03 QX4 Questions

[coledog188]

I have an 03 QX4 that I've had since last December (96k miles)...Currently it has 126k miles.
Everything has been fine except for the typical EGR canister cracking around the bolts and throwing a code.

I have a few new questions and/or issues that have started occuring.

First, is there a how to guide for replacing the sway bar links? I have an appointment with the local garage on Monday but if I can do it myself over the weekend I'd prefer that.

Second, I have some orangish sludge in my oil cap. (Pic below) I've also noticed my oil getting low pretty quickly.
I changed the oil 7500 miles ago (had 15k rated Mobile 1 full synthetic) and I seemed to only have about 3 quarts in it.
I just checked the oil the other day and it's at the bottom of the dipstick while warm, slightly confused as to where it might be going.
One other symptom is after a longish ride and I shut off the car and get out I'll smell a coolant scent. The level of coolant looks ok, right about at the minimum line.

I haven't noticed any power loss, just a very tiny tick that went away when I changed the oil.
Also no temperature issues according to the dash.

Any thoughts on these issues?

[miamiheat3332]

I use full synthetic valvoline synpower oil and 1, the oil cap sludge can be a couple different reasons ( dont have time to explain them at the moment ), 2 i never go over 4-4.2k before an oil change,

they can rate the oil all they want, but after 5k or so theres a bunch of contaminants in there and all that stuff that will start wearing your engine faster. I see theres snow in the back of your pic meaning they definetly heavily salt the roads and stuff, just think of all that salt mist, and dust thats going into your engine also for example, along with the summer theres hot temps, pollutants etc, and your re lubricating your engine with that for so long going between oil changes.

1st thing i say to start doing is dont go over 4.5k in your oil changes, i noticed with my path, i think ONE time, i went like 4.6-4.7k and i got some extra oil consumption i dont normally get which is really minimal anyways, especially cause im at 120.5k miles.

[coledog188]

Thanks for the response!

I think one of the reasons for sludge is a lot of short trips during the cold, which I do a ton of. Work to office is about a half mile...So that would explain it.

The remaining question is my coolant smell...

[ARKQX33V6]

Coolant smell
A small leak some where, possibly the rad, the hoses, the hose clamps......the.....head...gasket. A possible cold hot exchange during the many cold runs. At 1/2 mile a run you should park that vehicle and walk. You are killing that engine with the many start up, not warming it up to operating temperature, carbon fouling the insides of that engine.

If your temperature coolant is at the middle on the gauge, the oil temperature is still cold for another 10-15 minutes and your transmission oil will never get to temperature if it is an automatic. And OD will not come in to play with a cold oil in the transmission.

Your driving conditions are severe, Mobil1 must be changed monthly at the conditions you drive under. Your oil cap has an abundance of moisture and this is from condensation with every degree rise in temperature and then every degree fall in temperature air laden with Water Vapor cause this gas to condense into water molecules that gather and form water droplets and in turn form water liquid that comes into contact with oil, hydrogen, oxides of combustion and forms slippery sludge that when heated dries the liquid air and forms acid and the whole process builds up because you do not drive that vehicle long enough to warm up to heat that toxic mixture in the crankcase.

The result is that crapture on the oil cap, that crapture inside the crankcase and some form of mixture and crap in and on your valves and combustion chamber flowing out the exhaust pipe to your once pristine catalytic converter contaminating it along with the air you breathe.

There is hope! Instead of driving directly to work about 1/2 a mile take a round about trip and WARM that engine up or do not drive those short distances and short time, take the bus, a taxi or walk.

Keep this up and you will eventually see big repair bills, bad consumption. An internal combustion engine cannot take too much of this abuse.

Abuse
Not warming the engine during its cycle.
Cold oil
Stop and go traffic
Short, short runs
Slippery conditions, spinning the tires
Hard braking especially when cold
Winter driving
Damp weather
Hard on battery

From what you tell us...you are driving in severe conditions