what would cause this

[dalefan88]

went to change the oil and found this. on the bottom of the oil cap.

 

[CJ]

Is all your oil a tan goo color? If so you have water mixed with your oil - that's bad... If all the oil is like that then you have a leak some where. We can speculate on that later.

If it is just the cap with that tan gunk on it then it is condensation mixing with the oil in your valve cover. Kinda' bad but not too bad...

Let us know if all the oil (when you drained it) looked like that.

 

[dalefan88]

not all the oil looked like that. this actually the first time i changed the oil since i got it in summer. the po did a oil change on it but then it sat for about half a year.

 

[CJ]

Nothing to worry about then, this statement explains it all...

but then it sat for about half a year

It is just where water condensed around the seal and on the hot cap when the vehicle was last run. That happens on almost all vehicles but since they don't sit, the water evaporates the next time they are run and the engine heats up. Since yours sat, the water turned the oil on the cap to mush...

 

[coldwater]

I don't like the looks of thet.....

 

[CJ]

I'd agree if the drained oil looked like . But he said it didn't. I might take a bore scope and look in the valve cover or even pull it to take a peek, but if the valve train you can see looks clean... Maybe not.

Thoughts?

 

[dalefan88]

i pulled the valve cover nothing looked that bad. the top of the head looked normal. it looks like it was just the cap. it looks like it might be pushing alittle oil out the breather to.

 

[CJ]

If you pulled the valve cover and didn't see any 'yuck' I'd definitely say condensation...

 

[dave pam]

I would change the oil asap and then after about 2000 miles to "clean" out the stuff that sat for a year. Maybe even a can of STP oil treatment to help loosen what was sitting and possibly not lubed (when it all drained intot he pan the parts on the top end were dry so to speak for the year)

Dave

Oh and I am new here, whats up all

 

[dalefan88]

i put high milage oil in it. im going to run it for a couple of weeks and change it again. it is way to cold in ohio right now to put thick stp in.

 

[dave pam]

not really, just keep it warm in the house and add it, the jeeps run about 210deg and it will help. I have an 02 TJ and it was quiet with just a very small lifter tick and I added the STP in November and I only run the jeep after work and on weekends and after a few weeks it's nice and quiet

Dave

 

[coldwater]

Seeing as everything else looked clean, I wonder if the PO had an "issue" that was taken care of in the past and It's just a left over gift to drive you nuts. None of my engines have ever left a deposit like that after sitting. I'm at a loss.

Edit! There is also a possibiliy that the PO had dropped the coolant into an oil drain pan to make a repair, and resued the same, now corrupt coolant. Possible???

 

[coldwater]

I would change the oil asap and then after about 2000 miles to "clean" out the stuff that sat for a year. Maybe even a can of STP oil treatment to help loosen what was sitting and possibly not lubed (when it all drained intot he pan the parts on the top end were dry so to speak for the year)

Dave

Oh and I am new here, whats up all

About time you said HI!

 

[dave pam]

coldwater, my 91 tacoma was parked out side most of the time I owned it and every once in a while I would find that, clean it off and ran it but never an issue. If dalefan88 ran the jeep and parked it outside in very coold temp. it could cause some condisation just on the cap and then after things got to operating temp and eventualy clean off the cap he would never know it.

Just a thought and my past expierence

Dave

 

[coldwater]

So It's not an oil residue? I have never found that stuff in my Jeep.

 

[dave pam]

no not a residue he could have a bad seal on the oil cap.

 

[coldwater]

Oh for the love of.......FORGIVE ME ALL.. I just glanced at the photo and in my haste, I thought it was the RADIATOR CAP he had there Not the oil cap! Note to self, read and digest ALL information first! I'm blamin it on the Saki I had last night!

 

[dave pam]

to the saki

 

[dalefan88]

it sits outside all the time. i have no garage. when i got it the breather and pcv grommets were shot. the breather and pcv were just laying on the valve cover. so i got new grommets and pcv and breather. then i redid all the vaccum lines. this thing was in bad shape before i got it. so it probally got alot of moister in it. when i flushed the cooling system last fall all the coolent looked like rust. i flushed it for along time until i was coming out clear.

 

[dave pam]

Dude you left that important part out man. You most likley got moisture in it while the holes were open, you should be fine just keep an eye on it the next time you change the oil. Oh and by the way if you go with a good synthetic oil you can run 5000 mile with no problem, don't spend the money on the so called 5000 or 7000 mile oils they just cost more.

I run Quaker state 5-30 and run it for 5000 miles and have no issues at all, even the cheepest WallMart synthetic will do, I'm sure they all came from the same place.

Dave