i checked my oil a few minutes ago and noticed some whitish film on the upper area of the dip stick more towards the top, i have noticed my oil cap get some what seems like gas or other condesation on it thats not oviously oil, can somone point to this problem, i mean i dont have any smoke or anything such as that, and my car runs just fine, thanks for any help

 

Are you having to replace your coolant frequently? When you start your car in the morning open the radiator cap and if you see bubbles it could be an indication of a bad coolant seal

 

Does it smell sweet, like coolant? If it does (and your description sounds right), you likely have a blown seal somewhere. Meaning a rebuild is in your not-too-distant future. Pull the plugs too - whitish deposits are a sure sign of coolant, although your coolant may just be getting into the oil, not the chambers.
On the other hand, you may just be getting a lot of condensation and gas in your oil. Which is not good, but not necessarily a crisis. Does the car do a lot of short trips, especially in cold weather? It runs richer, and it can easily take 20 minutes for the oil to warm fully. If not warmed fully, it won't evaporate off water and fuel condensation - and that leaves gunky grey slime on the inside of the oil cap (though not usually on the dipstick).

 

the car only take small 10 minute trips maybe 3 or 4 times a month,i actually have coolant loss onmce in a while but only on a small scale, and i can tell you the condesation on the oil cap looks and smells gasy, and the engine was brand new(out the crate) less than 15k ago, so i cannot understand it just yet, and ive had the gas on the cap for sometime now almost since i got it, and the white slimy was new just wheni was checking the oil level when i was refueling. the plugs got alot of carbon on them around the boot but ill do a more recent check.

 

Your engine isnt getting warm, you've got white sludge. Every car has this when its not completely warmed up now and then.
If it doesnt, moisture doesnt evaporate out of the system and it will be visible as white sludge.

If you ask me, cars are not meant for such short drives. Especialy not these cars. These cars are for longer trips and sometimes need to be driven hard.

 

Redlining the car every time you take it out will help, as well as deter carbon buildup.

 

+1 ^ I have had the same issue and what was said above is exactly what Cam at Pettit racing said......He said its normal (if its gas)

 

it is called Lung Mustard and it is common...Cough,..ewww!

 

yea i redline it just about everytime i take off, and i havent been warming it up threw out this winter and it is sythetic oil, and its almsot a year old probally due for an oil change. well if its not too much to woory about then thanks guys, since from ur posts i assuming im in the clear, just need to drive her a little more often

 

Oh boy... what brand do you use?

 

this is a bad idea. it's generally accepted that you should stay under 4k rpms until the motor is fully warmed up

 

its really hard for the rotary to mix water and oil, it almost has to leak water OUTSIDE the engine, and then have that water somehow leak into the oil pan from the outside.

the white stuff on the oil cap and dipstick is just condensation mixed with oil vapor.

 

syntetic oil? why? You got a seperate tank for the OMP?

They told me, use mineral unless you premix or a seperate tank 2-stroke oil for the omp.

Its better to take a cheap car for such a short trips if you ask me, get the rx for longer trips so it can properly warm up, and then floor it sometimes.

 

Really? This old myth again? Synthetic oil is fine.

As for the OP, other posters have already answered the question. But go one step further and check your PCV valve as per the instructions in the Haynes/FSM.

 

yea the pcv is in an unknown state(as i dont know if its there or not havent checked) as for flooring it lets say i dont do it till i drove for maybe 3-5 minutes.. and the only reason i have the rx is for fun short trips to the store when i dont have to take my kids.. it is castrol gtx full syn but im doing an oil change to something cheaper since im shure i should at least change my oil once a year even if its only got 1k or so on it after the end of summer. i would not intentionally hurt my car by overrevving before its warm. (i have no temp guage and no one will remeber but i have an aftermarket temp guage that reads 170 celsius( witch i think may be f but is wrong since im useing stock sender.

 

Once a year, what, did you type that wrong?
General rule of thumb is once eveery 3000 miles or once every 3 months which ever occurs first.

