Low Oil Light and white crap on Dip Stick

[IronAudi]

Im driving to werk this morn and i get the Oil min Light, i pull over dump the rest of the oil into it and check the stick, looks like there is marshmellows on the ball on top of the dip stick, i had the TB done in August and they said everything looked perfect adn no leaking any where now im smelling Coolant when i get out of the car, i dont see any spots on the ground and the level is perfect.

Just got my taxes back looks like there all gone again unless i can do this myself

[A4ringedONE8T]

Oil and coolant are mixing most likely - head gasket

[IronAudi]

How diff is it to change the head gasket?

[koolade9]

Oil and coolant are mixing most likely - head gasket

+1

How diff is it to change the head gasket?

If you know what you're doing, not hard, but time consuming. If you've never done one before, I wouldn't suggest making the 3.0 your guinea pig...

[IronAudi]

can anyone give me a break down or how to from theh bentley CD as to what tools i need what exactly is required so i can judge for myself

[IronAudi]

anyone..bump

[A4ringedONE8T]

Unless you are overly comfortable with the 1.8T in and out and re-timing the head/block, I would not do it yourself.

[IronAudi]

Sh!!T looks like the tax returns go to fixing teh head then, any idea what i can expect it to cost me

[A4ringedONE8T]

Dealer will charge you 6-8 hours, so somewhere around 600-800 bucks

EDIT, this is on a 3.0l? Possibly more than that ^^, I was thinking you had a 1.8T

[IronAudi]

ya its a 3.0 im wishing now that i bought the amulent red 1.8tq i was looking at, shyte. anyway ill go to the shop that did my TB, so well see how bad they bend me over.


How long can i drive with the engine like this, i have about a 6 mile round trip to work now. so i can get away with putting like 60 miles a week on the car

[A4ringedONE8T]

ya its a 3.0 im wishing now that i bought the amulent red 1.8tq i was looking at, shyte. anyway ill go to the shop that did my TB, so well see how bad they bend me over.


How long can i drive with the engine like this, i have about a 6 mile round trip to work now. so i can get away with putting like 60 miles a week on the car

The coolant is not doing what its supposed to, and the oil isnt doing what its supposed to ... I wouldnt drive the car at all

[IronAudi]

goody, so now i dont have a car and im going to need a oil change and a coolant change, that has about 10k on it GREAAAAAT

[Mike02A4]

Try draining the oil. If antifreeze is mixing in, it'll come pissing out then the oil will come out. Also look under the oil cap for a 'milkshake' like substance. You can also smell the coolant in the tank and see if fit smells like combustion. Doesn't sound like a head gasket at all to me, but check what I suggested.

[IronAudi]

ok, ill go out and check the cap it didnt look like there was anything underneath the cap, when i had to add oil. the Oil is due for a change soon but i guess ill get that done ASAP ill order the stuff from ECS today and do it when it comes in.

Mike02A4, assuming your right and its not the Head Gasket, what do u think it is??

[Splattj]

ok, ill go out and check the cap it didnt look like there was anything underneath the cap, when i had to add oil. the Oil is due for a change soon but i guess ill get that done ASAP ill order the stuff from ECS today and do it when it comes in.

Mike02A4, assuming your right and its not the Head Gasket, what do u think it is??

Since your trip to work is only 6 miles and you aren't losing coolant and neither your oil or your coolant look like a chocolate milkshake, I would say it's just condensation that built up in your crank case.

Change your oil. If it looks good, keep an eye on the coolant and avoid any cross-country trips for a bit. Also, try to not shut off the car if it hasn't warmed up fully when you get where you're going. Start it early before leaving or listen to the radio for a few when you get where you're going.
That will help burn off the condensation that may occur on short trips.

[IronAudi]

I dont think its condensation, personally but i hope your right. waiting on the oil from ECS so i can change it and see what the deal is

[IronAudi]

ok so i checked all my fluids, besides being a lil low on oil(dont know where its going) rad fluid is pink and pretty not cloady. Oil looks like it has some yellow topping, like cake batter but it coudl be from the dip stick tube, im gonna clean it out as as much as i can to see if its really it.

[koolade9]

Either way...DON'T drive the car if there's a suspected head gasket leak... do you really want to gamble with a potential 10k engine replacement!?!?! if you're not sure how to spot it, pay the $60 and have someone look at it asap to give a professional diagnosis...then, and only then, make your decisions...

let's say you fall, and when you got up, it sounded like you broke your leg, it looked like you broke your leg, and it felt like you broke your leg...would you walk on it???

coolant disappearing = not normal
oil disappearing = not normal
yellow deposits in oil = not normal

would you drive it?

this is all null in void if you have a large bank account, then by all means push the right pedal all you want...

[Maverick]

i dont' think you have all the tools and patience to do this job as a DIY. 3.0 is a bitch to work on and the room is fucking tight as hell. the best bet is turn your car in to some good shop to do it.
if you reallly need to change your head gaskets, i'd say $130-150 for parts, but labor will screw you, so I suggest you find someone to buy some nice headers and downpipes while you are in the process.

[koolade9]

I suggest you find someone to buy some nice headers and downpipes while you are in the process.

I like where your heads at (pun intended)

[Maverick]

I like where your heads at (pun intended)

lol, I am not selling anything here.
just feel like make the OP's wallet bleed more, hahah

[absolutegtr]

This whole thread seems to be very UN-helpful.

First off, do you have WHITE smoke coming out your exhuast? If so, then you do indeed have a blown headgasket and do not drive it.

Secondly, to me it sounds like your headgasket is fine, driving less than 6 miles is not good for your car and condensation will build up....therefore the oil will be kind of foamy-like.

What you need to do is perform a compression test on all 6 cylinders. If your head gasket is bad you will see from the numbers produced what bank is leaking.

What leads me to believe that your headgasket MIGHT not be bad , is that you say the coolant is still nice and pink (no evidence of mixing with oil). I would drain a little bit of it from the bottom of the radiator by pulling out the sensor, just to verify that the coolant is indeed NOT micing with oil.

Good luck!

[gdawg'05a4]

If he's doing 6 miles round trip, 3 mi/each way does not get the oil up to operating temp and condensation is forming and mixing with the oil. If that "white" stuff is like a creamy consistency, I'm betting that he just needs to take his car out for a long drive and get the oil up to temp and rid the condensation building up.

To the OP, can you post a picture of what you're describing?

[A4TL]

yeah i bought a car once and showed the owner all the white muck condensation on the oil cap and valve cover. told him the head gasket was blown and talked him down big time on price heh. gotta love it when people don't understand condensation.

if you drain your oil and its all creamy then you probably blew the headgasket or oil/water exchanger.

change the oil, go for a nice long drive and see whats up. probably will look good. if you have water in the oil from a blown headgasket you usually will have a nasty ashy crust buildup on the plugs.

[ImageX]

you could have possible hydro lock... do you get a pinging noise??? if so file it to your insurance they'll replace your engine... but that much white gunk is pretty bad definitely... when i hydrolocked mine it was just as you said... and i would change the oil asap and not worry about getting the stuff from ecs... i wouldve done it next day that you found out... like the guy said above... it could be a total engine replacement... and if it pans out to be that call your insurance they should cover it.. mine did...