white cream on oil cap?

[97ludeVTEC]

i was ABOUT to pick my 5th gen up.. checked the oil and there was all white creamy on the cap..also on the PCV..now ive gotten a few ideas about what it could be. the car only has 88K on it and its in mint cond...also a HONDA so a cracked head seems out of the ques. any input would be appriciated <3

[absntmnd69]

pick it up and do a motor flush....that should fix the problem. i dont know what causes it but most chrysler products have that proplem....mainly the jeeps and the dodges

[Velocity1]

The white cream you describe is due to moisture in the crank case, condensation or coolant. Either way, the only way to fix it is to determine the source of the moisture. If you're sure you don't have a coolant leak, it is more likely from a blocked or non-functioning pcv system. Dodges do experience this phenomenon also, but so do other makes and models when the CC vent system fails.

With the low mileage on your engine as you say, I would look at all aspects of the crank case evacuation system first.

As far as an engine flush, there are pros and cons associated with this option. Others will have varied and mixed opinions, however I avoid them if possible.

Correcting the source of the moisture and a couple of short interval oil/filter changes will generally clean the creamy oil/water up, however depending on how long the problem has existed will ultimately determine how long it will take to clean itself up. (The cap is not the only surface that has the cream on it.) A long drive or trip, allowing the oil temperature to reach max operating temperature, will help evaporate the moisture out of the system.

If after trying this fix your oil cap still has the "cream" on it, you might want to start looking for other sources of moisture, ie; coolant from bad head gasket, etc.

A flush may appear effective initially, but is only a short term bandaid. If this problem is left un-checked, it will prove harmful to the motor internals in time.

V1

[black_prelude97]

Well it might be a leaking head gasket, you never know untill you actually desemble the motor itself, but try the flush first, just to be on the safe side....

[97ludeVTEC]

well this is all happening BEFORE i buy the car..its at the dealership right now still and they are doing a compression test tomorrow...soooo maybe well see.

[absntmnd69]

well if its at a dealership then tell them to fix it and u will buy it. dont buy it until its fixed

[97ludeVTEC]

yeah. i had the money in hand so if they want it..they will fix it.

[absntmnd69]

if they dont want to fix it or they just cant fix it then dont buy it. could have more problems then anticipated. take it to another dealership or a shop to get it checked out. thats what id do

[91Si4WS]

yeah i would definately get them to fix that problem, it might look in mint condition but you never know what the person before you could have done to it, they could have ran it hot and blew a head gasket on it, i know at the dealership i work at if a car has a problem like that and it has over 80K on it they do the cheapest, quickest fix to it just to sell it.

[Preludeshalyn]

i was ABOUT to pick my 5th gen up.. checked the oil and there was all white creamy on the cap..

yeah i know what you mean i like my prelude too:tongue:

[Velocity1]

After all where do people with cars with significant mechanical problems take them to unload them? The dealer because they buy them cheap, put a mondo repair on them and turn them over for profit. When you take it back for warranty, Providing there is one, then they tell you all about how a particular motor in these cars is prone to certain problems.

Been there done that.

I would be extremely wary of a car at a dealer that already has a significant issue.

V1

[97ludeVTEC]

alllright. well here we go..i got the results today and the chick said that each cylinder held pressure and that they came out to 160 pounds..so what does that leave me with?...not a headgasket which is excellent..but im still pretty concerned..she also said that they checked the coolant and there wasnt leaks in that either

[Uncle Buck]

sorry but soon as the car hit vtec i couldnt help myself.....i ment to clean it up but didnt have a tissue:rolleyes:

[Preludeshalyn]

woah when i got my compression checked in my 5th gen i had 210 pounds per cylynder

[Prelude13]

Just do timely oil changes and that white crap should cease from coming back. I suggest doing an oil change soon, drive for 500 miles and do another oil change.

You may want to remove the valve cover and examine to see where that crap is building up...the PCV(positive crankcase ventilation) is very important, dont sleep on that. You may want to also replace the PCV valve($5.00 at any parts store).
Avoid those engine flush treatments as Velocity1 said, i have my own theories on them as well. . .


Edit: 160PSI per cylinder is ok. Mechanics are lazy and dont do "wet" tests so one can never really figure out a good average of PSI per cylinder.