Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

[milkyway]

I took the boat out last Sunday for a total run time of 3 hours. Took the boat home and forgot to cover the engine top with plastic. I checked the oil dipstick and the oil looked OK and normal.

It has been raining and pouring here for the last few days. I opened the hatch and saw lots of water on the top of the engine. This would had not happened if I put on the engine cover precisely for this reason. Anyway, I ran the engine for a few minutes to soften the oil and make it ready to be pumped out.

The oil was light gray, and definitely has water. There is water but oil seemed more dominant than the water content. I thought this was a good sign. Looked creamy, and the entire oil after being pumped was creamy. I put fresh oil and ran the engine and pumped it out. Changed oil filter. Put fresh oil again and pumped. It's late and I have no more fresh oil. Oil pressure was steady 40 psi.

Since the oil dipstick gave me a normal oil impression last Sunday, could the water have come from the rain pouring on top of the engine during the last few days?

How can I tell if the engine is still ok?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

How can I tell if the engine is still ok?

Change the oil and run it again for 5 minutes. Recheck the oil.

I am skeptical that any signifigant water could have entered the crankcase from external rain unless you did not have a spark arrestor on the carburator.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

The flame arrestor was installed.

In fact, even before I started the engine to warm it up, the oil in the dispstick was alright. So it probably means that the water intrusion did not happen last Sunday's boating.

The oil got better on the second oil change. But does this tell me anything else other than the water has been removed.

If the manifold gasket is bad, or is it thecylinder head cover gasket you call it, would this allow rain water intrusion?

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

By the way, it's 1999 Alpha 1 5.0.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

What compounding problems may arise if I only have bad cylinder gasket and it does not get changed immediately and I continue to use the boat 3 more times? I am asking this coz I have planned acitivites with my friends and for me to remove everything on top of the engine would be a first- time for me and I will need a lot of time to just check and replace the gasket.

Merc's bulletin further states that water intrusion may also be caused by Cracked cylinder head and crack in the intake manifold.

 

[hullofalottatrouble]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

milky check the cylinders.. any water in there? have you done a compression test that should tell you if you have a bad head gasket..

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

I have not done a compression test but I have a gauge in possession. I guess it's time to learn and do this tomorrow.

How do I check the cylinders for water? By removing the plugs and cranking the engine? Can't do it now - it's almost 1 am here. This problem is keeping me awake and I am gathering all info and possibilites and make some plans for tomorrow night.

I will definitely do the follwoing tomorrow::

1. Continue with oil change until no water is visible.
2. Squirt oil in the cylinders.
3. Compression test.

Though the oil was milky, there were more oil than water and the oil had not lost its viscosity so I don't think, I hope, any damage has been made.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Read thru this thread there is a lot of info in here about water in the oil. This thread is on a 4.3 but would be the same as your 5.0

Water in The Oil

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Thanks.

 

[hullofalottatrouble]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

milky.. to check for water in cylinders you can pull all the plugs and turn the engine over by hand.. with the right sized socket or wrench you should be able to turn it over..

or if you want to really see if it comes flying out.. you can ground the coil to dist wire and crank the starter a bit.. make sure you run your blower before trying that..

didnt you have a fuel in your oil problem earlier? did you get that resolved? any signs or smell of fuel in the oil this time around?

my boat keeps me up and night too :%.. im still learning all this stuff myself.. so someone else might jump in with a different thought on all this.. but in the process ive become almost obsessive about checking for water in cyl and comp tests.. d

 

[tommays]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Milky

Check everything BUT that rain was EPIC several inches in a few hours Tornados on long island the whole deal




Tommays

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

cancell all boating activites until cause is known and repaired. or get out he BIG check book. it ain't from rain.

 

[sikpupy]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

cancell all boating activites until cause is known and repaired. or get out he BIG check book. it ain't from rain.

Have a shop do a leakdown check, probably a blown head gasket, if not, then one of your manifolds could be cracked.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Some excerpts from the Merc service bulletin follows

[colour=null]Water Found in Engine Oil[/colour] but not on top of pistons. The most likely reason is an intake manifold gasket or crack in the intake manifold, cylinder head or cylinder block.

This is the good part >> If water is not in the oil again, the engine is sound and the water got in by an “unknown” way.

Water on Top of Pistons. If water is found only on the top of pistons the most likely way it got there is through the intake or exhaust valve.

1. Water entering through “intake” valve - through the carburetor or throttle body then going into the intake manifold. The most common cause for water entering the engine this way is rainwater drainage onto the carburetor or throttle body.

2. Water entering through “exhaust valve”. The primary causes for water to get back into the engine through the exhaust system are 1) Engine Running Conditions, which covers 1. Ignition misfire (fouled spark plug). 2. Engine run-on (dieseling) 3. Bad valves.4. Sticking exhaust valve.

3. Bad cylinder head gasket or cracked cylinder head or cylinder. This type of failure normally is in one cylinder only. The water may foul out the spark plug and draw water backward through the exhaust system into the exhaust manifold. The only way to find this problem is to remove the cylinder head and inspect cylinder, cylinder head and gasket.

What I will do tonight with engine on muffs are as follows:

1, Change oil and filter 2 more times ( this will make it 4 total). If water does not and does not reappear, I will rule out water entering through exhaust valve. I will conclude that was rainwater drainage and check further cylinder head, gasket, or crack in the intake manifold, cylinder head or cylinder block.

2. If water reappears, then it must be thru the exhaust valve, which means no boating until the problem is resolved.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

3rd. Include compression test.

 

[Trent]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Iv seen rain water get into engines several times when the doghouse was left open. Runs around the flame arrestor bolt and down the carb. Change the oil and run it and change it again.

If you think your getting water into a cylinder pull the plugs and check the plug. It will be super clean compaired to the other plugs. If your still getting water in the engine its time to pressure check the manafold and riser.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

4th. Will examine the plugs. If steamed - must be the exhaust manifold and riser.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Do you use your boat in salt water? Have you ever replaced your manifolds and/or risers?

Has water in your bilge ever reached the crankshaft level. Water can seep in through the seals.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Salt water.

I removed the manifolds and risers last year and they looked good - no solid rusts, just the color of rusts, no blockage. If there were pinholes between the exhaust fresh water passages, couldn't tell.

I flooded the bilge last week, just like every year, to test the bilge pump. But the water level never reached that height.

I will gather more data tonight and tomorrow. I hope it's just gaskets for intake manifold and cylinder head.

Thanks to everyone for all your inputs!! I will be back.

 

[milkyway]

Re: Why is my oil suddenly milky?? From Rain??

Here are the results.

1. Changed oil 2 more times and filter. Poured fresh oil, ran engine at idle for 25 minutes and at 1100 rpm for 10 minutes. Oil from dipstick showns no water contamination.

2. Compression test from starboard side to port side.

180 180 180 180 180
175 180 180 170 180

3. All spark plugs were tanned and porcelain were white clean but nor spotless. No steamed cleaned, all dry, all plug tips were tanned, round edge of plugs somewhat black.

Are these tests and results enough to indicate that t he engine has no damage? The final test will be on the water and under lod.

I am inclined to believe that rain water got in thru the cylinder cover seal. Will open this up. Can I remove this cover without removing the exhaust manifolds?