Coolant in oil

[matt26]

Greetings... I have a 97 R50 with 163k miles on it. Between now and my last oil change I noticed there is coolant in my oil. I went to put some Lucas oil stabilizer in it before the last big snow and saw it on the oil cap. I have checked for exhaust gases in the radiator and it passed that chemical test. I have been debating on what I should do. I have heard several ideas ranging from throw synthetic in it and go, to send the motor to a machine shop and rebuild it. If anybody has any suggestions on what test or fix I should do next I am all ears.

[Towncivilian]

What did you see on the oil cap? Was it a mayonnaise-type substance? If so, this is normal during colder weather and is basically an emulsion of oil blow-by gases and condensation. Short trips contribute to this phenomenon. A long trip to get everything to operating temperature for a decent amount of time will prevent this.

I highly advise against the use of Lucas Oil Stabilizer. All it is is SAE 90 gear oil without any additives. It thickens your oil needlessly (which is especially bad in colder weather since the oil takes even longer to flow) and dilutes its additive package. Oil should flow, not be "stabilized". The only thing that should be in a crankcase is engine oil of the proper grade. If you really feel the need to use a thicker engine oil, step up to the next grade; for example, instead of 5W-30, use a 10W-40.

[matt26]

Yea it's the typical milk/mayonnaise looking stuff. I put some of the lucas oil in it because I wanted to keep some oil on the cams during the winter. I can't remember what weight I used when i changed it. Should I wait until the weather warms up and change the oil? Im just worried I might be slowly ruining the motor if the oil is like this.

[Slumpert]

First thing to do is to change the oil right away.. Second you would want to check the PCV valve because if that system is not working, you might just have a condensation issue and not a actual leak.

Third, it never works for me just you can try to get lucky and use a bottle of radiator stop leak..

The only real solution is to resurface the heads and replace the head gasket, driving with coolant in the oil is not a long term option as accelerated wear is going on. As the internal surface heats up due to friction, the water/alcohol component now in the oil evaporates and effectively steam cleans the oil off the surface in tiny tiny little spots, over and over again and ultimately a bearing that was just getting marginal oil flow in the first place, now burns out and the whole engine needs to be replaced.

[Towncivilian]

You most likely don't have coolant in the oil, then.

Engine oil should still cling just fine to the valvetrain on its own. Even after it's all drained down into the pan, there's still an oily coating on everything.

I would wait until warmer weather to change the oil and filter. Winter driving causes more fuel dilution (since it takes longer to warm up to operating temperature) and there's more moisture in the oil, as you've noticed, so it'd be better to wait with your current fill so the new oil isn't exposed to those conditions.

What oil and filter do you typically use?

[Slumpert]

Okay I read that you saw the milky white stuff when you went to put the additive in. If you already had put stuff into the engine before then definately change the oil, skip the additive, check the pcv system and then be sure to drive the truck for at least 15-20min once a week to keep condensation away.. Check the cap weekly and see if the problem goes away

[Towncivilian]

Right, good suggestion, I forgot to suggest checking the PCV valve. If you decide to replace it, I'd only use a new OEM one as aftermarket parts may not have the correct opening values for the valve.

[matt26]

I use WIX filters and o'reilly brand oil. I think I used 5-30 or 10-30 this last oil changed. I don't commute near as far to work now so I haven't put many miles on it since the oil changed two months ago, maybe 800 miles.

[Slumpert]

My wife drives .5 miles to work..... She kills the battery in the caravan unless I remember to charge it overnight once a week.

[matt26]

I checked the PCV valve, it's functioning properly. Supposed to warm up tomorrow, going to change the oil to a 10-40 oil and see what happens.