Wierd gunk in my oil, what is it?

[DennisBufo]

When I checked the oil in my 57 Cub after using it for about an hour this white alien junk was on my dip stick. Any suggestions as to what the heck it is? THANKS

 

[Barnyard]

Looks like you are getting water in the crank case. How is your coolant level. Could be a blown head gasket or cracked head.

 

[DennisBufo]

Looks like you are getting water in the crank case. How is your coolant level. Could be a blown head gasket or cracked head.

Water level looks fine
Guy I got the Cub from put a new head gasket and it looks new. Might try putting torch wrench on head bolts. Any idea what they should be torched to? I just put the hood etc. back on a few days ago, owell

 

[Jim Becker]

Is this the first you have run the tractor in cold weather? What you have is an oil/water mixture. The dipstick tube is also the crankcase vent. So there is always some water vapor venting out due to blowby. How much you get depends on the condition of the engine. It could be simply the result of condensation and not a real problem.. If you have used it in the cold before, is this worse than you have previously seen?

 

[ricky racer]

Most likely the moisture in your crankcase is due to condensation. If you only run your tractor for short periods of time the condensation doesn't have completely dry out. It's best to work your tractor for longer periods at least time to time to dry out the condensation.

 

[Peter Person]

As the others have said, most likely condensation that doesn't fully evaporate in the cold air, especially if you have the long tube that doesn't heat up.
I've had that occur over the course of the last 20 winters....a good excuse to change the oil each spring.

 

[Glen]

Might try putting torch wrench on head bolts. Any idea what they should be torched to?

I guess you mean a torque wrench. The torque spec is in the Cub and LoBoy service manual, it is 45 ft lbs. There is a torque sequence for the head bolts in the manual. Below is the page.
If the man didn't put sealer on the head bolt threads, the coolant can leak out, usually it runs out from the head gasket on the outside of the engine, but I think I read on here it can leak into the engine too.
https://farmallcub.club/rudi/farmallcub.com/rudi_cub/www.cleancomputes.com/Cub/Blue Ribbon Service Manuals/GSS-1411 Service Manual for Cubs and Lo-boy Tractors/Section 1 - Engine/Page-01-14.jpg

Below is a picture of one brand of sealer that works well for the bolt threads. They sell it at NAPA in my area.
If the coolant is green, with antifreeze, and the water on the dipstick is clear, it is probably condensation, like was said above.

 

[cdahl383]

Water mixed with oil will cause that. Could be from condensation or a leak from the cooling system.

Have you changed the oil recently? If not, how old is the oil?

Maybe it just needs to be worked more so the oil heats up and burns off any water/condensation that's in there. Like Bill mentioned watch your coolant level. If it starts dropping and you don't have an external leak there is a problem.

My Nova had some nasty gray milky looking oil years ago when I checked it when it was running funny. Turns out it was a blown head gasket. Replaced that, changed the oil, changed the coolant, and everything was fine after that.

 

[Barnyard]

Here is a simple diagram showing the torque sequence of the head.

 

[staninlowerAL]

............................If the man didn't put sealer on the head bolt threads, the coolant can leak out, usually it runs out from the head gasket on the outside of the engine, but I think I read on here it can leak into the engine too...................

If you want to check to see if the head bolts have sealer on the threads you can remove them one at a time, apply sealer and reinstall/torque to spec without having to replace the head gasket. JMHO Stan

 

[Jim Becker]

You can check/retorque the head bolts. Otherwise, I would not do anything with the head at this point. Wait until you actually observe a loss of coolant.

 

[Gary Dotson]

The Cub has no thermostat, as a result, in cold weather operation the engine will not reach proper operating temperature. I don’t use my Cubs in winter, anymore, but when I did I always covered the grill with a plastic sheet. When the engine is not given the opportunity to proper warm up, you’re going to have condensation.

 

[DennisBufo]

Thanks ALL for the very useful information. Sure has answered a lot of questions for me. Kind of like going back to school

 

[SONNY]

cold weather and short start/run will do that. Thats why I dont use mine in the winter to move stuff around with. --- It dont do well in the cold either.
Also do you see any blowby? ---motor could be getting worn out as well--- then this milky stuff only gets thicker