milky residue on oil cap

[bryceland]

i have a 2002 jeep liberty sport v6 3.7L. i recently took my jeep in for a ****** rebuild and then to get a tune up and a few days later it started to make noise and the code said it was a misfire so i took it back to the mechanic and they said it was internal. ive had 3 mechanics look at it and they all say this but none have pulled the engine, so i was wondering if anybody could help me with this dilemma. i looked under the oil cap and it has a milky residue.

 

[mmc757]

Seems like the milky residue under the cap is very common. Probably something to do with aeration from air flowing through the PCV lines???

Check your actual oil before getting overly concerned about the white goo. If the oil in your pan looks like that, then you have something to worry about.

Misfires are usually either spark or injector problems.. At least one of the three mechanics should have figured it out if that were your problem but sometimes mechanics overlook the plug wires because there is a perception that COP wires dont fail.

If you want to do the dummy check, just replace your plugs and wires to be sure.

You can also check your injectors to make sure they are functioning properly before getting into major engine problems.

If its not spark or fuel...Possibly a timing chain problem?

 

[bryceland]

Its not like this in the pan just changed the oil in it 2 weeks ago and I pulled the stick and its clean oil. I have been reading a lot of things about this also and I will be checking everything out that people have posted. I plan on checking the plugs possibly this weekend when I have time. I do appreciate the information you have given me. The first mechanic I took it to was the one who did my tune up and I asked him to fix the misfire and he wouldn't said his tech diagnosed it as internal engine problems and couldn't fix the misfire! When I took it in I had a misfire in cylinder 2 now I have one in cylinder 4 and was told not to drive it!

 

[mmc757]

"Internal engine problems" is pretty vague for a guy whos supposed to be making a living fixing vehicles...Any mechanic worth talking to should have been able to have a more intelligent conversation than that.
Hate to say it but...depending on your own capabilities, you might want to try the stealership.

 

[jnaut]

My first, knee jerk reaction is coolant getting into the oil? That could certainly cause misfires, might cause a milky residue, and if severe enough would make noticable noise in the engine. Maybe you could throw up a pic of the residue?

 

[RenegadeBullitt]

I had this happen when I bought my vehicle over a month ago. About 2 days after driving it I decided to check the oil and it had that foam on the cap. The oil level was about 1 quart higher then it should have been. I changed the oil and now almost 4,000 miles later I have seen no trace of it returning.

 

[bryceland]

thank you everybody for all of your help! i had another mechanic that i personally know inspect it and its official i need a new engine. i am probably going to be selling the jeep!

 

[JeepKj03]

What was the official cause for needing a new engine?

 

[ridenby]

Before I did something rash I think swapping coils around to see if the miss follows would be in order. Might go by a vatozone or advance get the codes pulled,just for kicks.On the other hand,I have been looking for a 02,cheap.