Drops of water/under oil cap
03-26-2002, 05:59 PM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2001
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I don't seem to be losing any coolent, but I have drops of water on the underside of my oil cap and when it is running there is white mist coming up the oil fill pipe. All of the emissions are blocked off(no air pump etc), and the engine doesn't seem to be running hot. Is this a sign that I have a bad seal? I changed the oil and I didn't see any water in it. I haven't run the car very far(maybe 20 miles) as I'm still building it. Its a j-spec engine that looked really nice when I bought it.
03-26-2002, 06:52 PM
#2
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It's probably not a big deal. Check out this site:
http://mrmazda.members.atlantic.net/...t.html#OILFOAM
http://mrmazda.members.atlantic.net/...t.html#OILFOAM
03-26-2002, 06:54 PM
#3
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This is from that link I just posted:
What's that foamy stuff under the oil fill cap & inside the filler tube?
If you look closely, you probably also see water droplets mixed in or nearby the foam. If you find either, there is probably nothing you can do to permanently get rid of them. Luckily, you don't need to. A change in your driving pattern to include more driving under high load and fully warmed, and less driving of short trips or while the engine is cold, might do the job. Enough of such a change will do the job if your car is totally stock.
What you see is an emulsion, oil mixed with water. Your oil includes emulsifiers as part of the additive package. They cause water to actually mix into and "disappear" within the oil. To a point, they do exactly that, preventing small amounts of water from congregating in any one place that might result in oil starvation in a critical location. As long as the amount of water doesn't exceed the ability ot the emulsifiers to disperse them, no harm is done.
All engines are subject to condensation from the normal heatup and cooldown processes, the same way dew forms on the grass in the morning. The oil filler tube area is subject to very little oil flow, and very little ventilation flow, while at the same time it is one area highly subject to the forming of condensation. The emulsifier in the little bit of oil in the area forms the foam as its limit to absorb the oil is reached. When the engine gets hot enough, long enough, the water will boil off. Whether this will routinely happen with yours simply depends on your driving patterns.
What's that foamy stuff under the oil fill cap & inside the filler tube?
If you look closely, you probably also see water droplets mixed in or nearby the foam. If you find either, there is probably nothing you can do to permanently get rid of them. Luckily, you don't need to. A change in your driving pattern to include more driving under high load and fully warmed, and less driving of short trips or while the engine is cold, might do the job. Enough of such a change will do the job if your car is totally stock.
What you see is an emulsion, oil mixed with water. Your oil includes emulsifiers as part of the additive package. They cause water to actually mix into and "disappear" within the oil. To a point, they do exactly that, preventing small amounts of water from congregating in any one place that might result in oil starvation in a critical location. As long as the amount of water doesn't exceed the ability ot the emulsifiers to disperse them, no harm is done.
All engines are subject to condensation from the normal heatup and cooldown processes, the same way dew forms on the grass in the morning. The oil filler tube area is subject to very little oil flow, and very little ventilation flow, while at the same time it is one area highly subject to the forming of condensation. The emulsifier in the little bit of oil in the area forms the foam as its limit to absorb the oil is reached. When the engine gets hot enough, long enough, the water will boil off. Whether this will routinely happen with yours simply depends on your driving patterns.
03-27-2002, 05:18 PM
#4
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 184
Thanks for the info. I was really worried that my engine had blown a seal! When I kept seeing water drops on the oil fill cap and white vaper in the tube I was thinking all was lost!
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
03-27-2002, 06:26 PM
#5
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Originally Posted by wdwflash' date='Mar. 27 2002,18:18
Thanks for the info. I was really worried that my engine had blown a seal! When I kept seeing water drops on the oil fill cap and white vaper in the tube I was thinking all was lost!
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
03-28-2002, 09:25 AM
#6
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Drag,Autocross,Roadrace or top end?(The math says that with my transaxle at 7000rpm I'd be doing 165+mph! Road and Track mag back in the 70s took a Kelmark to 202mph at the salt flats and 101/2 sec in the quarter, and this was with a Olds V-8 boat anchor of an engine! I've got a mag. with a pic of it doing a wheely off of the line!
03-28-2002, 09:40 AM
#7
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Originally Posted by 13BAce' date='Mar. 26 2002,19:26
[quote name='wdwflash' date='Mar. 27 2002,18:18']Thanks for the info. I was really worried that my engine had blown a seal! When I kept seeing water drops on the oil fill cap and white vaper in the tube I was thinking all was lost!
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
i think 13BAce has met his match i wanna see that race
03-28-2002, 11:20 AM
#8
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Originally Posted by vosko' date='Mar. 28 2002,10:40
[quote name='13BAce' date='Mar. 26 2002,19:26'][quote name='wdwflash' date='Mar. 27 2002,18:18']Thanks for the info. I was really worried that my engine had blown a seal! When I kept seeing water drops on the oil fill cap and white vaper in the tube I was thinking all was lost!
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
I've put almost no hours on the engine, but made sure to turn it over every so often while I was building the car. With the Haltech E6K and unrestricted exhaust the engine runs real strong.(It wants to bring the front wheels off of the ground in 1st and 2nd gear!)
i think 13BAce has met his match i wanna see that race
I'll take off all of my body panels, as well as the roof and interior. :sigh:
03-28-2002, 11:21 AM
#9
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Originally Posted by wdwflash' date='Mar. 28 2002,10:25
Drag,Autocross,Roadrace or top end?(The math says that with my transaxle at 7000rpm I'd be doing 165+mph! Road and Track mag back in the 70s took a Kelmark to 202mph at the salt flats and 101/2 sec in the quarter, and this was with a Olds V-8 boat anchor of an engine! I've got a mag. with a pic of it doing a wheely off of the line!
03-28-2002, 06:02 PM
#10
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 184
About 1800lb, but I'm adding a 75lb lead bar in front for better handling.(rear engine) Its got big, big tires on it so it shouldn't do to bad in the corners.(Check out the photo page and the one on rx7forum.com for pics)