quattroworld.com Forums: Am I screwed? Engine guru help needed...

Am I screwed? Engine guru help needed...
Posted by: SForked (2380) on 2015-03-29 12:29:02	Share \| Report

So long story short I picked up an '01 S4 last week with just over 140k. The car had less than 800 miles on the car in about 1.5 years due to the owner moving and the car staying with his parents. I was told his dad ran the car every week or so.
I drained the oil yesterday to find what looked like a rusty sheen on top of the oil in the drain pan. I'm worried that was caused by coolant due to a bad head gasket.
Where do I go from here? Should I just send out the oil for analysis? I don't know the brand or mileage/time on the oil.
The car is currently sitting without any oil as I didn't complete the oil change.
Any and all help greatly appreciated!

Thread:

Am I screwed? Engine guru help needed... - SForked 2015-03-29 12:29:02 (320 views)
- Went through the whole routine again today and the oil is still getting really diluted... - SForked 2015-03-31 17:57:57 (158 views)
  - I honestley think you are worrying over nothing at all. - Joey@FK 2015-04-01 07:22:35 (147 views)
    - I completely agree with you. You got me past the head gasket issue, I agree that is not it, and I... - SForked 2015-04-01 08:36:56 (121 views)
  - how do you tell it's "diluted" ? you know that oil gets thin as it warms up ... - lemieux@curbside 2015-04-01 04:45:42 (122 views)
    - Haha, I was thinking about that last night. I've never drained the oil when it was that hot... - SForked 2015-04-01 08:15:34 (115 views)
- Well I just drained the oil, after only 7 miles the oil looked like coffee but maybe a little more.. - SForked 2015-03-30 19:25:32 (192 views)
  - Last night while laying in bed and thinking about how there is fuel in the oil I had a realization.. - SForked 2015-03-31 06:57:56 (157 views)
    - No. The fuel is because an idiot started a car that runs super rich when it was cold multiple times - Joey@FK 2015-03-31 08:05:55 (160 views)
      - So since I heated up and drained the oil yesterday I should be ok?  -  SForked  2015-03-31 08:34:53 (136 views)
        
        new non synth oil ( castrol GTX 5-40 is more than ok) , new FPR vac line with zipties  -  lemieux@curbside  2015-03-31 10:13:56 (164 views)
        
        Ok, I'm going to get some more oil now and flush it again. I fixed the vacuum line yesterday...  -  SForked  2015-03-31 10:22:24 (115 views)
- Coolant looks pretty nasty in there too. - SForked 2015-03-30 17:37:09 (146 views)
- Thanks for all the good and comforting advice...I'm feeling pretty good about things now! - SForked 2015-03-30 08:31:03 (150 views)
- put oil in it and run it , keep an eye on the coolant level - lemieux@curbside 2015-03-30 03:30:38 (163 views)
  - I'll check out the PCV, thanks! - SForked 2015-03-30 08:29:11 (140 views)
    - give it some time to see if levels drop . - lemieux@curbside 2015-03-30 11:13:52 (125 views)
      - Coolant level didn't seem to drop at all. The PCV looked pretty clean when I removed it from the y.. - SForked 2015-03-30 21:43:08 (128 views)
        
        nope.. just run it for 1-2 weeks , you might be ok :) - lemieux@curbside 2015-03-31 10:08:08 (124 views)
      - Will do. - SForked 2015-03-30 11:31:39 (138 views)
- 1. Head gaskets that leak coolant into the oil almost always include smoke and a misfire. - Joey@FK 2015-03-29 22:51:46 (168 views)
  - Ok cool, thank you! What is really really warm, like 200 degrees? - SForked 2015-03-30 08:34:45 (153 views)
    - 220:). Make sure the HVAC is off so the fans don't turn on till it's warm. - Joey@FK 2015-03-30 11:15:28 (139 views)
      - Haha, 220 it is. :) How do I keep the HVAC off? - SForked 2015-03-30 11:30:56 (138 views)
        
        Push the fan minus button until it shuts off the HVAC. - Joey@FK 2015-03-31 08:06:43 (126 views)
- It gets like that if it never really heard up enough to burn off moisture from condensation ... Is - DxC 2015-03-29 19:50:49 (156 views)
  - That makes sense because with the low mileage in the past year plus the car probably wasn't... - SForked 2015-03-29 21:35:20 (160 views)
- Coolant in the oil will form a milky-looking substance, as DerWolf explains... - silva 2015-03-29 17:19:50 (187 views)
  - Thanks for the confirmation. - SForked 2015-03-29 21:27:48 (148 views)
- I would think a coolant leak would make the oil look like chocolate milk. - DerWolf 2015-03-29 14:39:20 (185 views)
  - Or how about if the coolant mix was high in water due to a leak and if the car was only refilled... - SForked 2015-03-29 16:19:20 (168 views)
  - The car was running well so I don't expect any chance with new oil/filter... - SForked 2015-03-29 16:15:30 (174 views)
    - If there is an issue with the head, it will discolor the coolant as well - DerWolf 2015-03-29 18:23:38 (166 views)
      - Ok cool, I'll check out the coolant tomorrow to see if there is any discoloration. - SForked 2015-03-29 21:26:58 (143 views)

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