Anyone else ever see this?Doesnt appear to be water in the oil or pan.I just changed the oil.What could be causing this and is it safe to drive?318 is rebuilt-not by me-and was bored 40 tho.over.It now has 24,000 miles and runs great except for moisture on the dipstick tube.*After fixing the pcv valve and replacing the valve cover breather there is no more moisture on the dipstick tube.Thanks everyone for the ideas.

could just be condensation

Is the engine reaching operating temp,PCV system working?

Engine is up to operating temp on the gauge.Putting out heat also.Gauge goes up to halfway sometimes.Do you think the thermostat could be stuck allowing the motor to get too hot alowing it to condensate when it cools off.

I would pull a valve cover off and see if there is milky film inside it. If there is a lot I'd say you need to do additional checking. You can get the car running and up to operating temperature and remove the radiator cap. If you see bubbles in the coolant you have a bad head gasket. You can then do a compression check and see which gasket is gone. If you are lucky it is only a head gasket and not a cracked head or block.

Raul

I had a 273 that did this, no water in oil, pulled valve covers and it looked great, so I kept driving it that way for years, never used coolant and ran great.

Getting the gauge up to temp and heat from the heater doesn't mena you're gettingit hot enough for long enough to dry it out.

My car does that. Milky on the dip stick in the cooler months. Summer its fine. When it first happend I thought I had a problem. Changed the oil 4 times in 1 weekend & it made no difference. Checked everything. No collant loss so came to the conclusion it was condensation. No water was in the drain pan, just on the dipstick. Pulled the valve cover and very slight milkyness around oil fill cap. Rest was golden & clear. Have run it two years now like that. As long as you have good oil psi, no coolant loss or mix in radiator, & plugs look ok I say run it.

It may not be a crisis but if I was buying a car and the dipstick was milky, I'd be walking away from it.

True, if I was buying a car, and the dipstick was milky, I'd be afraid of it.

however, I also know that it's not a guarantee that something is broke. moisture is normal from combustion. moisture in the oil makes it milky. a lot of short trips, a very humid climate, drastic changes in weather in a short period of time...all can add to moisture in the oil.

just be sure the PCV system IS working, and avoid short trips, and as said, as long as you're not losing compression anywhere, coolant, plugs are looking good, I'd run it.

Any engine will condensate especially in colder eweather. Just because the temp gauge gets warm doesn't mean that the engine is up to operating temperature. It just says that the coolant is. The engine needs to be run long enough to completely warm up and long enough to evaporate the condensation out of the system. This isn't just a drive across town but at least a ten mile or more drive. Condensation is natural byproduct of an internal combustion engine at all temperatures but shows up more and takes longer to evaporate out in cooler/cold temperatures.

Try tightening all of the timing cover/water pump to block bolts; it could just be that the bolts are loose after cycling the motor from cold-hot-cold. Sometimes this will allow a bit of water to leak passed the front of the block and into the oil pan.

I used to get that all the time on my older small blocks. nothing to worry about. could be the short drive things was only there in the winter and gone in the summer??? never any water in the oil so it's condensation.

Pull the oil fill cap on a 4.7L this time of year and it will be loaded with that milky stuff. Unless its driven long trips.

What type of oil did you use?

why would oil type/brand matter?

remeber the dipstick is cooler than the engine. moisture condenses on cooler surfaceds. thats why to see it on dipsticks and the inside tops of valve covers

I had seen where the timing chain cover has a hole in it behind the water pump from coolant rotting out the aluminum and gets mixed with the oil---but that may not be your case.

seen it. could be condensation, but leaking from the intake coolant passage is not uncommon. All it takes is a little bit. start simple: I would pull the intake, new gaskets etc. If you are careful enough draining the coolant, you might be able to catch some of the evidence of a leak in the lifter valley. By the way, coolant, esp antifreeze will makes for a VERY bad lubricant, so I would not run with milky oil.

Dallas