Milky white oil/water mix under valve covers?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 625
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From: Where the Devil Dances, IL
Car: 87Z
Engine: ?
Transmission: A4
Milky white oil/water mix under valve covers?
I started to have some problems with the car after a nitrous back fire. So, I start to tear the engine apart today and as I pull the valve covers off they and rockers are covered with a a milky white substance that I'm sure is a water and oil mix. No coolant shows up on the dip stick. 
Is this a head gasket or intake gasket?
Is this a head gasket or intake gasket? 
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 784
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From: Sacramento, CA
Car: 89 Iroc
Engine: 383
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.45
It 'could' be an intake gasket though too. How was the car running before you pulled the valve covers? Was it running really rough with white smoke coming out of the pipe?.
If the car has been sitting for a while then the dipstick will be clean because all of the coolant will be at the bottom and oil on top.
Since you have to pull the intake anyways I would do that.
You *may* be able to see a crack in the head gasket (I was when I blew mine) with just the intake off. You may want to do a compression/leakdown test too.
If the car has been sitting for a while then the dipstick will be clean because all of the coolant will be at the bottom and oil on top.
Since you have to pull the intake anyways I would do that.
You *may* be able to see a crack in the head gasket (I was when I blew mine) with just the intake off. You may want to do a compression/leakdown test too.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 625
Likes: 0
From: Where the Devil Dances, IL
Car: 87Z
Engine: ?
Transmission: A4
white smoke was coming out of the oil dipstick tube and the breather cap I have installed on my driver side valve cover. I didnt notice any out of the tail. I'd hope for an intake much easier to replace.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 524
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From: Stuart, Florida USA
For my .02 I woulod go with the head gasket. Though, yes it could be an intake gasket, I have never lost one to a NOS backfire. Unless the two are unrelated and your milkshake just happened to come about at the same time as you backfire, I would think the head gasket was the more probable cause.
Mark
Mark
Junior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 41
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From: Lincoln CA
Car: Maros: 89 Z28 & 91 RS
Engine: 350 TBI & 305 TBI OEM
Re: Milky white oil/water mix under valve covers?
Hey Guys!!! I have the same problem but, now I allready change all gaskets, oil and filters, the problem is that now everytime that change Neutral to Drive it feels like the tranny was kicking, and it´s so hard to get from 1st gear to 2nd gear a lot of revolutions of my engine, what could this be? is this a TPS sensor problem, IAC problem, is this relationated with the coolant in my engine, could be posible that the coolant pass to the tranny? Sorry for my english!!!!
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Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 5,256
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From: RI
Car: 1984 Camaro Berlinetta
Engine: LT1
Transmission: T56 6-speed
Axle/Gears: 4.11 LS1 Rear End
Re: Milky white oil/water mix under valve covers?
Check the TV cable adjustment on the throttle linkage.
Sounds like it might not have been adjusted properly once the repair work was done.
Sounds like it might not have been adjusted properly once the repair work was done.
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