My OIL cap has milk on it.........i know this isnt good :(

[aquatribal]

hey all.
i have been reading ur very helpful forums for help with an issue i have had with my 04'VZ berlina. 2 nights ago i was sitting in melbourne peak hour west gate traffic, nothing new, done it many times, and the front fans kicked in, i looked at the temp, and it was in the red.EEP!, kinda shit myself as i wanst quite in the clear of traffic yet, only a few more meters. BUT, as i watched the temp, it dropped to half all of a sudden and the fans then went off. it did this twice in the 30 meters i was still stuck not going to far. to cut a long story short, i hit 100 km again 5 mins later, all good. normal temp, running fine. i jumped on forums and searched anyone who had similer problems/mysterys and found a few tips on what i could check for.
engine has done 140kms, with out a single hick up

today, i looked at the oil (car has only been driven 20 kms since overheat) and its all milky, leading me to conclued that i have a blown head ?? im also missing alot of coolent....it hasnt leaked out anywhere.

Please, can someone confirm if i have come to the right conclusion, and as i am in melb, can anyone suggest a GENUINE mechanic who can maybe do the repair, and not rape my wallet...like a holden dealer , mind u, i havent been anywhere but holden for service etc, till now, i know it will hurt if i do ,lol

Im in southwest of melb (altona) . and any info is gold on the topic

[CANYONERO]

sounds like you've blown a head gasket mate. not in melb so i cant help you there.... seems a bit unusual for a V6 to do a head in, i mean ive seen it but if the car is regularly maintained id say your a bit unlucky mate.

[aquatribal]

thanks for ur reply canyonero. it is a bit of a shock, she has been well looked after. she even survived many 35 + temp days in traffic with ease, and it fugged up in winter, go figure..

[2005vzute]

what colour is the milky substance your talking about..i used to work at holden, i once saw a ve sv6 get coolant and transmission oil get mixed together somehow..it turned into like a melted strawberry ice cream substance..creamy and that pinky milky lookin colour...it's typical to go a milky colour when oil and water mix...if your head or head gasket is stuffed or any other gasket where oil and coolant come into close contact, it's possible the gaskets are stuffed...is there a possibility that the engine oil and coolant could have mixed by seeping through cracks in a buggered gasket eg.head gasket...however, i doubt this very much as i think you would have noticed something was wrong, but possibly even cracks within the head and cylinder walls will allow coolant and oil to mix...what level is your engine oil at...if you see a major increase in engine oil and a decrease in coolant..i think it'd be pretty obvious where your coolant went...having this engine oil level too high and with the wrong stuff in it will cause even more serious problems...things like your crankshaft constantly hitting the overfilled sump will cause foaming and can stuff your PCV, along with getting the oil and water into crankcase bearings and cylinder walls will stuff them...mate, depending on what it is and to what extent the damage has been done, i think your engine could be a write off...i'll admit i am no expert at this and i could be way off..but i've heard and seen stuff like this happen, all this info would be a logical explanation, but like i said, i could still be way off.

seeing as though im in sydney, i have no idea about a mechanic...have you noticed any symptoms from your engine..strange noises..lack of power/ repsonse etc

cheers mate

[aquatribal]

cheers 2005vzute. its white , wasnt too foamy, there is more "white oil substance" , and not alot of coolant . it still drives and sounds fine. i just started it, all normal, although im not going to drive it to far if i can help it. and the trans fluid is all good. thank you for ur reply

[aquatribal]

whats a new 3.6 l worth in 2010?

[Bravotwozero]

Doesn't automatically mean it is a head gasket. If you do lots of short trips or drive your car infrequently you can get condensation in the oil. It happens with my VW Golf all the time. I also suspected the head gasket but was assured it was fine.

[2005vzute]

that's also true, the same story as condensation coming out of ur exhaust i suppose..unburnt hydrogen in the fuel mixing with oxygen wherever it may be, whether it's unburnt oxygen or something...i would doubt a alloytec would have suffered from that much condensation though

SPECIALS JULY 2010 have a quick squiz through there, it has the alloytecs in there

cheers mate

[aquatribal]

the engine i have is the 175kw. do i have to stick with that same engine. i suspect the trans may not be the same........yes/ no / maybe

cheers

[aquatribal]

and un fortunatly, its a bit more than condensation

[Bravotwozero]

Is there oil in the radiator? Coolant in the sump?

[2005vzute]

does the berlina really have a 175? i thought the only ones that had the 175's were the executive, acclaim and the rest of the lower end commodores...i don't think it would be an issue to swap a 175 for a 190...should find out what the differences are between these engines..im pretty sure it's just an electrical difference...ive read it's something to do with the electronics inside the plenum, it has vvt and something about the computer that controls everything..what do they call it these days...ecu? ecm? pcm?, i dunno the difference anymore...it should physically be a straight swap...i mean like, they still use the same engine mounts, vacuum hoses for brakes and fuel lines etc...4,150 is pretty good for an alloytec though..when i was at holden, they charged a guy that had a rodeo like 6-7 grand for the swap, 175kw motor too..no way would it have cost 2 grand or so in labour, i think it took the mechanic a bit over a day to do it?

[aquatribal]

yeah, mine does, november 2004 wagon, 3.6 L 175 kW (238 PS; 235 hp) Alloytec V6 (172 kW in 2006) after emmission law change. i have read also something like that, in that the electrical could be the only diff, the engine dimentions etc are the same.....hmmmm, more research needed i think...
cheers

[2005vzute]

wooaahhh..it took me like 10 times to workout your second sentence haha..the electrical side of things are the of things are the only difference, engine deimensions are the same haha...when you said diff...i was like what..electronic stuff in the diff:S hahaha...i get it now..yea more research needed i think

what are ya gunna do if you need a new motor...btw, like i said i could be way off..but IF you did need a new engine, what are ya gunna do..replace it? or get another car or something?