Signs of a headgasket leak?
10-09-2009, 10:54 PM
#1
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Signs of a headgasket leak?
Hi all. Just did a a recent oil change on my truck a couple days ago, and I noticed something weird...... there was a white, sludge-like substance on the inside of the oil cap. It wasn't milky looking or watery, and I decided to keep an eye on it, but what could it be? The oil has always come out normal looking, and the coolant has always been bright green, so I never really considered a timing cover leak. In fact the timing chain and guides still look really good even though I'm sure that they are the originals with 245,000 miles! So I cleaned out the oil cap and have driven the truck around for a couple of days, and when I got home this evening I decided to take off the oil cap and check it again after the truck had sat for a couple of hours, and it had what looked like a small bit of condensation in it. Is this normal? The truck has always used a tiny bit of coolant, but only maybe a quart a year. What do you guys think? Does it point to a headgasket? Should I be worried?
10-09-2009, 11:08 PM
#2
Registered User
If your not getting white smoke (actually steam) from the tailpipe and/or large amounts of water in oil or oil in water I wouldn't worry about it.
Did you use a different brand of oil on your last oil change?
How long since your last oil change?
I once changed oil on a Ranger pickup for a girl I had just started dating and I found similar substance in her oil. When I asked her how long it had been since her last oil change she said she had never done it (owned the truck for a few years). Point of the story is extreme oil breakdown can produce the symptoms you describe which is why I ask all the questions about the oil...
Did you use a different brand of oil on your last oil change?
How long since your last oil change?
I once changed oil on a Ranger pickup for a girl I had just started dating and I found similar substance in her oil. When I asked her how long it had been since her last oil change she said she had never done it (owned the truck for a few years). Point of the story is extreme oil breakdown can produce the symptoms you describe which is why I ask all the questions about the oil...
10-09-2009, 11:16 PM
#3
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Thread Starter
Theres nothing in the oil/no steam, I've always use the same brand of oil, And its been maybe 6 months since my last oil change. I really don't keep track of the mileage between oil changes since I put hardly any miles on my truck. I bought it 3 years ago with 241,000 and now its at 245,000
10-09-2009, 11:38 PM
#4
Registered User
I didn't have any steam showing in the exhaust or external signs of leakage when my headgasket went. I say went, but it was actually a gradually worsening problem. My only symptom was an increasing mysterious coolant loss, eventually followed by obvious signs of water in the oil. I had a little white crud under the oil cap, but also the oil on the dipstick had a chocolate milk thing going on.
A tiny bit of whitish foamy stuff under the cap isn't enough alone to cause too much worry. If you're driving short trips, moisture in the crankcase may not be cooking off. Even my old '65 bug would get some of that, and it certainly wasn't from coolant.
Keep an eye on your coolant level and the condition of your oil. If your oil turns milky, you definitely have water getting in.
Are you sure your timing chain guides are ok? Apart from a chip at the top, mine *looked* ok from above. See my rebuild thread for pictures of its condition below. That said, I'd think that a hole worn in the cover would quickly turn into an obvious problem.
A tiny bit of whitish foamy stuff under the cap isn't enough alone to cause too much worry. If you're driving short trips, moisture in the crankcase may not be cooking off. Even my old '65 bug would get some of that, and it certainly wasn't from coolant.
Keep an eye on your coolant level and the condition of your oil. If your oil turns milky, you definitely have water getting in.
Are you sure your timing chain guides are ok? Apart from a chip at the top, mine *looked* ok from above. See my rebuild thread for pictures of its condition below. That said, I'd think that a hole worn in the cover would quickly turn into an obvious problem.
Last edited by flyingbrass; 10-09-2009 at 11:47 PM.
10-10-2009, 07:13 AM
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I didn't have any steam showing in the exhaust or external signs of leakage when my headgasket went. I say went, but it was actually a gradually worsening problem. My only symptom was an increasing mysterious coolant loss, eventually followed by obvious signs of water in the oil. I had a little white crud under the oil cap, but also the oil on the dipstick had a chocolate milk thing going on.
A tiny bit of whitish foamy stuff under the cap isn't enough alone to cause too much worry. If you're driving short trips, moisture in the crankcase may not be cooking off. Even my old '65 bug would get some of that, and it certainly wasn't from coolant.
Keep an eye on your coolant level and the condition of your oil. If your oil turns milky, you definitely have water getting in.
Are you sure your timing chain guides are ok? Apart from a chip at the top, mine *looked* ok from above. See my rebuild thread for pictures of its condition below. That said, I'd think that a hole worn in the cover would quickly turn into an obvious problem.
A tiny bit of whitish foamy stuff under the cap isn't enough alone to cause too much worry. If you're driving short trips, moisture in the crankcase may not be cooking off. Even my old '65 bug would get some of that, and it certainly wasn't from coolant.
Keep an eye on your coolant level and the condition of your oil. If your oil turns milky, you definitely have water getting in.
Are you sure your timing chain guides are ok? Apart from a chip at the top, mine *looked* ok from above. See my rebuild thread for pictures of its condition below. That said, I'd think that a hole worn in the cover would quickly turn into an obvious problem.
if your oil starts looking like somewhere between a vanilla milkshake and chocolate milk, then you got problems for sure. check it frequently. there's some great pictures of what it looks like when you have a problem at this link.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...thread-188472/
for me personally, my head gasket leak was super obvious, cuz i had green constantly pouring out from behind my exhaust manifold at the head gasket level and i had to constantly add coolant to keep it from overheating, lol.
