Oil bubbles & water in oil: What does it mean?

Hello,

When I checked my oil level today, it looked like there were air bubbles on the dipstick. Does coolant look like that? I actually don't have any oil consumption and also no significant water consumption (if any, then only very slight). The last oil change was 8,000 km ago, and the engine has about 175,000 km (AFN). Could it be the head gasket? How can I find out if it's really water? What should I do now (I'm not a millionaire ).


Best regards, Dr. B.

dr_braun wrote:

When I checked my oil level today, it looked like there were air bubbles clinging to the dipstick. Does coolant look like that?

What else should it be?
I haven't seen foamy oil on the dipstick before (after the normal amount of time until checking).

It's also not entirely impossible that condensation is the cause, but I can't imagine how such amounts of water could form in the crankcase, especially during the summer.

Quote:

Is it the head gasket? How can I tell if it's actually water? What should I do now (I'm not a millionaire ...) ?

Remove the lid of the coolant reservoir and check if there is any oil visible in or on the water.

While the engine is running and cold, check if any rising bubbles are visible.

If it doesn't, have an assistant give it a few short bursts of full throttle up to about 2500 rpm.

If there's still no bubbling, check the same thing with the engine only half-warm (so that a fountain doesn't erupt when you open it). If necessary, check again with the engine completely warm -> be careful when opening!

Bubbles or oil in the water almost always indicate a blown head gasket.

Hi,

Perform an oil change and examine the used oil more closely. Making judgments based on just three drops of oil on the dipstick is not straightforward. If you have only a small amount of coolant loss, it usually evaporates within the oil circulation system.