Milky oil in BMS catch can... causes?

[idriveslo]

Emptied my catch can tonight for the first time in a few months. The oil inside was milky and very light brown. I have had it on the car for 40,000 miles and the times I have emptied in the past it has always been pitch black dirty oil. This time... it looks like the pic below. Car seems to run and drive fine, so I don't think it is a blown head gasket. Though I also had some weird red film caked on my no. 6 plug recently. Any (well qualified please) opinions on what this may be?


PS worth noting I also had a noticeable amount of oil in my charge pipe at the time time I emptied the catch can, not a ton. But I expected to find none with the OCC on. Can't figure out why.

[Steve B. CBR]

Here's my suggestion. Now this may or may not be accurate but something to think about. The red film may have possibly been silicone from the headgasket and it's actually a leaking headgasket. Have you happened to test the compression or performed a leak down test? I would probably start there, or remove the coolant cap and see if it's milky as well.

[rader1]

Check the oil and then doo a compression test. It's possible but it could be you just had a case of excessive condensation in the crankcase and it found it's way to the OCC when it evaporated.

[bobS]

I would say you have a leaking head gasket or a block issue, usually that milky color means water/coolant is mixing with your oil... either way thats not good at all and I would stop driving till you figure it out

[MDORPHN]

Send some motor oil to Blackstone for analysis STAT!

Neil

[Tony@VargasTurboTech]

If the oil in your crankcase is still fine, its just condensation in the OCC, we see it all the time. If you live in a place with extreme cold temps there is a large window for condensation to build up in the OCC as the car heats and cools. There is no magic, if the oil in your crankcase isn't milky, then you do not have water in your oil. First thing you need to do is drop you oil and inspect it, if its clean, you are getting condensation in your occ, no big deal. If your oil from the crankcase is milky or otherwise suspect, you have bigger issues. Always start with the small stuff before you go condemning an engine to death.

[MDORPHN]

If the oil in your crankcase is still fine, its just condensation in the OCC, we see it all the time. If you live in a place with extreme cold temps there is a large window for condensation to build up in the OCC as the car heats and cools. There is no magic, if the oil in your crankcase isn't milky, then you do not have water in your oil. First thing you need to do is drop you oil and inspect it, if its clean, you are getting condensation in your occ, no big deal. If your oil from the crankcase is milky or otherwise suspect, you have bigger issues. Always start with the small stuff before you go condemning an engine to death.

Tony nailed it. But a Blackstone oil analysis for, I believe, $25 is a terrific diagnostic tool and also useful for monitoring how your motor is wearing and the appropriate maintenance schedule.

FWIW, I do one at least every other oil change.

Neil

[Tony@VargasTurboTech]

Tony nailed it. But a Blackstone oil analysis for, I believe, $25 is a terrific diagnostic tool and also useful for monitoring how your motor is wearing and the appropriate maintenance schedule.

FWIW, I do one at least every other oil change.

Neil

100% agree getting your oil analyzed is a great tool, and very worthwhile. If anyone lives close to a cummins dealer, they don't advertise but they all do oil analysis inhouse, we have cummins west a couple miles away, we just drive them over and get them back the next day.

[blaster3500]

If the oil in your crankcase is still fine, its just condensation in the OCC, we see it all the time. If you live in a place with extreme cold temps there is a large window for condensation to build up in the OCC as the car heats and cools. There is no magic, if the oil in your crankcase isn't milky, then you do not have water in your oil. First thing you need to do is drop you oil and inspect it, if its clean, you are getting condensation in your occ, no big deal. If your oil from the crankcase is milky or otherwise suspect, you have bigger issues. Always start with the small stuff before you go condemning an engine to death.

+1 In cooler weather and driving short trips you will build up condensation. You can open the oil cap and see a milky substance at times if you have not had any long trips for the engine to heat up and burn it off.

[uniter]

+1 looks fine. Check your crank case oil for failure.

[rdeterman]

+1 on the condensation. It happens to me this time of year also. Its normal... Speaking of that im probably due for another oil change.

[manbeer]

Running e85 at all? I find that I seem to draw a lot more moisture in my oil when I do. Especially in the winter when I am driving the car less frequently and temp changes are more extreme

[idriveslo]

Yes, Running at least 50/50 mix year around. I know ethanol is hygroscopic but I kind of discounted that as last winter I didn't see any milky oil in the can. Though I admittedly was driving the car much more, whereas it sits in the garage now for a week or two at a time.

[TT-Tom]

Emptied my catch can tonight for the first time in a few months. The oil inside was milky and very light brown. I have had it on the car for 40,000 miles and the times I have emptied in the past it has always been pitch black dirty oil. This time... it looks like the pic below. Car seems to run and drive fine, so I don't think it is a blown head gasket. Though I also had some weird red film caked on my no. 6 plug recently. Any (well qualified please) opinions on what this may be?


PS worth noting I also had a noticeable amount of oil in my charge pipe at the time time I emptied the catch can, not a ton. But I expected to find none with the OCC on. Can't figure out why.
http://www.60-130.com/images/im.../02/sntn-1.jpg

Looks normal, often called "mayo" I have seen this in almost every catch can I've emptied, no harm in getting your oil checked out by dyson or blackstone, both are great companies and will tell you whats up asap. I wouldn't lose any sleep though