Head Gasket or just not driving enough? (1 Viewer)

[98100Crusher]

Background:
1) I noticed some milkiness under the oil fill cap, see photo, and some water coming from the exhaust.
2) I did a compression gas test yesterday with the Block Test kit. The fluid stayed blue and the coolant temperature was at 187 which would be enough to open the thermostat. I did the test twice.
3) I haven't been driving the truck much save for a trip during cold weather in VT and that milkiness is typical for other vehicles in winter when you aren't driving much or driving short trips.
4) There's no overheating issue so far. I've never seen the temperature go out of normal during the 13k miles I've owned the truck. I'm tracking coolant loss now but haven't see anything so far.
5) I did an oil change 1500 miles ago and it all looked normal.
5) I'm mildly paranoid about the cooling system as I replaced the heater T a year ago (~10k miles) and realized a day later that I didn't have all the fragments( I went back in but didn't get any from the hoses).

Question on table: is that milkiness normal for winter when you aren't driving much? if not suggestions on tests past the Block Test? I'm thinking of just taking it out for a highway drive to level set that its been hot for an hour.

 

[6LCJ7]

What's the oil on the dipstick look like? If that's normal I would just continue to drive and monitor coolant.

 

[2001LC]

If dipstick is clear and no coolant loss, just keep monitoring. You can also inspect head gasket from below and/or with a mirror from above and do a compression check, if you can't sleep at night.

Any chance water/rain/drink got in oil cap on last change.

 

[nissanh]

You can also do the following:
MAKE SURE the engine is COLD (not even slightly warm).

Safety first: Wear goggles
Remove the radiator cap and start the engine. Inspect for any bubbles coming out of the radiator cap. A continuous flow of air which increases with higher RPM is an indication of bad head gasket.

 

[suprarx7nut]

That's a scary-looking oil cap, but as @2001LC suggests, I'd do a compression test before I got too worried.

 

[chopperjamie]

That could be just condensation in your oil frothing up too.
This may sound wacky *I don't mean to start an oil bashing thread here* but it could be your oil brand. I cut my teeth on aircooled VW's back in the day. If I used conventional Pennsoil, I would end up with "mayonnaise" on the filler cap every time. I would switch brands and it would go away. You said you just changed the oil. Did you switch brands by chance?

 

[slacker24-7]

That could be just condensation in your oil frothing up too.
This may sound wacky *I don't mean to start an oil bashing thread here* but it could be your oil brand. I cut my teeth on aircooled VW's back in the day. If I used conventional Pennsoil, I would end up with "mayonnaise" on the filler cap every time. I would switch brands and it would go away. You said you just changed the oil. Did you switch brands by chance?

I had the same thing years ago on a old ford truck I had , with a brand of conventional oil I was using. I changed brands and it went away.

 

[dace voit]

That could be just condensation in your oil frothing up too.

This right here^^^.

Condensation in the crankcase is normal when the engine is warming up, especially in cold weather. That is one reason to get the engine up to normal operating temp as quickly as possible. The breather system helps to take out much of the water vapor, but not all is removed.

Your oil choice as others have said makes a difference as well. I've always used Castrol dino, Rotella T6, Redline or M1 and haven't seen this issue living where the low temps get well below zero.

 

[98100Crusher]

Oil is Mobil One 5W-30 Full Synthetic.

 

[Julian Stead]

As others have said, it is condensation. Pretty common on vehicles that don’t do much mileage. If the dipstick is clean then don’t worry, it can even condensate in the dipstick tube aswell mind you.

 

[abuck99]

+1 Condensation. Short trips + cold weather = not enough time to burn off moisture from your crankcase. Might check that your PCV is working correctly.

 

[flintknapper]

IMO.....checking the underside of your fill cap should NEVER be used as a diagnostic tool for head-gasket failure. Not sure how or when that ever got started, but I wish folks would drop it. It has caused many an owner undue concern.

ANY condition that causes/allows moisture (present in the air) to enter or form in the crankcase, under the valve cover, under your filler cap, etc....will result in a film of milky looking oil. Some amount of moisture in the crankcase is 'normal' just from regular heating and cooling cycles of the engine. It will burn off or be expelled when engine reaches full operating temperature and is run for awhile.

As others have already stated, IF you have milky oil on your dipstick or the oil (when drained) appears milky, then YES....you have something to be concerned about. But if you are not losing significant (unaccounted for) amounts of coolant then you have nothing to worry about. Likewise....your tailpipe (under many conditions) is going to drip some water for a period of time. It should however clear up after a bit of driving.

 

[Julian Stead]

The engine makes water and that is why it is seen dripping until the exhaust is hot enough for it to become steam.

 

[Spike555]

Totally normal. Not that I needed to add to the thread but my OCD wouldn't let it go.

You can negate this by taking a hour long drive on the exspressway once a month, that will get everything nice and hot as well as charge the battery.