My old mustang gt only saw 3000 miles a year, yet it saw normally 3 oil changes. I changed my old Mustangs once in spring when getting out for spring (usually april/may) get an oil change july/augustm unless I hit 3K, then again in oct/may when putting away. Same goes for my RX. Itll see one once it comes out the garage. Even though I did it right before it went in, in Nov, with maybe 100 miles since oil change.

Whats 60 bucks or little more a year in oil changes?

Good oil, is a good thing I believe.

 

is it that big of deal? i mean my oil looks like it came outa the bottle, clean for being ran. i mean i just let my windstar go nearly 8000 miles before changing it and that was almost a year and a half....nothing negative so to speak and its got 189k my seven only has 10k on the engine. i mean i dont know what you pay for sythetic but its 6-8 dollars a quart plus the nice kN filter, adds to more than 60 a year.. maybe i should switch?

 

3000 and 3 months is an oil company standard, and we all know how much they love to sell you oil.

i had a spare motor for my old chevy s-10 and decided to see how long i could use the oil for, it eventually had about 50k miles and 6 years on it, the motor never went so i just kept driving it and eventually sold it with the original motor in it after an oil change and sold the spare motor. the original engine had about 200k on it.

of course i had to add a quart about every 2,500 miles but that was it, never knocked or lacked power. the guide seals leaked a little oil since i bought it which is why i bought the spare motor, a little puff of smoke when starting it.

of course with rotaries it is a little different, dirty oil injected into the OMP will leave the carbon behind as buildup on the rotor faces. i still don't worry much about the age of the oil unless it is about a year and a half old, sometimes i get customers who bring in cobwebbed cars so i suggest it then. i do fairly strictly suggest the 3000 mile rule though.

 

Yea its a preaty big deal. Oil like any other fluid, has a life span, it does lose its lubracation properties over use OR time.
A K&N filter is like 10-15 bucks (x3), yes your syn. oil costs more, so yea that cost would be more than 60, but more like 80, still, what is 80 dollars a year in oil changes. You spend more than that in gas with a couple of fill ups. If your worried about cost of things, I think you got the wrong car, as these do cost some money to keep up, but I bet you already knew that, so why skimp out on the oil changes?

Though the decision is up to you, this is just my opinion on oil, your may be different, and the next guys too, isn't everything like this? Opinions.
Even my DD 08 Kia sportage sees regular on time oil changes. Just a cost associated with owning a car. Its not a special car, but oil needs to be good and new.
There is a reason behind this, that oil makers have tested and found this #/time fram to make oil do its job, the best.
Sure oil is still usable after 3K or 3 months, but it is starting to break down at this point.

 

i have had that same problem and i was told on this fourm that is was caused by cold weather... it was 11 degrees out side i start the car and go to work and checked oil. it has this white/yellow film and it was caused from car being cold the getting hot all in a short distance. i checked my oil the other day. (now its warmer) and i had no visible signs of any film or coolant loss.i am certian that it was not coolant i tasted it and it was just water. (call me wierd) coolant taste like **** and it was not gas. i have not had to worry about the problem since.

 

well someday i hope to base my lifes work around rotarys and i even gave myself an rx7 tatto so there no way i have to wrong car, just didnt think about it since i didint drive many miles, now i will make more time to get around to changing it out, now about tranny every year or read end same too?

 

"i even gave myself an rx7 tatto"
Dude are you serious?

 

serious as a heart attack.... i wanna take out a loan and build up a rotary shop, my dream job. nothing wrong with a little rotor love, i mean it seems like a dieing breed. besides the seven club i dont know anyone who knows what a rotor is. heres a photo check it out

 

I guess any publicity is good publicity...

 

haha nice tattoo

Some people dont like tattoos, especially when its something that other people cant understand.
My cousin had tattoos in many places especially all over his arm, lets just say, he regretted it when he got older and had to laser many of them off.