Slightly Milky Oil on tip of dipstick??? HELP!

[dirtrider735]

Hi Everyone-

I need some advice. I live in Phoenix, AZ and it has been super cold here over the last three days. I usually drive my truck about 3 miles a day too and from work. This afternoon, however, I drove my car about a mile and it started to rev a little funky as i was pulling in to my destination, as I was slowly backing up, the idling would rev up and down and almost jerked around the car ever so slightly.

I popped the hood, check the coolant (seemed slightly lower than normal but remember it has been super cold here) and then I checked the dipstick. There was a white, almost milky residue or hue to it. The oil was changed back in October. I turned the car back on and it was making ever so slight idling the variations, then the check engine light briefly flashed... so I shut everything off.

Any ideas whats wrong here? I read something about it being condensation becaue I don't run the car enough in these very cold temperatures. could I have a blow head gasket?? Please help, Im afraid to start it again and don't want to damage the engine. Thanks.

Truck: 2001 Tundra 4.7V8 with roughly 170k Miles. (barely broken in..)
Tom

[kerryman71]

I was originally thinking the repeated short trip situation. The milky residue usually shows up on the oil fill cap. When you said your coolant level was low, coupled with the idling problem, I thought blown head gasket.

John

[dirtrider735]

Thank John, unfortunately this may be the case. The engine light is now definitely on, there is a slight milkyness on the cap, but not much. and the idling is definitely off. I think this may be the issue.

Any idea what the rough costs might be to replace a blow head gasket?? Is this normal for a V8 2001 Tundra with 170k miles? I've only had the truck since may.

Tom

[dirtrider735]

Can someone advise me what my best options are here? Apparantly it costs around $2k to repair a head gasket. I bought the car for $5,750 nearly 9 months ago. Is this thing worth replacing at this point? Whats the most affordable way to fix this problem? Thanks.

Tom

[kerryman71]

Are there any puddles of coolant where you regularly park? Also, has the coolant temp been doing anything erratic lately? I would get the code for the check engine light too to see what is causing it. Maybe (hopefully) it's something else. If it is the head gasket you're looking at over $2K to be repaired. If it were me and the truck were in good shape otherwise I would go with the repair. I don't have a payment on it and want to get as many years out of it as possible. Good luck. I hope it's just a series of coincidences, along with our first thoughts always being the worst case scenario.

John

[dirtrider735]

There are no puddles and I didn't notice any coolant anywhere.

I did do a self replace of the radiator over the summer. The radiator was leaking and I wonder if that is what damaged the head gasket (back in July). It never completely ran out of fluid or overheat though. I have had no issues until now.

thanks for the advice. I am taking it in in about 2 hours to a local mechanic to check it out. Do you recommend a dealership instead for something like this?

[doubleds65]

I would recommend trying to get a used motor with lower miles. My buddy just got a motor replaced in a dodge magnum for $2k. Which I think was a little high because they could of got the motor for $600 n I imagine it should only cost $1k for the swap. Then u will have less miles on the motor. That just my opinion

Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using AutoGuide.Com Free App

[doubleds65]

I just checked a used parts place that I deal with called lkq, they have one for $900

Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using AutoGuide.Com Free App

[dirtrider735]

Interesting thought, I am in Phoenix area, how can I find a good motor? I can't imagine there are many V8 tundra motors out there with low miles because the trucks are notoriously reliable (except in my case).

Also, just to confirm, i just took the cap off of the radiator, ran the engine with the cap off... and notice brown fluid now mixed in with my red fluid... does this seal the deal that its a blown head gasket?

Tom

[kerryman71]

I was going to suggest a used engine with less miles to compare price wise. Try Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market I bet you'll find plenty with less miles than you have on yours.

If you can find a reputable mechanic capable of doing the job I'd go with him. You'll save a bundle over the dealership.

John

[dirtrider735]

I've called four repair shops today, one of them said that it could be a bad cooling pump assembly that is mixing the coolant into the oil and the oil into the coolant and vice-versa. He suggested this because he asked if I had any overheating problems and I said no, the temp has never run hot.

Anyone on here agree?

[kerryman71]

New question: Does anything look like a "pink milkshake" in the radiator or overflow? Also, check your transmission level and the condition of the fluid on the dipstick. It's been known to have the A/T cooling line going into the radiator to fail and mix the two. Just another thought.

John

[bigjeffie]

get that CEL scanned. what's up with that????

[doubleds65]

Im just a backyard mechanic but from what I have seen n heard the diagnosis of your situation time n time again is a blown head gasket. If the engine isn't running right that's another sign. Do as much research as u can b4 making a decision. Check every place u can for a engine. Check the place I said (lkq) n the other place john referred to n any other place anybody else recommends. I live in vegas n there is a guy out here that can get motors from Japan at basically the same price as here, a lot of times those r maintained better (because of smog requirements) n they have to change the motor out around 40k-60k miles. But I would highly recommend a newer motor, do not go with a rebuild.

Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using AutoGuide.Com Free App

[kanaduh]

Check here, shipping included. 2001 Toyota Tundra Engine Assembly - Used Engines Store
This one in Salt Lake City has 94K 2001 Toyota Tundra Gas Engine, Complete Unit*4.7L (VIN T, 5th digit, 2UZFE engine, 8 cyl)*(Salt Lake City, Utah, 300-65147C, 94K, $1,227.00 )