Why is there a white slime on my oil cap? (1 Viewer)

[Zack1978]

Hey everyone,
I did an oil change today on my 87 fj60 with 242,000 miles. When I took the oil cap off, I noticed some white sludge/slime on the inside of the cover. Then when I had the funnel in the fill hole it seemed like there was a bit of condensation on the funnel as well. What is causing this problem? The temp has been very cold here in NJ, would that be the problem?
Any ideas?


Thanks,
Zack

PS, no f'ing jokes about the white slime

 

[gifu]

depending on the amount of white slime... it could just be condensation in the oil. Or... it could be a head gasket or cracked head. Clean off the slime, and drive it. If it comes back within... 100 miles? Or less. It is probably a head-gasket and water is getting into the oil.

Good luck.

 

[Zack1978]

Well if it is just condensation in the oil, is that from not driving it long enough to burn off the water in the oil?


Zack

 

[Corbet]

Sorry to say IMO it's a blown head gasket.

 

[60wag]

It could easily be just condensation in the oil. If you do a lot of short trips rather than a long commute on the highway, the oil doesn't get hot enough to dry out. You might also check the PCV valve. If its malfunctioning, it can lead to a buildup of condesation in the oil. If its truly a bad head gasket, the slime ought to be green from the coolant.

 

[FJTOYMAN]

I just changed my head gasket and magna fluxed the head to check for cracks. I'm still working on the carb so I haven't really driven it yet. It's had enough condensation to build up that same slime your talking about. Check your coolant level before you start it. Run it for a while and check the level again. That should let ya know if you have a leak. My bet would be condensation. Whats the tail pipe exhaust look like?

 

[Mark W]

I have seen a few unscrupulous shops try to tell marks that emulsified oil under the fill cap is a sign of a bad head gasket. It *could* be one of the signs. But not by itself without other indicators.

The valve cover is the coolest part of the engine. The filler cap/neck is a mook that collects vapors and there they condense. ANy less than new engine will have sme blowbu past the rings. Water is a byproduct of the combustion process. Water vapor is introduced into the crnkcaes along with other blowby gases. It condenses in the coolest parts of the engine. More so in a rig that is operated for fairly short durations. Engine which maintain full operating temps for longer periods will cok of the water.


It's probably nothing to worry about. If you want to be sure, check for any other signs of a bad head gasket. It is virtually impossible to have a gasket that is not sealing or a hed that is cracked that will actually allow coolant int the oil without having other extremely obvious signs.


Mark...

 

[mac]

Give your cooling system a pressure test. Should hold a couple of pounds over cap pressure no problem. If it doesn't and the pressure test doesn't reveal any leaks in your cooling system, then it is a head or head gasket problem.

Cheers,
Mac

 

[David*BJ70]

Sorry to say IMO it's a blown head gasket.

I put money on that to.

 

[fsusteve]

I have seen a few unscrupulous shops try to tell marks that emulsified oil under the fill cap is a sign of a bad head gasket. It *could* be one of the signs. But not by itself without other indicators.

The valve cover is the coolest part of the engine. The filler cap/neck is a mook that collects vapors and there they condense. ANy less than new engine will have sme blowbu past the rings. Water is a byproduct of the combustion process. Water vapor is introduced into the crnkcaes along with other blowby gases. It condenses in the coolest parts of the engine. More so in a rig that is operated for fairly short durations. Engine which maintain full operating temps for longer periods will cok of the water.


It's probably nothing to worry about. If you want to be sure, check for any other signs of a bad head gasket. It is virtually impossible to have a gasket that is not sealing or a hed that is cracked that will actually allow coolant int the oil without having other extremely obvious signs.


Mark...

Whatever he sez, I'd go with....

 

[sportbiker929]

sounds good to me also

 

[fjman]

Its interesting that if you go to a dealer auction, The buyers willl check the inside of the oil cap on almost every toyota. Just the yotas though. I asked one of 'em why once, and he just told me Toyotas produce this sludge (not necessarily catastrophic but could be a problem). I went out and checked the 60 and sure enough, SLUDGE!.. Of course I had a leaky head so that goes with what everyone else is saying but I just thougt it was weird how they would all check the toyotas, even the newer ones!

 

[nikos8]

I would take a bit of oil from the oil pan and do an oil analysis. That will tell you if you have water or coolant in your oil.

 

[Zack1978]

Its interesting that if you go to a dealer auction, The buyers willl check the inside of the oil cap on almost every toyota. Just the yotas though. I asked one of 'em why once, and he just told me Toyotas produce this sludge (not necessarily catastrophic but could be a problem). I went out and checked the 60 and sure enough, SLUDGE!.. Of course I had a leaky head so that goes with what everyone else is saying but I just thougt it was weird how they would all check the toyotas, even the newer ones!

This is actually interesting, because my cousin has a 2002 RX300 and he was told by the dealer that he should use syn oil (Mobil 1) bceause the rx300's have a sludge problem.

Zack

 

[fjman]

This is actually interesting, because my cousin has a 2002 RX300 and he was told by the dealer that he should use syn oil (Mobil 1) bceause the rx300's have a sludge problem.

Zack

Yeah, its weird isn't it? Anyone know why exactly?

 

[YODA 88 62]

i have been told that sludge under the cap is caused by short drives, and stop and go driving. it could be a head gasket.

 

[72FJ40]

I had the same thing happen to me last winter. I pulled the valve cover and there was a quarter inch layer right across the top of it. i took it up to my local toyota dealer and they said it was just condensation but if i was really concerned change the oil and see ifthere's anything in it. i changed the oil, it was fine, and i've been driving it since with no problems.

 

[brian]

all you need to do is:
1. check fill cap
2. go for a 10-15 mile drive
3. check fill cap

if it's just condensate, which more than likely it is, it will be gone after the drive.

wife's celica(that's right, a girlie car) gets that biuld up all the time, she rarly goes more than a few miles a day. i take it on a 20 mile run and it clears that white crap up for an couple-a-weeks.