dipstick sludge

[spursfatboy]

Bored at work so i decided to have quick gander at the engine bay and see what needs topping up.

Took out the dipstick and I see frothy coffee coloured sudge along the dipstick, wipe clean and re-check some more at the bottom of the stick.

Nothing showing around the filler cap.

Am I being hopeful when thinking this could be condensation in the pipes, owing to the colder weather, not clearing. coolant temp reads at a steady 84/85, I'm sure i read elsewhere on the forum that it should be low 90's would this contribute to the condensation not clearing.

Failing that, i'm assuming its looking like the start of head gasket failure or a coolant leak.

Where would I begin to look? any tips etc would be appreciated.

SFB

[danielm85948]

Originally Posted by spursfatboy

Bored at work so i decided to have quick gander at the engine bay and see what needs topping up.

Took out the dipstick and I see frothy coffee coloured sudge along the dipstick, wipe clean and re-check some more at the bottom of the stick.

Nothing showing around the filler cap.

Am I being hopeful when thinking this could be condensation in the pipes, owing to the colder weather, not clearing. coolant temp reads at a steady 84/85, I'm sure i read elsewhere on the forum that it should be low 90's would this contribute to the condensation not clearing.

Failing that, i'm assuming its looking like the start of head gasket failure or a coolant leak.

Where would I begin to look? any tips etc would be appreciated.

SFB

just flush out your engine then do an oil and filter change.

[spursfatboy]

Was planning on doing that over the next couple of weeks. thanks for the suggestion.

[310den]

If it was me I would do as above but in addition I would take off the sump while no oil in and clean it out and replace with new gasket to be sure the sump was sludge free.

[happy diver]

If only I could tip the car over like the lawnmower

[skyship007]

The vast majority of coffee creamed up engine oil incidents are caused by a failing head gasket. It's not so unusual to see some mayo under the filler cap but once it appears in the oil it's bad news. For a turbo charged engine all you need is one incident of emulsified oil in the bearings at near red line revs to damage the bearings.

Has the coolant level dropped, or are there drops of oil visible in the header tank ??

I would dump the oil ASAP, keep the revs low and drive to the nearest good Indy to get the system pressure checked to see if the HG has failed.

If replacing the HG is not an economic repair due to the low value of the car, then if you want to continue driving it, try a good HG sealant, keep the revs low and change the oil every time you notice contamination. So you will need to stock up on cheap oil and filters. With this type of problem any cheap oil filter will be OK, but make sure you use an xw40 not an x/30 oil.

There are two main types of HG sealant, a basic one that you just add to the coolant like Bars HG and the more expensive ceramic sealants that require all of the anti freeze is flushed out first. It's always a gamble in terms of how effective a sealant will be with a broken head gasket and some folks remove the thermostat in summer to keep the coolant temp low.

There is no real need to clean the sump for an HG incident (There is if you see lumps of sludge in the old oil), if it's bad do a double oil dump using cheap oil before changing the filter. Using a flush additive is only a good idea IF the engine does not have any oil leaks.

[TEEKIZZLE]

I have this from cold weather and condensation / short trips. You see similar fright from people who have catch cans in the winter that aren't near anything warm. My own dipstick has similar cream occasionally this winter. Vacuum is good from glove test. If your coolant levels are good and you're not seeing leaks you're probably safe.

[baldmosher]

I had good results from the Comma pour-in stuff with my Saxo. Kept it going happily for another 10,000 miles before I wrote it off....

[ITSv40]

Originally Posted by TEEKIZZLE

I have this from cold weather and condensation / short trips. You see similar fright from people who have catch cans in the winter that aren't near anything warm. My own dipstick has similar cream occasionally this winter. Vacuum is good from glove test. If your coolant levels are good and you're not seeing leaks you're probably safe.

As above, If you are doing short journeys, most probably condensation in the dipstick tube. The tube is in an exposed position on the front of the engine so gets cold air blasted at it all the time. My 2.0lt used to suffer in the winter and periodically I removed the tube and cleaned it out with a rag wrapped around a piece of wire. Had the car for 14 winters and 370,000mls with no problems. Never a problem in the summer and engine still good when scrapped. If, however, you are topping up the coolant suspect the head gasket.

[Austin160]

Perhaps it's worth going back to basics and considering that if the sludge is caused by water entering the oil system via. any failure of the cylinder head gasket then it must be using the coolant water and the water level must fall slightly. Please don't be tempted to consider the gasket as failed and put any gasket sealer into the system. If it were mine I would consider the condensation cause - adopting any advice already given- and only then, if the symptoms persist who I be in the least worried about any potential for head gasket failure.