Milky, foamy dipstick but coolant res and top end look okay???

[splats]

I once saw that on the underside of the oil filler cap of a mid '80s Honda CRX (maybe?) - it was a gloppy mess. So we parked it under an old willow tree, and started to pull the head. But we stopped when we removed the valve cover because everything there looked just peachy. So we drained the oil, which looked normal - and then we put everything back together and she went on her merry way.

I think it's not an uncommon thing. Here's a similar story on a jeep forum: http://tinyurl.com/ohanr4t

[SonicAdventure]

So after noticing this stuff the other day, i wiped off the dipstick as best as possible, redipping and re-wiping about 5 times. I took the car for about a 1 hour highway trip. Checked the oil and coolant res as soon as I stopped. Oil looked clearer. No change in coolant volume. Let the car sit for about 5 hrs. Drove another 50-60 miles, let the car sit over night. Came out and checked the oil again, it looks much better.

I suppose this might be a false alarm, but it's def is a wake up call to me that I need to go over the vehicle and contemplate what I need to do to maximize its longevity. The motor has 241,300 on it. Timing belt has been taken care of, PCV still needs to be done. I suppose the thermostat should be done as well based on comments above.

But before I spend the time and money to do the PCV I want to make as sure as possible that these frothy symptoms aren't a symptom of a dying head gasket. I've owned the car for going on 2 years, I've never had any overheats and the coolant has been totally flushed and replaced as of last summer. Other than a chemical test, is there any other way to check the longevity of a head gasket?

[abscate]

That's great news! Glad I was wrong.

Can you take this car up to speed for 30 minutes each weekend? That would cure it.

[kaneelschep]

I swapped my thermostat for a Febi one some time ago. rubber didnt fit perfectly. it was too big to get in nicely. Happens more often with the cheaper brands. thermostats work perfect with the old rubber though.
I had to drive the car with broken thermostat for about 2 weeks. In very cold and wet weather and I drove quite slowly and short distances.
Now every time I check the oil I have a bit of sludge on the last tip of the stick. Even after driving 4000km last month.
Like you allready noticed too. It will be gone when doing a bit of speedy kms. Dont think its a problem.
Very easy for the oil to get some condensation in this time of year.
Especially cheap oil.
Like I used some cheap valvoline synthetic from a euro store to fill it up after an oil leak.

[polskamafia mjl]

...I need to go over the vehicle and contemplate what I need to do to maximize its longevity.

Drive it more.

[SonicAdventure]

I def. plan to do a long drive every week or so and to keep an eye on it. I'm still concerned that I might have some kind of a small leak in the head gasket, but the fact that the condensation was there last winter, went away in the summer and is now back again now that it's cold again seems reassuring.

One thing bothers me is that over the course of the last 6 or 7 months it seems like my coolant level has decreased slightly with no sign of a coolant leak. Back in the summer my coolant level was right around the "Max" line and now that it's colder my coolant level is just below the seam in the reservoir, about halfway between "Min" & "Max". I don't know if it's possible that the block retains more coolant when it gets colder, and if the reservoir tends to be more full when it's hotter outside. However, I suppose if I had a gasket leak then the condensation and foam that has come and gone with the changing of the seasons without any of it getting up in the top end would not explain it. Nor do I have any of the other failing head gasket symptoms like surging coolant levels, white smoke etc,

It's frustrating trying to strategize and prioritize on an almost 20 year old car...part of me wants to drive it forever but part of me also just wants realistic, reliable transportation that doesn't need constant work and attention. If there was a sure fire way of guageing the condition of the head gasket, I might be inclined to invest another chunk of money into the PCV overhaul, but if I know the head gasket is going I'm just going to drive it into the ground and buy another car (possibly another V70 with less miles and all this work already done - save the one I have for parts).

[scot850]

When the weather gets colder, any slightly loose pipe clamps can start a leak that wasn't there before as the rubber of an older rubber hose will lose some of it's elasticity with the cold and shrink slightly.

Another favorite place to look is the heater core for a small leak.

Finally when was the radiator last changed? If you have an automatic, the oil coolers built into the radiator can start a small internal leak with age.

Neil.

[SonicAdventure]

When the weather gets colder, any slightly loose pipe clamps can start a leak that wasn't there before as the rubber of an older rubber hose will lose some of it's elasticity with the cold and shrink slightly.

Another favorite place to look is the heater core for a small leak.

Finally when was the radiator last changed? If you have an automatic, the oil coolers built into the radiator can start a small internal leak with age.

Neil.

The radiator was replaced in 2014, have the paperwork from the shop where it was done. Heater core was replaced last year, but it was a used core from the junkyard. If I had to do it again I would have just bought one of those $40 cores off eBay everyone is talking about. Too much trouble to do a used part in that application. However, the used core doesnt fog up my windows like the old core did, so I don't suspect a leak there.

I have assigned parking where I live so I always look at the ground for leaks. Plus it's concrete so they are easy to see. I have never seen even the slightest trace of coolant on the ground.

The water pump and TB was replaced 6-7 months ago. No leaks and nothing off there.

Again thou, if I am having even the smallest leak of coolant internally, why is the foamy dipstick only happening in cold months, and more over not appearing in the coolant res, under the oil cap and why is it clearing up after a long drive?

[abscate]

6-7 months for a few cm of reservoir change? I would monitor that but ignore it from a repair standpoint. That could be a tiny seep most anywhere. My 1999 probably uses coolant at this rate

The fact that your weekend exploits helped things is all good. That's condensation, not an internal leak

Drive and enjoy.

[scot850]

Agreed! Taking the car for a long run once a month helps warm everything up and drive off the condensation from the crankcase and especially the muffler system. Your fluid loss could just be a 'burp' from the water pump replacement, so as abscate says watch and monitor. The last project had a very small leak at the heater core, it was not the core itself but the 'O'-rings at the core. It weeped so little it was only by removing the driver's carpet I could see a tell-tale in the dust!

Either way not to worry just now. Hopefully just run and enjoy!

Neil.