Hi guys,

My friend has a 79 Ford LTD with the 351W engine. God ownly knows how many miles are on it, but it's way over a 100000. In any case, for the last couple months, the oil in it has been kinda frothy and had bubbles in it; they show up when you check the dipstick. Also, there are these dark brown specks that show up on the dipstick...the oil itself was kinda discolored too (coffee brown) He finally changed it this weekend, and says that the oil only looks like this on the dipstick, but looked pretty normal in the drain pan. Anybody have any ideas what is going on here? Thanks,

Steve

 

87,

This sounds pretty typical of a damp crankcase. Short trips without a thorough warmup, lack of highway driving, and a failing PCV system can contribute to excessive moisture in the oil. This turns the oil into a milky-white emulsification, provides poor lubrication, and contributes to acid formation and corrosion in the case. Change the oil and get the car out on the road for a thorough warmup at least once a month. The problem will only get worse as the temperature gets cooler.

But, since it's just a Ford, what's the worry?

BTW - Are you sure that's a Windsor engine and not a modified Cleveland?

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Later,
Vader
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"Make Me Bad"
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Thanks for the info Vader, I had a feeling it had to do with his lack of warming up the engine and driving short distances often. By the way, I asked about it's validity as a Windsor, and he told me the car is all original and it says "Windsor" right on the engine; no reference to Cleveland...I'm definetly not the guy to ask though, since I try to keep my knowledge of *ord automobiles to a minimal

Steve