milky oil in oil seperator

[spederman]

Why would the oil turn milky light brown in my oil seperator? Ive been running the same setup for 3 years and nothing has changed. Usually its just regular colored oil in it, but this week its turned milky. Dipstick check is normal, coolant looks fine.

 

[wmburns]

What is the weather like? Is it cold?

Remember one of the functions of an oil separator is to provide an expansion space for the vented crank case vapors. Often this results in condensation. Since water has a lower boiling point than oil, it is easier for water to condense than oil.

This could explain why there is more water in the separator than normal.

 

[spederman]

OK, makes sense. Yeah, its really cold here for Texas weather this winter. Normally i dont drive the car when the weather temp. is in the teens/20's, but have been this week. So that would make sense. Thanks man!

 

[GettinThere]

Yeah, there have been a few "milky oil on the cap" threads over the years, always when the weather turns cold.