White slime on dipstick returns--please beat this dead horse

[jon lewis]

I would like nothing more than to just move on and consider the 80 post water in the crankcase thread dead and gone/solved. In fact ToxicAce resurrected that thread this A.M. by asking what the outcome of that problem was. After I replied to him that an o-ring replacement and an oil change last week seemed to have fixed everything I pulled the dipstick before today's early morning ride and HORRORS the slime is back. I had raised the coolent to a level I could be sure of and I think it has dropped a little (still can't be sure, so it's just a little if at all). Now a mechanic in town told me it might take 3-4 oil changes to get all the water out; is that all this likely is--water that I was unable to drain out last week?

I had another thought--a few weeks ago I had to replace a cracked and leaking coolent overflow tank. There were several small hoses either coming off of or blocking that which I assumed I reconnected properly. Could I have reconnected one wrong and it's somehow feeding coolent into someplace it shouldn't?

What do you think? Jon

[ShadowMonster]

I could be wrong but I am under the impression that if a vehicle is run at normal operating temp for any decent length of time that any moisture residing in the oil/crankcase should have burnt off or evaporated through the crankcase ventilation system??? I think you may need to head in another direction with this before there is damage to bearings or rings, at least get some "other" professional input to determine where the moisture is coming from because fact is, yours keeps returning.

[k1958]

The amount of moisture that could get past a bad dipstick O-ring would have to be small enough to be burned off during normal engine operation. The fact that yours keeps coming back should tell you that there's something else putting coolant/moisture into your crankcase. I agree with ShadowMonster, have a second set of trained eyes look at it.

[rocksolid]

How about if we use a dye in the coolant. If it shows up in the oil, you know the head gasket is probably gone.
Cooling System Fluorescent Leak Detection Dye
http://www.autobarn.net/fluorleakdet.html

[ShadowMonster]

Originally Posted by rocksolid

How about if we use a dye in the coolant. If it shows up in the oil, you know the head gasket is probably gone.
Cooling System Fluorescent Leak Detection Dye
http://www.autobarn.net/fluorleakdet.html

Now there's a damn good economical test right there

[thunderglass]

It would take 3 or 4 oil changes to get all the water out only if you started with milk colored oil meaning lots of water mixed with the oil.

I think the dye is a good suggestion or get the oil tested.

[jon lewis]

I'm intrigued by the dye; anybody think that wouldn't work for some reason? Sounds brilliant Rocksolid. Thanks, Jon

[rocksolid]

I learned about it from my mechanic when my radiator core on the car developed a leak. It shows up really well when you shine a black light on it.
It's a auto parts store item.
Good luck.

[jon lewis]

Originally Posted by rocksolid

How about if we use a dye in the coolant. If it shows up in the oil, you know the head gasket is probably gone.
Cooling System Fluorescent Leak Detection Dye
http://www.autobarn.net/fluorleakdet.html

Someone suggested on the original "White Slime on Dipstick" thread that a cracked head or cylinder might also lead to coolent in the crankcase; that sounded reasonable to me. I am prepared to put dye in the radiator and coolent overflow tank unless someone posts that would be a mistake. I'm trying to learn enough here to keep the pros out of it unless absolutely necessary, but I understand that moment may indeed come.

I have been tooling up for major mechanical work and am trying to get my head right for the idea that I ought to be capable of pulling the engine, dismantling the top end, repairing whatever's wrong and putting 'er all back together again. Not easy to get there as my only previous major mechanical experience (other than all maintenance, replacement of bolt-on parts, and minor repair of all my vehicles) was when I was younger and quite a lot stupider. I had a Honda 360 in the mid-seventies that chewed up a cam chain tensioner, I pulled the engine and cleaned the chewed up pieces of tesioner out of the top and bottom end overnight. New tensioner put in, engine reassembled and re-installed the next. I didn't know the importance of torque values (or manuals for that matter) then and ended up with probably 3 helicoils in the head that time. Two weeks later tensioner failed again; tried to fix it again--3 or 4 more helicoils, ran like *****. Within a month it was a basket case. Perhaps I have learned enough along the way to successfully do it this time.

If the problem is more than a head gasket, say a cracked head or cylinder, would you think the crack should be quite apparent to the naked eye? Any musings on all this welcome. Jon

[rocksolid]

Given how little coolant is getting in the oil, I imagine it's very small, and might be internal, so you might not actually see a crack at all. Obviously the head gasket is more likely, and you'll know right away. There is no reason you can't do this repair if you take your time with a good manual. good tool set (6 point sockets and wrenches.) torque wrench and a buddy to catch any mistakes.
(NO BEER! LOL) Don't ask me how I know!