10-10-2009, 07:57 AM
#6
Registered User
Thread Starter
I didn't have any steam showing in the exhaust or external signs of leakage when my headgasket went. I say went, but it was actually a gradually worsening problem. My only symptom was an increasing mysterious coolant loss, eventually followed by obvious signs of water in the oil. I had a little white crud under the oil cap, but also the oil on the dipstick had a chocolate milk thing going on.
A tiny bit of whitish foamy stuff under the cap isn't enough alone to cause too much worry. If you're driving short trips, moisture in the crankcase may not be cooking off. Even my old '65 bug would get some of that, and it certainly wasn't from coolant.
Keep an eye on your coolant level and the condition of your oil. If your oil turns milky, you definitely have water getting in.
Are you sure your timing chain guides are ok? Apart from a chip at the top, mine *looked* ok from above. See my rebuild thread for pictures of its condition below. That said, I'd think that a hole worn in the cover would quickly turn into an obvious problem.
A tiny bit of whitish foamy stuff under the cap isn't enough alone to cause too much worry. If you're driving short trips, moisture in the crankcase may not be cooking off. Even my old '65 bug would get some of that, and it certainly wasn't from coolant.
Keep an eye on your coolant level and the condition of your oil. If your oil turns milky, you definitely have water getting in.
Are you sure your timing chain guides are ok? Apart from a chip at the top, mine *looked* ok from above. See my rebuild thread for pictures of its condition below. That said, I'd think that a hole worn in the cover would quickly turn into an obvious problem.
x2
if your oil starts looking like somewhere between a vanilla milkshake and chocolate milk, then you got problems for sure. check it frequently. there's some great pictures of what it looks like when you have a problem at this link.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...thread-188472/
for me personally, my head gasket leak was super obvious, cuz i had green constantly pouring out from behind my exhaust manifold at the head gasket level and i had to constantly add coolant to keep it from overheating, lol.
if your oil starts looking like somewhere between a vanilla milkshake and chocolate milk, then you got problems for sure. check it frequently. there's some great pictures of what it looks like when you have a problem at this link.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...thread-188472/
for me personally, my head gasket leak was super obvious, cuz i had green constantly pouring out from behind my exhaust manifold at the head gasket level and i had to constantly add coolant to keep it from overheating, lol.
Last edited by yotaman90; 10-10-2009 at 08:00 AM.
10-10-2009, 09:50 AM
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Hi all. Just did a a recent oil change on my truck a couple days ago, and I noticed something weird...... there was a white, sludge-like substance on the inside of the oil cap. it had what looked like a small bit of condensation in it. Is this normal? The truck has always used a tiny bit of coolant, but only maybe a quart a year. What do you guys think? Does it point to a headgasket? Should I be worried?
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10-10-2009, 12:45 PM
#8
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Its fall, and the temperature is starting to vary. Is that just what it is?
10-10-2009, 06:31 PM
#9
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I have a 92 truck that I have only put about 2000 miles on in the last 3 years. I went through it a few months back to make sure it was okay to drive for a back up vehicle, if needed.
I found the same milky stuff in the cap. I just about crapped thinking it was the head gasket, as this truck had that repair done 10 years ago, but only 10k miles ago... I got talking to some people and it was suggested that it was just some condensation from not being run much in years.
I wiped the white stuff out of the cap and drove it for a few days, keeping an eye on it every time I got home. It never came back. I changed the oil, and it still hasn't come back. It was just as they had said, condensation from not being used.
I found the same milky stuff in the cap. I just about crapped thinking it was the head gasket, as this truck had that repair done 10 years ago, but only 10k miles ago... I got talking to some people and it was suggested that it was just some condensation from not being run much in years.
I wiped the white stuff out of the cap and drove it for a few days, keeping an eye on it every time I got home. It never came back. I changed the oil, and it still hasn't come back. It was just as they had said, condensation from not being used.
10-10-2009, 07:28 PM
#11
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Because water in the oil is dangerous to bearings, it makes sense to keep a close eye on it. A leakdown test, as mentioned, would give you either some peace of mind or a valuable early warning.
http://www.geocities.com/dsmgrrrl/FAQs/leakdown.htm
http://www.geocities.com/dsmgrrrl/FAQs/leakdown.htm
10-10-2009, 07:58 PM
#12
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There is a test kit on the market (~$40) that will determine if combustion gases are in the coolant system. I think you just suck fumes from the coolant system, through a liquid to see if the liquid chages color. Simple but not cheap. http://blockchek.com/ is one source and I think NAPA has them.
Harry
Harry
10-10-2009, 08:40 PM
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I didn't see a price on the block test kit, but its the same one we use at work. If the kit is to much go to pep boys and say you want a block test 34.99 and you will know for sure.
10-11-2009, 08:55 PM
#15
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Thread Starter
Cool, thanks for all the input guys. I guess I'll just leave it be, seeing as its just condensation. Also, I'll have to let my truck warm up more before I leave in the mornings just so it doesn't contribute to the moisture in the engine
Last edited by yotaman90; 10-11-2009 at 08:56 PM.
10-12-2009, 05:05 AM
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