2004 Mini S currently with 24k miles.
1st oil change was done at 10500 or so by dealer
2nd oil change was done at 18500 was done with Mobil 1 and OEM filter at a used car dealer where we bouth it with 18500 on the clock. (Have receipt from them). Service indicator shows 6275mi to go to next service.

Mostly highway driving.

So I was checking oil today and it is not Low. BUT ON the tip of the dipstick it was milky white. I checked the filler cap and there was a bit of white resedue on it. Checked Coolant and it WAS NOT low.

Milky oil is usually a sign of blown head gasket, where coolant starts mixing with OIL. I had this happen on an older VW ..But what is puzzeling me is that coolant level is OK....either it is a small leak or I dont know....Any ideas??

I am going to try to get to dealer ASAP, but I was wondering if it could be something that somebody else saw before.

 

FACTS: 2004 Mini S currently with 24k miles.
1st oil change was done at 10500 or so by dealer
2nd oil change was done at 18500 was done with Mobil 1 and OEM filter at a used car dealer where we bouth it with 18500 on the clock. (Have receipt from them). Service indicator shows 6275mi to go to next service.

Mostly highway driving.

PROBLEM: So I was checking oil today and it is not Low. BUT ON the tip of the dipstick it was milky white. I checked the filler cap and there was a bit of white resedue on it. Checked Coolant and it WAS NOT low.

Milky oil is usually a sign of blown head gasket, where coolant starts mixing with OIL. I had this happen on an older VW ..But what is puzzeling me is that coolant level is OK....either it is a small leak or I dont know....Any ideas??

I am going to try to get to dealer ASAP, but I was wondering if it could be something that somebody else saw before.

 

It could also be sign of making short trips in your car. If you don't get the oil hot it doesn't boil off/evaporate out the water that condenses in it and the oil will look milky and frothy. It's no big deal.

Go out and take a nice long ride in your MINI and let the oil get nice and hot like it's sposed to.

 

Well, you might be onto something. Usually the car does 70miles a day on the expressway and now with the holidays, past 2-3 days it has been running around locally, indeed on short trips.
Do you think this condition would surface in this period of time?

 

Here's a possible test:

1. Run the engine for a few minutes
2. Drain the oil into a CLEAN (completely clean) oil pan or tray and see what condition it is in
3. If it looks good, put it back into the car (do not contaminate it with ANYTHING during this process!)
4. If it looks milky, take a sample of it and then refill the car with fresh synthetic so you have a "clean slate" again. Be sure to keep the sample (say 1 quart or so, or even all of it) to show the dealer what you found

 

Could just be condensation. Don't know where you're at, but a sudden temp drop after the oil's warm could cause that. Did the dealer wash the engine off or anything like that ?

 

I believe it could be condensation caused by short trips in cold weather. Here's a thread about the same thing you're experiencing.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=57520

Chuck

 

yeah, probably condensation. i have the same problem.

its been going away after long drives, so i think ive pinpointed the problem

 

This shows up on engines in otherwise perfect condition when it's unusually cold. It is often exacerbated with winter blended gasolines, especially those containing ethanol which seem to contain water-producing compounds. Double check the operation of the PCV valve and it's connecting hose, which tends to collapse and has been a subject of a recall. ALso, if the thermostat is opening too soon or the engine subject to long periods of idling (or warming up before heading out) you will have this occur.

Check the oil after a nice long highway drive after the engine has been run nice and hot, but before you have idled or run into stop-and-go traffic. You should not see the deposits.

 

Well, it has been Really cold for couple of weeks and then became warm and rainy. Usually the car does 70 miles a day on the highway, but last couple of days just short trips around town. Coolant seems to be right on the proper level. We do live in the area where winter blend gas is in use (Chicago) but we try to stay away from gas stations that use ethanol the most (Speedway and Marathon).
Can you point me to the PCV hose recall information? What years/Model/VIN does it apply to?

 

I always thought that milky oil refered to a leak of some kind? I might take it into the dealer

 

I was always under the impression that condensation would be an issue when you're driving short tips over a period of weeks or months, not a few days. Yet he says that it's only be over the last two or three days that he's been doing short trips otherwise he runs the car for much longer...

So is it short trips in cold weather in general that's bad or is it lots of short trips over a long period of time?

 

Go out on a freeway, and drive, drive drive. Maybe even keep it in 5th to keep the revs up. Get it good and hot. Then when hot, drive at about 2500 RPMs for a while (so that the intake is at vacuum) and suck out the vapors. Check again and see if it's gone.

Not good technique, but effective!

Matt

 

Short trips+cold weather...it's not a problem.

I started freaking earlier this winter when I saw the same thing ('03 MCS 47k mi.) my SA said it was normal & a trusted mechanic friend said that it was normal, but, go ahead and check with your dealer if it will put your mind at ease.

 

You may want to send a sample for analysis. I send small samples (about 4 oz, I just siphon it out of the dipstick hole with about 6 feet of rubber tubing) every so often to Blackstone Labs and they analyze the oil in great detail, and send you back a report of the findings in plain English. This way you will know positively what contaminants may be present in your oil...water, antifreeze, etc. etc. It costs about $30 or so for the test but it is well worth it to realize a tiny problem before it becomes a big one.

rock on,

-boognish

 

Milky residue on the oil filler cap surface can indicate a possible blown head gasket; one possibility to consider. Jimbo

 

Like a blown head gasket....

 

Exactly.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...750#post757750

Can a moderator combine these duplicate threads!

 

thats what I thought, but it's been a while. I was remembering something of the sorts from my engine class in college about 4 years ago .

Yah milky oil is a blown head gasket. Sounds like some fun. Machine shop here you come

Make sure everything is "true and exact" before they rebuild

 

with the amount of normal driving you do, there isn't really anyway for there to be a condensation problem. I would say it's a blown head gasket.

I would hit up the dealer asap. I might even have it town in rather than driving it.

 

It happens with all cars around here when going from warm dry to cold damp weather its just condensation.If you over flow tank drops and your oil level rises then you have the other problem.

 

IMHO, skip #3. Oil is cheap. I don't see much of a reason to reuse it.

 

I'd be highly skeptical about this being normal.

In my experience the MCS heats up quite quickly, even in very cold weather. Unless the thermostat is defective or for some other reason the engine fails to reach normal operating temperature then a milky emulsion, often termed 'mayonnaise,' in the oil strongly suggests coolant where it shouldn't be.

For comparison:
a) When this happened to my M3 it was a blown head gasket.
ii) My MCS driving consists mostly of short trips around town and it's been very cold for several weeks here in NE Indiana. I have no contamination in my oil.

Having a Blackstone oil analysis performed is good advice.

Neil
05 MCS
96 M3

 

Shall we take bets on what the dealership will say? Or what the replace. I bet they don't even deal with a blown head gasket and replace the whole engine. If the car is under warrenty. However, if the car has an aftermarket pulley they might possibly say, "it was the pulley that caused the problem"