Water in my oil!

[Klutch9]

Ok, so i had posted back this past saturday about a problem i was having. my dipstick kept popping out, and i knew it was because of excess pressure in the crankcase. this could be caused because of one of two things... 1) pcv valve is clogged or broken, or 2) excess blowby which cannot be evacuated out of the crankcase fast enough. the answer?...

NONE of the above! it turns out that a frozen, milky, oil and water mixture was stuck in the pcv hose after the pcv valve. now, ive heard of moisture in the pcv system before, post PCV valve of course. in fact, in my SRT-4, its not uncommon in the winter to have that same milky mixture in my oil catch can (which comes after the pcv valve) so i thought that a little moisture in that hose might be ok. plus, with the insane temperatures in the midwest lately, anything is possible. but now i get scared, because i go to check my oil level, and every time i pull the dipstick out, there is a little bit of a frozen substance at the bottom of it

what?! the oil does not look milky, maybe because the car has been sitting for a few days and the oil and water have fully separated.

but its odd, because my coolant overflow tank is still full, so where is the water coming from?! my oil level also seems even higher than when i filled it, leading me to believe that there is extra fluid (most likely water) sitting below the oil, making my readings seem like i have alot more oil than i really do

 

[saaber1]

Probably condensation that has no where to go due to blcoked pcv hose. Look how much water, etc. other poeple are trapping in these cold temps and it is easy to see there is a lot of it to "process" via pcv system.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/1337243/

Maybe something like this would help if pcv hose issue is not fixed directly? http://www.wolverineheater.com/

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: saaber1
Probably condensation that has no where to go due to blcoked pcv hose. Look how much water, etc. other poeple are trapping in these cold temps and it is easy to see there is a lot of it to "process" via pcv system.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/1337243/

Maybe something like this would help if pcv hose issue is not fixed directly? http://www.wolverineheater.com/


wow that is alot of water, kinda looks like the catch can in the winter months from the neon! here's another question... if there is some water/moisture in my crankcase, can the pcv system effectively remove it over time?

 

[demarpaint]

Make sure the PCV system is operating properly. It sounds like condensation from short runs in very cold weather is building up inside the engine. Once you are certain the PCV system is operating properly get the oil good and hot and change it.

I would recommend that you take the car on the highway for at least a 30 minute run from time to time or the condensation will form again. The highway runs will hekp keep it in check.

 

[Klutch9]

thats a good idea. most of my trips are shorter, although at least twice a week i do some highway driving, and quite a bit at one time too. id hate to change the oil again so soon, as i just did that the other weekend with some good oil... oh well, ill see if it happens again, and ill make sure the pcv system is actually functioning correctly

 

[JAG]

Some engines have died from having water freeze in the oil pan due to short trips in a cold climate and using gas with ethanol. The water comes as a combustion by-product. More water is created than gasoline is burned

Heat is needed here. Oil pan heater, block heater, heating pad, heating blanket, hairdryer (just kidding); whatever it takes to prevent freezing in the PCV system.

 

[Donald]

I would try and do a good run where everything is heated up for maybe 30-60 minutes and take an oil sample and you will know where you are.

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: JAG
Some engines have died from having water freeze in the oil pan due to short trips in a cold climate and using gas with ethanol. The water comes as a combustion by-product. More water is created than gasoline is burned

Heat is needed here. Oil pan heater, block heater, heating pad, heating blanket, hairdryer (just kidding); whatever it takes to prevent freezing in the PCV system.


this is true. this evening i took off both hoses going to and from the pcv unit (i say "unit" because on my car, the pcv valve is incorporated into an oil catch can... pretty clever if you ask me, GM did something right for once!) the hose coming off the unit, going into the intake, was clogged with frozen water/oil. but i cleaned them out good, put everything back, ran my car for a half hour and so far, everything checked out a-ok.

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I would try and do a good run where everything is heated up for maybe 30-60 minutes and take an oil sample and you will know where you are.


this is a good idea. if i get a chance to do this, i will

 

[mva]

A good long drive with a working PCV system will help dry out your oil.

If it was my car I would dump the oil and put in new.