cloudy oil

[daveid]

is this a sign of a blown head gasket? I have been having to move my truck in and out of the garage and it has been trying to die on me due to the carb not being setup right, and now i have cloudy oil? Im very scared i messed up my engine.

thanx

[Schister66]

it definately could be a blown head gasket if the oil is all milky and cloudy.....that sucks!

[curtis73]

I would confirm it with a compression test. It could just be excessive condensation that has accumulated because the oil hasn't been getting hot enough to evaporate it off.

Another trick I use is to taste the oil. I know; weird, but if it tastes like nothing you're probably OK. If it tastes sweet at all, its coolant and you're in for some sleuthing. Just make sure you don't swallow any of it; spit lots

[daveid]

well i havent really warmed it up much when moving it the last few times since it has ran so rough cuz the carb, but it still smell like oil, but just a little cloudy. If it was a head gasket id just have to replace the gaskets and then change the oil and filter and is that it?
Curtis, when you say to make sure that its not condensation, is it safe to run the engine with that oil in it? Its a new motor so i know its not compression issue, and how long should it run in order to get rid of the condensation if i can run it?

thanx for the info,
david

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by daveid

well i havent really warmed it up much when moving it the last few times since it has ran so rough cuz the carb, but it still smell like oil, but just a little cloudy. If it was a head gasket id just have to replace the gaskets and then change the oil and filter and is that it?
Curtis, when you say to make sure that its not condensation, is it safe to run the engine with that oil in it? Its a new motor so i know its not compression issue, and how long should it run in order to get rid of the condensation if i can run it?

thanx for the info,
david

If its just a little cloudy, don't worry about it. Its fine to leave in there.
Cange the oil if you are going to drive it regularly or store it, without running it, for a long time.
Coolant in the oil turns the oil very cloudy, like a chocolate milkshake.

[daveid]

well its definitally not like chocolate milk, it just looks pretty clear but like theres a dull cloudy look instead of that real clear shiny look it has on the dip stick, when i put it on my finger i almost cant tell that there is a differance.

thanx for the help, i just never knew that condensation could happen like that.

david

[curtis73]

Every engine is different, but for the most part just idling it won't heat up the oil very much. If you can get it out on the road I would, unless the carb is so far out of whack that you might be in danger of running too lean or excessive backfiring. I would say that a good 5-10 mile run to the store and back should get the oil hot enough and evaporate any junk out. It won't be full temperature, but it should be enough to see a difference.

If its a brand new engine, it might be break-in lube. The Moly compounds used in the grey greasy kind will make oil cloudy. Emulsified water in oil looks like lighter brown, but moly lube would still be brown and cloudy.

I would do a compression check and if that checks out, I would drive it several miles. If it gets clearer you've found out it was condensation. If it gets worse, it might be a break-in lube thing, or it might mean that coolant is getting in there some other way; or via a very small head gasket leak that the compression test couldn't show. Pay close attention to your exhaust while you drive. If it is a slow head gasket leak, it can very quickly turn into a fast leak while you're driving. If you get white smoke or steam, call AAA

[daveid]

well i have about 300 miles on it so i dont think its the lube but my only problem is that the carb is running way to rich so im trying to send it in to get checked out but i still have to move the truck out a time or two more, but i dont want to get all the gas in the oil pan again either from running it, so i feel screwed no matter what i do.

kinda sux. Thanx again for the info,i think i just have my floats a little off so that its not running good at idle but it has problems beyond that, i just want to get rid of this new problem.