1997 Volvo 850 R smoke/steam out of oil filler cap?

obdshawn · Post by **obdshawn** » 27 Oct 2014, 03:08

a '97 volvo 850 R with 185,000 miles,synthetic oil is used in it but i havent changed the oil yet. when i opened the oil filler cap today just after i drove it, smoke or steam came out of it. i checked the dipstick and there was white sort of gunky stuff on it. what is that? would an oil change fix that?

shegarty · Post by **shegarty** » 27 Oct 2014, 04:08

obdshawn wrote:synthetic oil is used in it but i havent changed the oil yet.

How long has it been since your last oil change? The gunk on the dipstick could be just thick oil buildup but it could also be coolant seeping into the oil system from a bad head gasket, this is more likely though if the residue is milky looking. A small amount of smoke is normal especially after the engine is shut down hot but too much could signal problems with the PCV. There are some excellent threads on how to repair that but a definitive test is the rubber glove over the oil filler cap on a hot engine, if it inflates its time to replace the PCV. Post back with results.

instarx · Post by **instarx** » 27 Oct 2014, 07:00

obdshawn wrote:a '97 volvo 850 R with 185,000 miles,synthetic oil is used in it but i havent changed the oil yet. when i opened the oil filler cap today just after i drove it, smoke or steam came out of it. i checked the dipstick and there was white sort of gunky stuff on it. what is that? would an oil change fix that?

Unfortunately these could both be signs of a blown head gasket where coolant is getting into the oil. But there may be other reasons, too. Some vapor from the oil cap is normal if the engine is hot, and white gunk on the dipstick can be from not driving it much, or for very short distances. Water condenses and collects in the oil if the engine is not occasionally driven far enough to get the oil hot enough to drive out the water.

What does the coolant level look like? if it's low that would be another indicator of a blown head gasket. What was the oil level like? If it's high (overfilled) that could indicate coolant in the oil pan. Any other symptoms, like overheating? White smoke (steam) coming from the exhaust?