting them a couple times during the summer, but not getting the engine thoroughly heated up, and then the crank bearings rust.

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Magnum '82)
 

I think condensation,,, mine was sitting for a couple of years before i bought mine and the oil was milky looken, i had to change the oil and filter 3-4 times before getting all the condensation out, change it run it around then change again, should get more clear, i also thought it was a cracked head or gasket

Motors bin tunes sinse then

Good Luck :cheers:

Re: Motor oil looks light brown or milky (Smith)
 

I only did it ten minutes because the instructions said to do it for 2 minutes and if it holds steady then all is ok. The 1/2 psi drop was about as wide as 1/2 the needle so I do not think that the gauge is meant to read that small of a drop. I really needed to look very closely to see any change. The cooling system is on under 15 PSI when running to max.


My thinking is that 1/2 psi could come from anywhere. I do not think you could every find that small of a leak in a cooling system.