freshly built SR20DET, milky oil??

[yitzac1990]

Hey everyone, first off allow me to introduce myself. This is my first time posting here. I have used the site for a lot of information over the years, but now its time to join up and ask a question.

I just fully built my redtop SR, and after starting it for the first time, and doing the first heat cycle, I checked the oil and it came out milky (see pic). Do you know what this could be?? Is this normal on a fresh build? Its got a brand new Cosworth head gasket. I used Lucas assembly lube on all moving parts, and blue Loctite on just about every bolt on the motor. Other than this, the motor started up and ran extremely well, just needs some tuning!

http://i.imgur.com/rjPAwoJh.jpg

Thanks very much!

P.S. - when I searched for an answer, I really only got info on people who had bad/blown head gaskets on used motors, not FRESH builds with this happening, so im not sure what it could be.

[slideslidegnarslide]

Some times when doing a metal head gasket they don't seal. Was the head deck as well as the block? Cosworth has a reputation for this unfortunately

[RalliartRsX]

Looks like coolant is mixing with your oil :(

Good chance it's a headgasket as mentioned. Sorry :(

[yitzac1990]

the head and block were both decked, block has Darton sleeves, bored to 90mm and CP pistons. all ARP hardware torqued to spec. Maybe get in contact with cosworth and see about a replacement?? This was a special order HG

[yitzac1990]

and honestly, I dont know of any other brand that has a 90mm head gasket....any suggestions?

[slideslidegnarslide]

I'm sorry I mispoke before I was thinking cometic head gasket. They are the ones with a lot of problems. I'm sure Cosworth will replace if it is a manufacturing issue not installation issue. I don't know of any other brand that has 90mm. Did you use copper spray and check that your head and block were flat within .0015 of an inch?

[yitzac1990]

I did not use copper spray. I didn't check for flatness, but they were both freshly decked so I assume they were checked at the machine shops (head was done at one shop, block was sleeved at another, both are racing engine/performance shops).

Im going to re-torque the head studs today after work. Ill let it idle and warm up to operating temp, then let it cool down. While it cools down, ill go ahead and change the oil and filter, and swap in fresh stuff and see if the re-torque helped.

I have already messaged Cosworth about this, waiting to hear back.

[vJilly]

hey cory nice motor dude it was good hearing it purrrr

[slideslidegnarslide]

Ah yes I'm sure they checked but you can never rule it out. Some people have Luck with copper spray and others don't. I didn't use it on mine but I'm not running yet so I can't help you there lol. To me it is most likely the head gasket. The only other thing I could think of is the machine shop that installed your sleeves cracked the block or a water passage pressing/ banging the sleeves in. Highly doubt that though. I believe a leak down test can show if it's a bad head gasket. No experience with that first hand but other people on here have talked about it I'm sure the info is available

[yitzac1990]

I may look into the leakdown test if the oil is still milky after re-torquing.

another detail I left out, is it was very humid last night, like 95% or more. my garage floor was literally puddling up. would this amount of humidity have any effect you think? I did have the valve cover off so I could put in my Tomei shims for at least an hour. Could enough moisture have gotten in the head to do this?

[theboy]

With as milky as your oil is. The humidity can be ruled out. Your either down a head gasket or whom ever sleeved your block screwed you.

If you dont want to pull the head then do a compression test on all the cylinders to see if they hold pressure (this will tell you whether or not you spit the gasket out between cylinders).

Next, pull both radiator hoses and pressurize that system and listen for the leak. (if you lose pressure than pull the head)

Check your spark plugs to see if they look to be steam cleaned. (means gasket between cylinders is done)

Pull the drain plug and let the oil/water separate. And check coolant levels.

