2011 LX570 - Hello & how to diagnose cause of milky substance in oil cap

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

LXS

LXS

SILVER Star
Joined
Oct 20, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
7
Location
Australia
Hi Mud - Thanks for having me. I'm in the market for an LX570 and have test driven a few. I'm Looking forward to joining the LX570/LC200 club really soon.

I've just had a mechanical inspection done on the car that I'm most keen on - a 2011 LX570 with ~190k kms - and it's come up with milky substances in the oil cap filter. I appreciate that this could be caused by a number of things: e.g., PCV valve, condensation, or... head gasket.

My question: What can I ask the dealer (if anything) to do to 'prove' that this is a problem caused by PCV valve / condensation or another 'fixable' problem rather than a critical item like head gasket? Other than some expected cosmetic items, this car has otherwise come up okay mechanically.

I guess the other option is to just walk away and wait for another one to come up....

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

LXS

Photo 21-10-2025, 9 41 02 am.webp


Photo 21-10-2025, 9 41 04 am.webp
 
i wouldnt touch that vehicle
that crap is inside the engine, who knows what it has ruined
 
Yeah, I would just move along. Not sure what it is, but I wouldn't want to have to find out.

Maybe an additive? Snake oil "head gasket fixer"?
 
Sigh. I guess you're all probably right on skipping it being the most sensible option. I'm really struggling to find a white one with a dark interior that is in half decent condition!
 
It's at a dealer and taken on nothing but short test drives, no drives long enough for the the engine to fully reach operating temp to heat off the condensation. Even though you are in Australia, in North America this time of year this question pops up as the temperatures transition to cooler and folks are seeing this condition under the oil caps.

Tell them that that a head gasket has blown and low ball them. ;)
 
My 2008 4Runner with 300k had this issue sporadically. Sometimes the substance would be on the oil cap and sometimes not. It's still running good with 300k.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I ended up test driving the car and it felt great. If I decide to go with this one, I think I'll try and wrangle some kind of warranty or guarantee from the dealer or use the uncertainty for the purposes of negotiations.
 
I am with Godwin, I think that the snake charmer is right. Never warmed up enough to evaporate the condensation and it builds up. Low ball them, get a 30 day warranty and an oil change.
And now that I have done the conversion, it’s been winter there so it is more likely to be condensation in my eyes.
 
While I managed to get comfortable on the oil sludge, I ended up passing on the car due to the overall value proposition. I've ended up with a 2015 Prado Kakadu, which seems to be a far better compromise for my use case.

I appreciate all the feedback above nonetheless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom