What the hell is this?

So today I was checking my oil. And then I see this crap.

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Originally Posted by bloody_323ic

So today I was checking my oil. And then I see this crap.

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Hi,

Probably just condens, I have the same thing on my car, it goes away after a very long ride where the engine oil can heat up perfectly, nothing to worry about. Unless you are losing alot of coolant?

condensation, when things that are cold heat up it makes condensation, which is just water, water vapor doesn't mix with oil so it makes that milkshake looking crap. pretty normal on almost everything. It's bad if all your oil looks like that. If you pull the dipstick and the oil look clean, and the coolant is still normal color you haven't a thing to worry about.

Hey. thanks man for the info. No coolant leak tho. Thought I had to repair my engine or somewhat.

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Do you regularly drive your car for short distances (say, under 30 minutes)? Do you have full heat coming from the heater vents inside the car?

Okay guy. My oil dipstick check out ok. Yes I drive my car everyday to work. Take me about 30min to there. And yes my heat is blowing hot air. Good hot air. Not great hot air from the vents

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Okay, then what you're seeing underneath the oil cap is probably just condensation from short duration drives. The condensation which typically accumulates inside an engine is normally burned off by driving the car on longer duration drives, but since your commute to work is relatively short, the engine oil never gets up to 212F, which is the temperature it needs to reach in order to boil off the accumulated condensation.

It isn't great for your engine, but it isn't the end of the world. One additional bit of advice: Don't let your car warm up in the morning by idling it. Just start it up and drive away normally. Many people people think they're doing their engine a favor by warming it up by idling before driving away, but this causes the warm-up process to take much longer compared to if you get in and drive. This may or may not apply to you, however, but I thought I'd just throw it out there for everyone.

Thanks ZeGerman for the information. Just starte and go!!
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I'd also recommend changing your oil every 3-4k miles if you continue noticing that sludge, even if you're using synthetic oil. Synthetic oil can safely last 5-6k+ miles under normal conditions, but if you're experiencing condensation accumulation, you'll want to change the oil a bit sooner. The water in your oil is hard on the bearings and other friction surfaces, and the more sludge you build up, the more chance you have of clogging an oil passage, etc.

Yeah I understood that. Doing a oil chang next week when I get my car inspec. I know I will need to change my oil more often. Because I drive 40s miles a day. That **** add up.

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