88red4cyl Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 This is on the 95 3100 Lumi I've got.. You may remember it from when I replaced the water pump a couple months back and couldn't get the system bled.. Anyway, I was fixing to go on a trip yesterday and I was checking the fluid levels and for the hell of it I decided to have a look at the oil cap.. I pulled it off and I noticed that there were some white spots on the ring around it... Damn it.. I rechecked the oil level and it doesn't appear to be elevated.. I checked the coolant, and it seems normal (I filled it to just below the hot line when I did the water pump a couple months ago, and it's about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way between them still (it seems to fluctuate in the resevoir depending on how cold it is outside???)). Something else I might add, is that this car rarely gets driven over 7/10ths of a mile at a time (that's about how far it is to work), so the engine never really warms up.. I ran the car for a minute yesterday after I checked the oil cap, and I didn't see anything on it that time, but it didn't run for long. I guess my question is, what is on the oil cap? Is it possible that it's condensation or something from not running the motor for long, or do I have coolant in the oil? Thanks, Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManicMechanic Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Just condensation...Try letting it run for 20 minutes or so if you can before heading for work and back...I highly doubt it's coolant in the oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 with that type of vehicle operation.... it would just be condensation on the oil cap. I do recommend changing the gasket if you don't trust it. I throw in a changing of the intake gasket as part of regular maintance. ROCKAUTO has the best price on the gasket you should use, the PERMADRY felpro gasket, for about $60. hey. I should do one today, or by this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regal_GS_1989 Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Just put a tiny little bit of the white stuff on the tip of your finger and touch it to your tongue. If it tastes pretty bitter then its just condensation. If it seems to be more on the sweet side, then it would be coolant. I had checked under the oil cap on my moms car last winter, and it was coated with white sludge. But it was only condensation. This year, i checked it again, and there was just a hint of white, but this time it tasted sweet. So we had the LIM changed, the cooling system flushed out and refilled it with Green coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 Just put a tiny little bit of the white stuff on the tip of your finger and touch it to your tongue. If it tastes pretty bitter then its just condensation. If it seems to be more on the sweet side, then it would be coolant. I had checked under the oil cap on my moms car last winter, and it was coated with white sludge. But it was only condensation. This year, i checked it again, and there was just a hint of white, but this time it tasted sweet. So we had the LIM changed, the cooling system flushed out and refilled it with Green coolant. VERY good advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 white doesnt equal coolant in the oil. Thats more of a brownish color. and yes it is condensation. Let the car warm up completely to operating temp and that will go away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 white doesnt equal coolant in the oil. Thats more of a brownish color. and yes it is condensation. Let the car warm up completely to operating temp and that will go away. Thanks everyone!!! That makes me feel better.. Just for reference, can somebody post a pic of an oil cap (or crankcase) that does have water in it so I know what it looks like? Thanks a ton! -Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 definately condensation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doober Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 During my engine assembling i saw direction of lower intake gasket installation (Victor reinz). Gasket was redesigned and victor noted that there was a coolant tendency to leak throw old "pan style gasket" and get to oil. I suppose that if so, engine do not need to be overheated. Old gasket, not regular coolant replenishment can cause coolant apperance in oil. I guess that coolant reaches oil very slowly. Other posiible cause could be improper PCV operation. It's better to replace PCV valve and PCV filter (i haven't replace them on my Buick but already replaced on the Cougar). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 Thanks for those replies guys! I would still really like a pic of what water in the crankcase/oil cap looks like just so I know.. I tasted the oil on the cap today after the wife took it on a 2 hour trip, and it tasted like oil smells (if that makes any sense..).. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Well, I drove the car around town yesterday for about 30 minutes to run some errands and kill a bit of time.. Just for shits and giggles, I pulled the oil cap when I got home.. This is what it looked like: Kinda a yellow color with some tiny bubbles in itaround the top of the cap.. There was also a bit of clear water that ran from around the ring of the cap when I tilted it to the side and shook it a bit.. After it set for about 30 minutes I went out and checked it, and the oil cap looked normal color again.. Is this bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Anybody? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 I remember C-BAD's 3100 oil cap looking like that, and the mechanic at the GM dealer he was working at told him it was condensation - about a week later I forget what happened, but the LIM ended needing replacing. He did the job himself over a weekend I think. My oil cap sometimes has a bit of shit on the top of the cap, but it's normally dry and clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Could be condensation, could be coolant mix. I'd clean it off, get the engine up nice and hot (well, normal operating range), and pull off the cap while it's running to let any steam out. Then just check it periodically. Any loss of coolant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 How far down into the engine can you see? Can you see that same kinda gooey stuff on the heads or valvetrain? Just based on that pic, it could go either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Any loss of coolant? That's the thing, I don't know if the coolant level is dropping or not.. When I filled the resevoir 2 months ago, it was 60° was was about halfway between cold and hot when cold.. Now that it is 0-10° it is a little over the cold line.. When it's been run though, it goes up a little over the hot mark like it did before.. Is it possible for the engine and radiator to "suck in" more coolant when it's so cold like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 How far down into the engine can you see? Can you see that same kinda gooey stuff on the heads or valvetrain? Just based on that pic, it could go either way. I need to get a better flashlight and look, but I can only see down a little ways.. The valve spring? (spring thing that is in the head there) looks fine from what I can tell, and I dipped a cloth in the oil that's in the crankcase and it looked brown and normal colored on the rag.. But I guess that may not mean anything.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hm.. I'm driving the LTZ today, and I decided to check the oil cap on it too.. Exact same looking crap, only it's dried on on this one... I had to twist really hard to get the cap off because the yellow gunk had dried to the filler housing.. Certainly, both the cars don't have a coolant problem.. BTW, I know the LTZ isn't losing coolant.. It's been at the same level since the first time I filled it when I got the car... Also, the LTZ sees the road less than the 95 even does.. Since I got the 95 (about 6 months ago), the LTZ has only been on a trip consisting of over 5 miles one time.. It usually goes about a half mile, sits all day, and then a half mile back home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schurkey Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Just put a tiny little bit of the white stuff on the tip of your finger and touch it to your tongue. If it tastes pretty bitter then its just condensation. If it seems to be more on the sweet side, then it would be coolant. If it's salty, Bubba has been molesting your oil fill hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Just put a tiny little bit of the white stuff on the tip of your finger and touch it to your tongue.then it would be coolant. Like so: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Is there anything to check for on the dipstick or anything that would help me? I've tried tasting it and it just tastes like ass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 i would also say that some oils will cause that condensation. I have always run full synthetic on my olds and i have never seen that but i see the condensation on every other one i work on lol. Its fine. unless you are losing coolant and your oil is over you are fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93CutlassSupreme Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Is there anything to check for on the dipstick or anything that would help me? I've tried tasting it and it just tastes like ass... sigged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88red4cyl Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 i would also say that some oils will cause that condensation. I have always run full synthetic on my olds and i have never seen that but i see the condensation on every other one i work on lol. Its fine. unless you are losing coolant and your oil is over you are fine Yeah.. I run Castrol GTX, good ol' dino oil... As far as I know, my coolant level is stable (besides it having dropped some when it got really cold, at the normal mark when the car warms up though) and the oil isn't overfull or anything... What can I clean the dried yellow crap off with on the LTZ? It's all crusted in the filler neck and on the cap and wiping didn't work.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 i use brake kleen but thats just me. spray it on a rag and go to town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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