I just took the valve covers off and found the oil had a milky color under the breather for the E-Vac. I guess this is normal and is due to condensation. If this is moisture getting into the oil is this going to be a problem for the bearings? Is there a way to prevent moisture from getting into the oil? Or is this no big deal? For the amount of time I ran the car ( three trips around the block and one pass) there was more of the milk colored oil than I would like. Thanks for the help.
Is the oil in your pan milky too? Last time I had milky oil, it was a cracked block. The time before that it was a blown head gasket.
Water/coolant is being introduced into your oiling system. When you pull the dipstick is it frothy or clear oil with a drop or 2 of water rising to the top? Condensation in the oil will evaporate as the engine heats up to normal operating temp, but if you have milky coating on your oil fill c,ap inside valve cvrs etc you need to do a pressure check of the cooling system. With luck you may find a timing cover or water pump gasket isn't sealing properly. Also, the engine may have been repaired at some point and you are seeing the remnants of an old leak. If this is a new engine at break-in then that would not be the case. Good luck..Steve
Joe, Whenever the oil is milky there is some sort of moisture inside the engine. That is sort of obvious. The first thing you have to do is determine how much moisture. I believe it takes less than a teaspoon of water to 8 quarts of oil to turn it totally milky white. So.. first question... How milky is the oil? Once you have determined how milky then you have to find out where the moisture is getting to the oil. Below are some problem spots. 1. Cracked cylinder wall- Very hard to diagnose if this is the spot. 2. Bad cylinder head- A. Cast Iron head - If the heads have been ported then this is a possibility. Whenever I port a set of cylinder heads for someone I tell them to go to GM and get the stop leak pellats they sell. Cast iron is very porous (spelling?) and you never know when your going to get a minor leak. Also if they are the older 67 through 69 head they can crack up near the valve spring pockets. This is very common and not a big deal. I have seen some that I would just use the GM stopleak or take the head off and have it pinned. B. Aluminum Head - Again.. were they ported and could they possibly have a leak. Mike from T/A says he also recommends the GM stop leak whenever he assembles an engine just to make sure there are no minor leaks. 3. Head gasket failure- If its a head gasket failure then a simple leak down test will find the problem. 4. Copper Head Gasket- If you are running copper head gaskets and are running a radiator pressure cap that is a higher pressure cap then it could cause some water to ooz through the gasket and into the engine. 5. Weak Head bolts- If you didn't use at minimum the hardened head bolts then it could be lifting the head off of the deck and causing water to get into the oil. 6. Is it an open header car? I have seen where cars with open headers that run the header evacs let cold air get up into a hot engine and cause moisture. There are many more reasons why you may be seeing some moisture. Give me more details and I may be able to help you pin point the area of concern. Good Luck and Take Care
got milk? If your oil does not look milky (chocolat shake) and you just have some gak on the covers, the car is not getting hot enough. Either you are not running it long enough, or hard enough, on the street, or just letting it sit and run, or the thermostat is not working or too cold. Take the car for a nice long ride at speed, say 30-50 highway miles, then recheck. If condition persists, then start checking. Just a note; take 2 guarts of oil with you on the ride, to replace the water you will burn off. You may not need them, but be prepared. My 67 manual makes note of this "phenomenon", and I have experienced it myself. Note; the combustion process makes water as a by product, but one thing you could do is to get it hot, drain the oil, and leave the drain plug out, then put a pressure tester on the radiator. Let it sit under pressure for days, if necessary, pumping it up when needed, and look for water comming out. As the engine cools down you may pick up a leak that would not show up when hot or cold. Rich
Thanks guys for the response. From reading the responses I think I was not clear what I exactly found. John to answer you question, yes this is open headers and the milk is only around the e-vac. The oil is not milky, its only around the e-vac in the valve cover. It still concerns me because I don't like to see any moisture in the oil. If this is caused by cool air getting in through the headers, is there something I can do to stop it or is it normal and nothing to worry about?
Excellent trick with the pressurized system and undone oil drain plug, Rick, never thought of that for an internal condition before. Steve
