SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Engine Mechanical / Electrical => Topic started by: Decimator29 on July 20, 2012, 03:06:37 PM
-
:screwy: i just checked my oil on my 79 hallet. it has a 454 chevy with a crower cam. the dipstick has a little bit of sludge on the bottom tip of it . like oil and water. and the rest of the upper dipstick just has regular oil that looks fine. my question is should i change the oil? or is it okay to run the motor?
-
When in doubt...Change...
-
Water in the oil creates a light brown milky looking oil. If it looks and feels normal then it probably doesn't have water in it. The sludge to me is more concerning. When you run it everything will heat up and mix together. The sludge being high enough in the pan to get on the dip stick is also concerning to me. Maybe take some pics and rub some off on a white paper towel so those more knowledgable than myself could chime in.
-
change it, it wouldnt hurt it.
make sure your engine is getting to temp. a little water in oil is pretty common but if your oil is getting to a good temperature it should be venting that moisture out of your breathers and not sticking around in the oil.
-
Water at the bottom of the dipstick means that there is water UP TO the bottom of the dipstick...which is nowhere near the bottom of the pan. Drain the oil pan, see what's in it
-
change it, it wouldnt hurt it.
make sure your engine is getting to temp. a little water in oil is pretty common but if your oil is getting to a good temperature it should be venting that moisture out of your breathers and not sticking around in the oil.
A little water in the oil IS NOT COMMON, not on my junk
Daniel
-
I must agree with Daniel. If you find water in the oil there is a problem somewhere you need to fix. I've experienced water in the oil more than once and there was always a solution for that problem.
-
Thanks guys all is greatly appreciated
-
Did the oil level rise? Milkshake maybe?
I think that is more important to a real issue or just condensation.
Ray
Edit, and yes, I would be concerned about the "sludge". But depending on what oil was run in it (Asphalt based or parafine based) might not be an issue at all.
If it's run it's life on say Quaker State or Pennzoil, those are parafine based PA/NY oils (as of the late 90's) and the sludge isn't a problem and helps in most cases. Later oils (Noone produces oils from the northeast anymore, EPA shut them down) that is a BAD thing and asphalt based oils sludge is like scraping up your driveway junk and dumping in into the oil pan.
-
no just at the bottom tip of the dipstick its like milky
-
no just at the bottom tip of the dipstick its like milky
Drain it, change the oil, and dont start the motor before you do. The oil pump pick up is in the bottom of the pan, the first thing it will pump through your motor is that milkshake.
-
Is the dipstick picking up some condensation in the dipstick tube? Change the oil just because it's a good idea anyway, but run a litte fresh oil down the tube to rinse it out, then see if you still get the same results.
-
Well first off do u have wet headers?? Check and see if they are cracked or leak, water should never be in the oil it can cause big problems, especialy if u ever run in the salt.. drain ur oil and do a pressure test on the block if u get good pressure I would rule out gaskets and focus on ur exhaust system, ex maybe a stuck open basset t valve
-
Is the dipstick picking up some condensation in the dipstick tube? Change the oil just because it's a good idea anyway, but run a litte fresh oil down the tube to rinse it out, then see if you still get the same results.
This is exactly what I was thinking... Did the sludge show up as soon as you removed the stick the first time? Or did you remove the stick and wipe it clean then reinserted it to check the level?
It sounds like you may be getting some steamy oil up into the tube. If your oil temperatures are running cold for long periods of time the water never boils out of the pan.
One really cool way to fix this is with an oil cooler (hang in there for a second.)
I have commonly installed oil coolers on jets with over transom headers to try and keep the oil temperatures more consistent. Install an oil cooler using the engines outlet water as a cooler feed line, this water is typically very warm at idle/lower RPM (should be in the 160 degree range) and cooler at WOT, more often then not, in the 120 degree range if you think about it, this is perfect for keeping the oil temps under a pretty close range.
Good luck, sounds fairly normal to me.
GT