funky oil residue in canister

[morriss]

What the heck is this? I found it in the oil canister and on the canister lid (see pics below). I changed the oil about 3-4 months ago and only put MAYBE 300 miles on it. It is a puss-colored, thin, and runny. Smells funky too. (Commence with the wise-cracks now).

[MPDano]

Yeah, mine has that too. It's moisture. Water and Oil mixed. As long as your car doesn't blow white smoke out the tailpipe all the time, then a little bit is probably normal. If it smells like coolant, than that sounds like a leak somewhere (headgasket, oil coolers in radiator, etc).

[Mrmerlin]

take the car for a 300 mile drive use higher RPMS and then check

[morriss]

Originally Posted by Mrmerlin

take the car for a 300 mile drive use higher RPMS and then check

That will be awhile. It's up on jackstands right now. I will be working through the fuel system starting this weekend (dropping the tank, replacing hoses, etc.). In addition, while bleeding the clutch the bleeder valve snapped off inside the clutch master cylinder! I've got to figure out a way to get the threaded portion of the bleeder valve out of the cyclinder without destroying the threads inside the cylinder itself.
Smell - It's kinda sweet. I was thinking it might be coolant, but it also kinda smells like fuel, I think. It's a very complicated smell, hard to describe!

[MPDano]

Wipe it off, change your oil and drive. If your car doesn't overheat or blow while smoke out the exhaust, then your probably ok. Check it out again after the 300 miles (whenever that may happen).

[Mrmerlin]

with only 300 miles on your oil I would not worry about changing it, the engine needs to see some hi temps for an extended time.
Starting the engine and running it for 10 mins isnt good enough it will just make more condensate
Follow the above procedure and then check

[morriss]

Will do.

[Mrmerlin]

since you have about 9 quarts in the crankcase it takes some time for the oil to reach 220 degrees, this is when the water vapors start to evaporate into the crankcase venting

[tlsmith1999]

Originally Posted by morriss

That will be awhile. It's up on jackstands right now. I will be working through the fuel system starting this weekend (dropping the tank, replacing hoses, etc.).

Too bad you don't live right down the street, I think I will be doing the exact same thing on the '79 this weekend.

[jim ross]

Originally Posted by MPDano

Wipe it off, change your oil and drive. If your car doesn't overheat or blow while smoke out the exhaust, then your probably ok. Check it out again after the 300 miles (whenever that may happen).

HI! the guys are right..dont worry...just clean out that screen and oil difusser...probably just a combination of years of condensation and sludge. try putting in a quart of MARVEL MYSTERY OIL..and run that for a few hundred miles then change your oil..that should clean things up a bit.

[morriss]

Originally Posted by jim ross

HI! the guys are right..dont worry...just clean out that screen and oil difusser...probably just a combination of years of condensation and sludge. try putting in a quart of MARVEL MYSTERY OIL..and run that for a few hundred miles then change your oil..that should clean things up a bit.

Thanks for the tip. I've heard quite a bit about the mystery oil, just never had reason to use it, until now.

[jim ross]

HI! Yes Marvel Mystery OIL can be used in crankcase, gas tank, even auto trans...it quiets valve tappets...removes sludge / carbon build up, cleans fuel lines and injectors..it really works! It was formulated in WWII for the fighter planes in the pacific islands..it was used in the gas and helped the engines deal with hi humidity and high altitude flying....it worked so well..engines lasted twice as long! So it was offered to the public after the war...ingrediants have changed a little but it still does the job well!-J