I checked the oil in my 2007 EOS 2.0T and found some white goop on the dip stick. I usually get some similar material under the oil filler cap in the winter but never in the oil.
C
Can anybody tell me what this is?


Thanks Rich

I checked the oil in my 2007 EOS 2.0T and found some white goop on the dip stick. I usually get some similar material under the oil filler cap in the winter but never in the oil.
C
Can anybody tell me what this is?


Thanks Rich


This is characteristic of water in the sump emulsifying with the oil.

The source of the water has to be determined as soon as possible to avoid major engine damage if one of the possible causes is present and not fixed immediately.

If it only occurs in winter and the car does mostly short trips, the water is most likely condensate from the fuel combustion in the engine. The cure is to make sure the car does at least one trip every week or so where the engine runs continuously for at least an hour at normal operating temperature to evaporate the water. There should not be any coolant loss evident if this is the problem.

The other cause is a blown/weeping head gasket and this is a serious problem due to the volume of water that can escape to the sump, mix with the oil and destroy its lubricating properties. The resulting crankshaft bearing damage and scoring of the cylinder walls/pistons as well as turbo bearing damage if the problem is not fixed immediately necessitates an expensive out-of-car engine rebuild. The first indication of a possible leaking head gasket is loss of radiator coolant with no apparent leaks. If the leak is both into the coolant passages and the combustion chamber, it can usually be picked up by the type of fouling evident on the spark plug and a compression test provides confirmation. If the leak is between the oil and coolant galleries only, a cooling system pressure test is required. Any professional mechanic will have had considerable experience with blown/weeping head gaskets and know how to determine if this is the cause of the problem and the work necessary to rectify the problem.

I get this sometimes in my 2.0T... It is generally just condensation... I haven't ever had it on the dipstick though, mine has always been on the filler cap. After a motorway journey of about an hour as suggested, just remove the filler cap for a few mins to allow the steam out...