Thread: Condensation under oil cap

How much actual harm can the water that accumulates under the oil cap this time of year actually do? Is it worth an early oil change when it warms up in the spring?

None. Take it for 1 longer drive and all the water inside the engine block will evaporate. Something like 15-20 miles.

I do that every few weeks because I only drive city.

dont know if you've changed your lim gaskets yet, but since i changed mine the cap is bone dry all year round.

it used to get a a build up of snot and i could see water run off the cap when i took it off.

If you never take long trips it can accumulate a bit but i don't think it's enough to do any damage as far as i've heard of. Maybe try replacing your pcv valve if there seems to be a lot.

all i do is short trips too. its still clean and dry since the lim job.

I still get about the same amount as before the LIM job but my LIM gaskets werent bad either just figured it was a good idea to replace them. Most i've ever had is a few drops.

Stupid Question>

Does the Oil Life Monitoring System take the "Short Trips" when super cold into consideration? I am guilty of several 1-2 mile trips all year long and my commute to work is about 9 miles (3 city and 6 highway).

I say yes, because I'm at 1800 miles and its showing 52% left. So figure if I really did go to 3,000 miles it would be closer to 10-15% left. Seems that every oil change now, its going down in % faster, because I only drive 5 miles per day.

i watched my regal's once, it took like 5,000 miles till it said change the oil. dont think trip duration adds up to any thing, just miles driven.

my 03 gmc truck was defiantly 5,000 miles when the oil life warning popped up. i was resetting that damn thing bi monthly. i did 3,000 miles a month or more. it got a oil change every month, not kidding one bit. tires rotated every other month too. with 8 lug wheels too, yeah fun lol

It's supposed to but I never trust it.
And scotty your engine is almost one of a kind to never build condensation, they all do it in the winter. Mine gets pretty bad sometimes due to it almost never getting to full temp because of how short my trips are. I know it's not the lim gaskets or any type of coolant. It's just how it is. It's water vapor. As long as it doesn't ever show up on your dipstick there's no problem. Me personally I'd change it in the spring (early or not) because i've heard the build up of moisture and/or exhaust gases like that can cause the oil to become partially acidic or something to do with the detergents wearing out.

ill take a pic tomorrow. it used to get super wet and slimy, like in a week, season didnt matter one bit. winter was worse tho for sure.

the last time i cleaned the underside of the cap was when the lim job was done, so what we see is how it is in the pic. its only had maybe 1 oil change since the lim job too. thats how little i drive around, and when i do, its a short trip. 3 miles each way tops.

unless im getting parts, then its road trip time and my mpg go back up lol

Yeah if you get it in the summer you've got coolant in the oil. Most just get it when it gets cold, like below 40°F. Mine's bone dry all summer and most of spring and fall. Besides I've got aluminum lim gaskets and I'm not losing any coolant.