Antifreeze in Engine Oil

ibang1

I own a 2002 Jeep Liberty and went in today with 30k for an oil change. The mechanic noticed a brown foam on the oil cap and pour down spout as well. The mechanic stated that it seemed I had a small gasket leak in the engine and that antifreeze is mixing in with my engine oil. So far I haven't had any engine light go off but have at time experienced a slight engine stall. I also checked the antifreeze resevoir and it seems a little low but not for sure. I plan on taking the car in to the deaership tommorrow and have it checked out. Ive also tried searching here for anyone with the same problems but it doesnt seem like anyone is having the same situation as I. I will try to keep up and update everyone on my situation.

malachy72

the head or the gasket could be trouble so soon. I believe Chrysler had similar problems with the Caravan. Stay on top of this, it could be a long term headache!

protegextwo

The start of a blown head gasket. Visit dealer asap and have this repaired under warranty.

0patience

First, the foam is NOT from coolant. It is from moisture in the system. Some cause of that are a problem in the PCV system, whether the valve or some other problem.
This is a common problem with today's vehicles.

If, for some reason, it is coolant, which I highly doubt, then I would look at the intake gasket first.

vidtech

i believe you hit the nail on the head.perhaps there is too many short trips in this cold weather without letting the engine to warm up .

Mr_Shiftright

The only way you can be sure of a head gasket leak is a pressure test, or, more simply, draining the oil and seeing if it is entirely contaminated.

The mechanic's diagnosis is too shoot from the hip. You can't tell squat from just looking at an oil filler cap and making deductions only from that cap or filler tube--zero, nada, nothing. Some gunk in there could be quite normal for "short trip" cars.

ibang1

Thanks again for some answers. Mileage on my car is all highways. No short distances. I also would like to know from other owners if they noticed their antifreeze overflow tank has changed color. My tank is now an amber in color. I thought it was from the heat of the vehicle but I think it maybe contaminated.

I really hope that it is nothing serious but I am sure it will be a headache. I looked again today and noticed some slug and caked on oil on the cap (I scraped some off the cap and it looks like rust). I still have what looks like heavy cream in the spout. Again, I will keep posting and hope for the best.

Thanks to all who helped.

Mr_Shiftright

Well don't listen to a "guess" about this and have people tearing into the engine without a pressure test. Sometimes if no one is sure, the best thing is a thorough oil change, or a double-change, and then see what happens as you keep a very close eye on the oil. And check the PCV system, too.

swschrad

and took my car in for a pressure test, even though the oil and ATF looked clean as a whistle. it was stop-leak from my trying to buy time on a leaking radiator bell, and considering I was worried about head gaskets, all of a sudden a new modine radiator and a flush and fill looked pretty good to me.

cutehumor

when you have your oil changed, take a sample of the oil and send it in the lab. if there is any antifreeze present, you will know you have a leak somewhere.

Mr_Shiftright

That's a good idea if you can wait for the results. It's not good to run an engine with anti-freeze in the oil.

0patience

If you drain the oil into a clean plastic milk jug, let it set for about 4 hours, you will see if there is any coolant present. It will readily show itself.

ibang1

Again, I like to thank everyone and especially all the great ideas. The car is in the shop and I just have to wait and see and hope for the best. Luckly I still have warranty.

swschrad

unfortunately, they put OEM gaskets back in. there are some long-standing misapplications in which suppliers like Fel-Pro have developed head gaskets that don't fail. the manufacturers know about 'em, but don't want to spend the extra 12 bucks per car, and I am specifically thinking of a Blue Oval News article here about the 3.8L FWD engine from a year or so back.

fowvay

A quick and relatively cheap way to tell if you have glycol contaminants is to take oil analysis. For approximately USD 20 you can have the used oil sampled and you will be able to specifically tell what chemicals are leaching into the oil. If it is just moisture from condensation then it will show it but if it is from coolant then you'll see the coolant and the bearing erosion to go along with it.

ibang1

Just got my Jeep back today. Unfortunately they did not fix the problem yet. They informed me that a part needed to be ordered. I asked them about it and they informed me that Chrysler was aware of the problem and that a TSB has been put out. They told me that they could tell me more until they got the part. I will wait until they call and install the part. Anyone know if this is out. Where can I find the TSB (Technical Special Bulletin) I guess this is what it means.

ibang1

http://applications.edmunds.com/maintenance/MaintenanceServlet?st- ep=step4&year=2002&make=Jeep&model=Liberty&style=- Sport+4dr+4WD+SUV+%283.7L+6cyl+4A%29&popup=current

ibang1