[yitzac1990]

so what im going to do today is:

- retorque/check the head studs
- run the motor at idle with varying RPMs up to operating temperature, maybe a little higher (I have a 65C thermostat)
- while the car cools down, drain the oil completely and refill with new oil, and check the color/quality of the coolant
- once the car has cooled down, run the motor at idle with varying RPMs up to operating temperature, maybe a little higher
- check the oil on the dipstick, and see what it looks like

I also found this thread on another forum where the guy replaced his head gasket with a brand new one and was having the same milky color as I am. He just ran his car for 10 minutes, flushed it out, and the milky was all gone (last post on thread).

http://www.240sxforums.com/forums/sr20de-det/70241-all-possible-ways-water-can-get-into-oil.html

I really don't think its the head gasket, seeing as its a good quality brand, only read good reviews on it, and its brand spanking new. I kept it sealed in the packaging until the moment I needed to install it. BUT, i am not ruling it out completely....

[yitzac1990]

good news! I think...

Re-torqued the head studs (they wound up being fine, but always good to double check).
Ran the car to about 195 degrees, and then let it cool.
Changed the oil, checked coolant, did some other little things unrelated to my problem.
Ran the car again to about 195, shut it down.

WHen I checked the dip stick this time, the oil on the end was as nice and new as when I poured it out of the bottle!!

So, still going to keep an eye on everything obviously, but I take it this is good news, yes?

[nextproject]

Cosworth gaskets dont require lapping of the head/block, do they? certain MHG's state that the surfaces must be a certain RA (roughness). Certain MHG's require the surfaces to be almost as smooth as glass. I would follow your procedure outlined above and report back.

[angel mkiv]

I'd do a leak down test just to be sure...or buy a head gasket leak test at your auto parts store

[jr_ss]

Cosworth headgaskets don't require "lapping" or a special RA, the OEM recommended finish is just fine. They are covered in a Nitrile coating and seal extremely well.

[yitzac1990]

well I will go ahead and rent a leak down tester from Advance, and do that. thats no problem. im going to check the oil again this morning after its been sitting all night, and if its still good, maybe do some more heat cycles and possibly go for a short drive up and down my street.

[pacotaco345]

Just a thought, but if its a fresh rebuild the initial milky oil color might have been caused by some funky assembly lube you used, and completely unrelated to moisture.

[cotbu]

Lazy mechanic test:
Pull the oil cap and take pictures of the inside of the cap, pull the pcv and look at the back of it and into the port on the valve cover.
If moisture is a problem, it will condense in those spots, this does not mean a head gasket failure, this means moisture is present and after a heat cycle or 2 the moist should be evaporated, if you let it sit overnight and the milky film is back, I then would consider it a problem.

From a Highly Tuned Note 4.5!!!

[BlackZenkiS14]

No one has mentioned this, and because it is possible, I will:

Check the turbo lines you installed. It is possible to have the coolant/oil lines flipped on the block which will run coolant through your turbo and into your crankcase.

I'd double that you have those in the right place...

[cotbu]

I can see that happening if you have stock lines, maybe? If you have braided lines, and that happens... carry this L and put it next to the battery, because you inclined to swap those ends around too.

From a Highly Tuned Note 4.5!!!

[largekid]

are you on E85? I've seen motors get milky if they are ran super rich on E85

[yitzac1990]

thanks for all the replies everyone, i love this forum!

while I was re-torquing the studs, i noticed the underside of the valve cover was coated in the milky substance, so obviously the oil cap and PCV were also. but again, once I changed the oil and ran it for a while, the milky went away. im going to drive it about 25-50 miles and then change the oil and filter again.

I can 100% guarantee that the turbo lines are installed correctly. if it matters, they are the Circuit Sports SS turbo lines.

I am running on 93 with 740cc injectors. In fact, because I was on my old tune, and the cylinders are now 4mm bigger, I was running lean due to the extra air space and huge lift of the cams, but having the same amount of fuel. I just added some fuel yesterday though, so its good for driving now!

[slideslidegnarslide]

Good shit man glad to see its seems to be working out. Good luck man