Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Foamy Gray oil?

I have a 93 Jeep Wrangler, 4.0L, 5 speed. The oil on the dipstick has been foamy and gray, I assumed the head gasket was going. So I drained the oil out of the engine, and it was completley oil, no other chemicals in it. The engine has great compression, and plenty of power, so what is making my oil look like that on the dipstick? I am a fairly good mechanic, but this one has me stumped. I also noticed that the gray stuff on the dipstick had a slight gas odor.





ThanksFoamy Gray oil?
When water gets into the crankcase it emulsifies(many times it won't seperate into seperate layers), so if it is grey it means there is water, and I really doubt condensation would be enough to do that. Most likely a head gasket, not sure the design on the 4.0, but with some engines it can be leaking through the back plate of the water pump into the crankcase. Does your radiator stay full?Foamy Gray oil?
condensation There shouldn't be anything to worry about, I'll be willing to bet you that there is some water that runs out of your tailpipe when you speed up also
You have a Water mix, head gasket and or warped valve head...
Jeep has had a problem with venting the crank case. They also have a tech bulletin out. Go to your local dealer and ask the parts manager, he or should know what you need. After you install the vent system change your oil 2 or 3 times less the filter after the first change and you should see a difference, as long as you know your not losing coolant into the crank case ?????. Good luck.
Like others have said it could be your PCV, it could just be condensation, but foamy gray oil normally comes from a coolant leak in to the oil system, Your car can have good compression with a blow head gasket as long as its not blown in to a cylinder, I would pressure test the coolant system to see how much pressure your losing. That is most likely where your problem is, And it should be fixed soon because coolant can cause excessive wear to your bearings resulting in complete engine failure. Good luck hope this helps,





Check out http://www.autozone.com for a pressure tester for the coolant system.
If you have been neglecting oil changes, water does build up, especially if you make frequent short trips that don't allow the engine to get thoroughly warmed up. A warmed up engine will get rid of most moisture .





Neglect would also explain the gas smell. So would bad injector/s or bad carb.
Clean or replace your Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve. Make sure the hoses aren't clogged. The crankcase gases have to be sucked from the crankcase and reburned through the intake manifold or the white water condensation can build up in the oil.
its just drawing moisture,start up your jeep and let it warm up,and see if it goes away.if it does then its just moisture,but if its stll there,then you got seepage in the head gasket.

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