First I thought it was water in the oil, however the dealership checked it out and said it is condensation due to inproper warm-up at cold temperatures! They did an oil change and I have driven the truck twice since (ca.300km/200mi)with a long warm up and I do have a white film on the oil filler cap again. Does anybody else have this problem on their 4.6 or 5.4?

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1999 XL S/C 4x4, 4.6w, auto, LS 3.55
XL Appearance Group (Polished alloys, 40/60 bench, colour-keyed bodyside mouldings)
XL Value Group (Air, AM/FM Cassette)
Tilt & Cruise

 

how new is your truck??i had a small amount of the build up when my truck was brand new but it went away after the first oil change..

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pacific green 97 f150 4.6l..reg cab flareside ,ROUSH suspention down 3 fr and3.5rear,snug lid,carpeted bed, painted tailight accents,4x4 grill &bumper,k&n,chip,ram air kit,valvoline synthetic,accel super stock wires,platinum plus4 plugs,flow master muff,blue halogen bulbs,killer stereo, speed-glo dash,carbon fiber gauge accent,..."#6 sticker!!!!"

 

This is usually due to neglect of maintenance. I.E. changing oil.

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1997 F-150, 4.6, automatic, Dark Toreador Red, Supercab, Flareside, 4X4 Off-Road, Towing Package, Ford hvy dty rubber floor mats, Chrome Grizzly Wrap Around Push Bar with 2 KC 100w Daylighters, Ventshades, Ford bedliner, Code Alarm Sure Start RVS remote starter, Ford alarm, Realistic CB with Wilson Little Wil antenna and Astatic power mic, ported MAF sensor, and Lots of TLC!! (Besides being an F-150 nut, I am a Ford auto technician.)

 

I had this problem and I really worried that something was wrong. My dealership assured me that it was just due to cold temps, and was normal. They were right, a small amount is ok.

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97 F-150 4.6 auto, 4x2, 3.55 LS, WMS Velocity tube, K&N, Dynomax Super Turbo exhaust with Echo tube.
Oh yeah, it's Oxford White with crome wheels, Legacy shell & custom grill!

 

We have a similar situation occurs with our fire engines. Of little bit of buildup is not a bad and should be considered normal and this caused when the engine is started driven a short distance and shut off. But if you start getting a large buildup that means that you have a lot of water in the oil and is caused usually by a P C V valve that is defective or a breather tube that is blocked for the filter is clogged.

Jeff

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Member: Never trust a person over 40 who drives a Chevy club
Flatheads ain't so bad!
Certified backyard mechanic I & II

 

This almost never happens when the weather is warm. If you were to take a long trip, the water (condensation) in your engine would have a chance to evaporate and be removed by the PCV valve. Changing oil only helps a little because the condensation is still in the top of the engine and changing oil only removes whats in the oil pan.

 

Thanks guys!
I appreciate the prompt reply by everybody. To Rushfan-1:
My truck is just three month old and has 3300km/1800mi on it.
To Sycoholic:
It can't be neglect because it just had the first oil change and I am over protective with my trucks. BTW, what is your opinion on using syntethic after 3000mi? The service guy at my dealer said I should have at least 10000mi on it!?
To Mlaugh:
Where do you live and how cold does it get there? Are you idling your truck for a long time to warm it up before you drive off? Do you still expirience this problem?
To Beechkid:
At the garage stop they check the PVC valve and replaced or cleaned it, however I got the white film again.
To Bubbadewsky:
I know that this should not happen on warmer days or longer trips, but what can I do, I live in northern Alberta (Canada) and the weather is cold up here in the winter. What irritates me, is that my GMC does not have this problem and it is driven even shorter distances with almost no warm-up what so ever. I am just curious if this is a Ford specific thing with their SOHC engines.

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1999 XL S/C 4x4, 4.6w, auto, LS 3.55
XL Appearance Group (Polished alloys, 40/60 bench, colour-keyed bodyside mouldings)
XL Value Group (Air, AM/FM Cassette)
Tilt & Cruise

 

6869
I changed to Mobil 1 at 3000 miles. Some cars come with Mobil 1 right from the factory, so it should be ok to switch to it at your next oil change.
Swiching to a synthetic oil, may get rid of the white film, and it will make start up much better in the winter, due to better flow in cold weather.I live in New England, and it gets cold here too, I love the Mobil 1 really helps cold start ups.

 

Just for general info, moisture in the crankcase is normal, especially if the engine is only run for short periods of time.

Combustion produces several things. Heat, various gasses, particulates, and water vapor (I'm probably missing a lot of other things, but you get the idea). The piston rings are not perfect, so they let a bit of exhaust gas past and down into the crankcase.

There's a lot of water vapor in the exhaust gas and even gasoline when the engine is cold. All of this ends up in the crankcase.

When it's cold, the hot gasses hits the cold metal, oil, and "air" inside the engine. The water vapor condenses inside the engine. One of the last places, I'm guessing, that gets hot enough to vaporize water is in the valve covers and sticking up in the cold air, is the oil filler neck. Perfect place for water vapor to condense back into water.

6869, maybe your GMC's oil filler is flush with the valve cover? I'm not too sure why Ford went with a neck. I've never added oil, so I'm not sure if it makes this task easier.

Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about this. If it bothers you, just change the oil in the spring when it warms up again.

One word of advice. Don't sit in the driveway with your engine idling to warm it up. It's best to drive slowly as soon as the engine settles down. Excessive idling at the first cold start of the day is what causes a lot of problems.

 

Thanks Dennis and Don C!
Btw. Dennis, my GMC does have a flush filler cap i.e. it is sitting right on the valve cover. I am pleased to hear your opinion on the warm up since this is what I read and was told when I grew up in Europe. Your explanation about the piston rings etc. goes in sync with Ford's oil consumption measure that 1 litre/quart per 3000mi is quite normal. That shows, that their piston rings might not be as tight as some other models, hence the relatively high oil consumption and gases in the crank case.


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1999 XL S/C 4x4, 4.6w, auto, LS 3.55
XL Appearance Group (Polished alloys, 40/60 bench, colour-keyed bodyside mouldings)
XL Value Group (Air, AM/FM Cassette)
Tilt & Cruise

 

Just for general info, moisture in the crankcase is normal, especially if the engine is only run for short periods of time.

Combustion produces several things. Heat, various gasses, particulates, and water vapor (I'm probably missing a lot of other things, but you get the idea). The piston rings are not perfect, so they let a bit of exhaust gas past and down into the crankcase.

There's a lot of water vapor in the exhaust gas and even gasoline when the engine is cold. All of this ends up in the crankcase.

When it's cold, the hot gasses hits the cold metal, oil, and "air" inside the engine. The water vapor condenses inside the engine. One of the last places, I'm guessing, that gets hot enough to vaporize water is in the valve covers and sticking up in the cold air, is the oil filler neck. Perfect place for water vapor to condense back into water.

6869, maybe your GMC's oil filler is flush with the valve cover? I'm not too sure why Ford went with a neck. I've never added oil, so I'm not sure if it makes this task easier.

Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about this. If it bothers you, just change the oil in the spring when it warms up again.

One word of advice. Don't sit in the driveway with your engine idling to warm it up. It's best to drive slowly as soon as the engine settles down. Excessive idling at the first cold start of the day is what causes a lot of problems.