Water in the engine?? - '01 Pathfiner 4WD
Water in the engine?? - '01 Pathfiner 4WD
i just had my oil changed last week, they did an engine flush and replaced the filter - the works. previously i had what they claim to say was sludge in the engine. So they've cleaned it up and it was running fine, or so i thought. i went to check my oil yesterday and there was nothing, the dip stick was completly dry. i opened the lid and around the threads there was what looked like sludge again and very milky left over oil. Did they not do the job properly? is something else wrong? a buddy told me it could be the head gasket letting water in. i am gettin bad exhaust at start up and he said the oil could also be going out there? not very knowledgable on cars but its a good thing i noticed no oil or else i would have been in alot worse condition. so where to go from here?
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Buzzman
- Posts: 2079
- Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:35 pm
- Car: 2016 Lexus RX 350
2023 Kia Stinger Elite V6 AWD.
Re: Water in the engine?? - '01 Pathfiner 4WD (pathman87)
How many Kms. did you drive between the oil change, and when you checked it?The Pathfinder uses 5 litres of oil, so if there was no oil in the engine, and you only drove it for a few days or so, then I would strongly suspect that the garage that did the oil chage never filled it up. (It happened to me once a few years ago.) If they did fill it up, and you lost all your oil in such a short time, then you have a serious problem. Keep us posted.
Re: Water in the engine?? - '01 Pathfiner 4WD (Buzzman)
The milky sustance you saw is what happens when oil mixes with water.
A pressure test of the coolant system would tell you if you have a coolant leak because all the pressure would bleed off very quickly. The test is very easy to conduct and most automtive parts stores that have a 'Tool Loan" program should have a pressure tester available.
Typical Coolant System Pressure Tester
Basically you do this with a cold engine and the motor off.
Remove the radiator cap.Attach the fitting from the kit to the radiator.Pressure up the system (to a max pressure as indicated by your factory radiator cap, usually 10-15 psi.) by either using the manual hand pump or using a regulated air supply.The gauge on the unit will tell you how much pressure is in the system and you can watch the needle for a drop in pressure. A small amount of leakage is normal but a quick drop indicates you either have a bad seal, or you have a lcoolant eak.
The milky stuff can also appear if you do lots of short trips. The reason is the engine oil needs to reach a certain temp for an extended period in order to flash off excess moisture ( condensation ) that forms inside your engine when you shut it off and allow it to cool. Try using a good full synthetic oil like Castrol 5W50 or Mobil 1. These synthetic oils are better able to resist sludge deposits and hinder the formation of the nasty milky oil.
By the way, sludge can't always be removed with just a simple engine flush. Switching to a good quality oil and taking your ride on a nice long highway drive ( About 2 hours will do a world of good ). It may take a few oil changes before you see any real improvements.
I have been on the Sytec regime since 1998 with my Nissan Trucks:
1. My 2000 Xterra has 140,000 km on it and not even a hint of sludge in the engine.
2. My 1995 Nissan Hardbody P/U had sludge in the motor when I bought it. I switched to Castrol Syntec and by the 4th oil change the engine had more pep and the sludge was all but gone. The sludge still did some damage though by plugging the hydraulic lifters because the darn things always ticked even after the oil pressure came up.
Good luck with your truck and I hope my info helps you out.
A pressure test of the coolant system would tell you if you have a coolant leak because all the pressure would bleed off very quickly. The test is very easy to conduct and most automtive parts stores that have a 'Tool Loan" program should have a pressure tester available.
Typical Coolant System Pressure Tester
Basically you do this with a cold engine and the motor off.
Remove the radiator cap.Attach the fitting from the kit to the radiator.Pressure up the system (to a max pressure as indicated by your factory radiator cap, usually 10-15 psi.) by either using the manual hand pump or using a regulated air supply.The gauge on the unit will tell you how much pressure is in the system and you can watch the needle for a drop in pressure. A small amount of leakage is normal but a quick drop indicates you either have a bad seal, or you have a lcoolant eak.
The milky stuff can also appear if you do lots of short trips. The reason is the engine oil needs to reach a certain temp for an extended period in order to flash off excess moisture ( condensation ) that forms inside your engine when you shut it off and allow it to cool. Try using a good full synthetic oil like Castrol 5W50 or Mobil 1. These synthetic oils are better able to resist sludge deposits and hinder the formation of the nasty milky oil.
By the way, sludge can't always be removed with just a simple engine flush. Switching to a good quality oil and taking your ride on a nice long highway drive ( About 2 hours will do a world of good ). It may take a few oil changes before you see any real improvements.
I have been on the Sytec regime since 1998 with my Nissan Trucks:
1. My 2000 Xterra has 140,000 km on it and not even a hint of sludge in the engine.
2. My 1995 Nissan Hardbody P/U had sludge in the motor when I bought it. I switched to Castrol Syntec and by the 4th oil change the engine had more pep and the sludge was all but gone. The sludge still did some damage though by plugging the hydraulic lifters because the darn things always ticked even after the oil pressure came up.
Good luck with your truck and I hope my info helps you out.