i just helped my dad change the oil in his toyota sequoia. when i unscrewed the cap to refill, there was a this pudding-like sludge on the cap and in the tube. it was tan in color, like a light peanut butter cream color. and it wasnt just a little bit, there was a good 1-2 tablespoons in the cap and a nice thick coating on the tube's walls. it was the strangest thing ive ever seen. my dad said he was really behind on a change (since june). he doesnt drive much, so it probably wasnt over by a ton on the mileage aspect, but certainly was overdue for time. however, despite how old it is, i cant imagine it getting like this. wouldnt it just get dirtier? my dad mentioned perhaps it being from overfilling last change, but that seems unlikely in my mind as well. hes been workin on his cars since he got his first one back in 1400BC and he said hed never seen it before. he said it hadnt been to the shop for anything and he didnt use any additives. do you think somehow gas could have gotten in there and coagulated or something?

 

I think you have water in your oil..head gasket seal might have a leak..

 

ooo, thats no good. any other indicators of that? i know burning antifreeze produces white smoke, but thats it.

 

Creamy brown stuff is CLASSIC for water in the crankcase. The engine whips it up together with the oil to make ugly brown mayonaisse.

Headgasket can leak into the oil passageways, without leaking into the combustion chamber. So this can happen without any white smoke & antifreeze-smell in the exhaust.

So.... Is the anti-freeze losing inventory? I don't know Toyotas in much detail, but for Honda it IS possible for the radiator to go empty while the overflow reservoir is still full. Check his antifreeze for similar sludge.

Lastly, the potential good news. You can get moisture in the crankcase just from cold weather. Moisture condenses in the engine like dew on the grass. Normally it dries itself out while you drive, but if he never drives more than a couple miles maybe it never had the chance to dry out???

Change his oil - maybe twice to get rid of that junk. Then keep a close eye on it by opening the oil fill cap occasionally to check.

 

I've seen this before in vehicles not driven very much like you said your father doesn't. Have it in an Explorer my daughter drives around town. Although the way you explain it sounds like a real lot. I do not have it in the dipstick tube just the filler cap. If you just putt-putt around town and do not sufficiently ever heat up the engine and get it good and hot moisture will not burn off. As stated unless you have a leak that's your problem.

 

hmm, well he doesnt drive a lot, but he drives regularly. hes a civil engineer for SAIC in harrisburg and his work is only 3 miles away. other than that he doesnt really go anywhere. however, he sometimes does have to make trips up to some sites in north-east PA which is several hours away. there was some kind of natural gas discovery that these big wigs in texas are all over. im not sure how often he goes up there, but hes had to a few times.

he checked the cap this morning and said there was condensation on it. i guess that certainly indicates moisture in the engine lol. i told him to check the coolant and keep an eye out for more "junk". he paid for an extended warranty when he got the car, so he should be covered regardless of the problem.

 

Definately water. Could be from blowby, antifreeze or other. If driven less than about 10 mi each time started you can get what you described. Have the PCV system cleaned and checked. That is the system responsible for drying out vapors. Some oils are more prone to jell than others, but all will with enough water vapor. Unfortunately it is all through the engine. Change the oil much more frequently for short trips, especially in winter. I've had good luck with Exxon Uniflow, but everyone here has an opinion.

 

If the oil in the crankcase looks normal I wouldn’t worry about it. It is from short trips and the engine never getting a chance to warm up.

 

Have you done a pressure test on the cooling system, that should tell you if it is leaking

 

As posted many times it's very common from a vehicle that constantly takes short trips however I've never heard of so much junk as described.