White substance under oil cap/smells

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David Simmons

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Hello I just bought a 1997 expedition XLT and i noticed there was a milky white substance on a small corner of my oil cap no where else not in or around the oil spout where the cap screw on and so i freakkked out because i have always heard thats a blown head gasket. I wiped it off drove it around the block a few times then checked it and it was back. It does not show anything on the dipstick.. I dont see any white smoke out of exhaust... is this something I should worry about or normal? what causes this and how can i fix?i read somewhere moisture can cause it so maybe i have a small leak? would a sealer fix it?thumbnail_20170212_122731.jpg


Also I opened the oil cap and i swear it smells like gasoline! freaking me out. ya it is an old truck but it has a pretty strong smell of gas.. again.. anything i should worry about? what can it be? and how can i attempt to fix? sealer? lol


thank you in advance
 

ExplorerTom

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That might just be from not getting fully up to operating temp.

Go get yourself some cheese curds from Culver's in Altoona and check it again.
 

ExplorerTom

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My parents used to live in Johnston and I have a lot of family in the Cedar Rapids area. I've driven to or through Des Moines dozens of times.

I just feel like some cheese curds and I know there's a Culver's out near Adventureland right out near you.
 
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David Simmons

David Simmons

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My parents used to live in Johnston and I have a lot of family in the Cedar Rapids area. I've driven to or through Des Moines dozens of times.

I just feel like some cheese curds and I know there's a Culver's out near Adventureland right out near you.


nice.. ya i live in johnston which there is also a culvers not far XD haha
 

docraymund

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Wish to visit there someday. Never been to Iowa. But I think your oil is contaminated. Put a few drops of it on a hot exhaust manifold. If it sizzles, then coolant is present.
 

GaryH2

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I read where this happens in hybrids a lot because the engine doesn't get up to temp enough to "burn off" the moisture in the engine. If it smells like gasoline this would also reinforce that its from cold starts and not getting the engine up to temp for very long. You haven't mentioned if you're actually losing coolant or had to add any.

We have the oil/gas smell issue with our Honda. Its our "station car" and only goes a couple miles a day. Oil always smells like gas and gets black really quickly, but the Blackstone tests show its ok, even after 5000 miles.

That being said, you might want to do an oil change and take particular note of your coolant level if you're concerned about a head gasket issue.
 

Snag

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David,
I believe the responses are correct. If the rig is running correctly I would rule out head gaskets. This is common with winter driving, short distance driving with these lean burn engines. I would keep an eye on it and if it continues consider doing some tests. Also, you might consider more frequent oil changes during the cold winter months if the rig is not fully heated up before shutting down on a frequent basis.
My 04 Dodge with the hemi and my 05 Expedition with the 5.4 do the same thing. Once warmed up the goo disappears.
 

1955moose

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David welcome to the forum. How many miles on your expedition? You can remove the cap on your expansion bottle. Let it get up to temp. If you've got a head gasket issue, coolant will purge out due to pressure. You can still have a leak of coolant into oil without showing on stick. That's the early stages of leakage. If you choose, and it's recommended I'd hook up a coolant pressure tester to see if you have leakage any where. As the others stated change your oil/ filter. Examine it closely.


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JoeD

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David, as was previously mentioned, the pic you shared is common when a vehicle is ran and the oil doesn't come up to temp. ie: idleing, real short trips and the like. And you mentioned you just bought it, did it sit, was it for sale long? If so that is an indication of the potential of several starts and not being up to temp.
What you see is a normal occurrence that gets taken care of when the vehicle is driven, it is condensation that gets "burned" off.
As recommended do an oil/filter change and monitor it in case its not what I described.
 
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