Water in engine oil
 

So I checked my oil yesterday before leaving work and found water in the oil. I'm worried it's a head gasket (or worse) since I lose coolant too, though I thought that just leaked externally. I'm hoping somehow I got condensation from maybe it going low without my noticing soon enough and the lovely Toronto weather going cold to warm. Anyone heard of condensation in a daily driver?

Re: Water in engine oil
 

Hmmm! Better than engine oil in the water. That could be much more serious trouble.

Re: Water in engine oil
 

If it is a V8, you could also just have a bad intake manifold.

Re: Water in engine oil
 

How much water are we talking about here?

Does your oil look like a milk shake?

Is there water comming out of the tail pipe?

If you have been adding water to it then it's going somewhere and if theres
no signs of an external leak then you have some serious issues internally and need to find out what they are soon!

I doubt that the weather conditions have any thing to do with how much/little water is in your crankcase.

Good luck.

Re: Water in engine oil
 

Provided we aren't talking much it could very well be condensation from the cold. If you aren't losing water I would bet on condensation.

Stepper, a small amount of water on the dipstick is common up here, where it gets COLD!!

Re: Water in engine oil
 

I just checked up on my truck at lunch after sitting since 7am. The oil DOES look like a brown milkshake, even on the fill cap underside. I drained some engine oil out of it but didn't see any water come out, and the oil that drained out was black. I put 2 litres of oil in and will check it when I get home. I have an aluminum intake for the truck anyway, just haven't changed it yet.

Re: Water in engine oil
 

If it looks like a milkshake, you either have a headgasket problem, or a intake leaking coolant into the oil

Somewhere there is coolant getting into the oil

Duro

Re: Water in engine oil
 

You got water in there somehow. Could be head gasket or an intake gasket is leaking in. Either way, running the engine with coolent in there is not going to be kind to the bearings. Oil don't work quite like it should when mixed with water/coolent. It gets thinned out and can't do it's job and you can get rust starting. Granted it will spin a bearing from lack of lube before it makes any damage from rust.

Get it home and drop ALL the oil out of it. The oil is heavier than the water so it's going to be on the bottom of the pan. Once the oil drains and you do have water in there, it's going to then drain out. If it's been run just before you dump the oil it will be all mixed up, milkshake like but if you let it sit the liquids might separate and leave the oil on the bottom and the water on top.

Get a cooling system pressure tester. (most parts stores will loan you one if don't have a buddy with one). Top off the cooling system and pressureize it. If it's leaking anywhere it won't hold the pressure. You might even be able to hear the leak. If not, pull the spark plugs and look for evidence of coolent being burned. Plugs will have a white ash like deposit if they are burning coolent.

Bundle up in the warmest stuff you got, because I'm betting you got some work to do.

Re: Water in engine oil
 

i also checked my oil in one of my trucks looks a little milky but i also have a small oil leak from my intake manifold where u can see it a little on the front side would this be the cause of it???

Re: Water in engine oil
 

hopefully my bearings arent going back yet... i dont wanna tear this engine yet... its old 73 but only has 91k miles on it original...

Re: Water in engine oil
 

got me worried now =/ lol

Re: Water in engine oil
 

Got it sorted out...once I topped it up with fresh oil it's been fine since. It was just condensation after all, since the oil was low. To clarify the oil in the pan wasn't milkshake-like, just the oil under the fill cap. The oil on the dipstick was streaked with water, not totally mixed.

And don't forget, water is heavier than oil, not the other way around. Water is the heaviest natrual liquid as far as I know, at around 62 pounds per cubic foot.

Re: Water in engine oil
 

It's a head gasket. When you drain the oil, all the oil will come out first and then the water will pour out.