White mist, oil splatter Blow-by?

[Money-fishing]

My08 3.0crd GU, 121,000+ kms. purchased just over a month ago.
Popped the oil filler cap off my engine. there was a fair bit of pressure, enough to bounce the filler cap around inside the moulding.
Once removed there was a constant stream of white mist coming from the fill point.

Holding my hand above the hole (2-3cm) left it wet with oil.

Possibly related:
- oil may have been overfilled at last service. Dipstick shows a reading 50% above high notch.
- also found a bit of oil on the intake side (bug side) of my air filter. It's like an oil smudge that's developed since it's last change. Unsure when this was.
- oil seeping from where the turbo connects to the intercooler.

[Cuppa]

Suggest you dump some oil to get it to the correct level & then see if problem persists.

[Money-fishing]

Thanks mate. Could a high oil level cause white the mist and pressure?

[Ben-e-boy]

Yes. Long story short

[Money-fishing]

Yes. Long story short

Feel free to go for a long story if you have the time. Trying to learn everything I can ;)

[Ben-e-boy]

If your crank case is over full it will cause extra pressure when it heats up, that extra pressure will force it out through the crank case vent, into your intake,then out the exhaust if there is more pressure than crank case vent can vent it can force through seals, gaskets, the dip stick........ shake a bottle of coke before opening it

It can also take power from the motor due to the crank seeing increased resistance from the extra oil it has to go though, this is known as parasitic drag, this is why people knife edge crankshfts to reduce parasitic drag, increasing power and engine responce.

[Money-fishing]

You are a gun Ben. Thank you for the long tail version. It really helps when you can see the bigger picture. Looks like an oil change is on the cards for tomorrow arvo.

[BigRAWesty]

If your crank case is over full it will cause extra pressure when it heats up, that extra pressure will force it out through the crank case vent, into your intake,then out the exhaust if there is more pressure than crank case vent can vent it can force through seals, gaskets, the dip stick........ shake a bottle of coke before opening it

It can also take power from the motor due to the crank seeing increased resistance from the extra oil it has to go though, this is known as parasitic drag, this is why people knife edge crankshfts to reduce parasitic drag, increasing power and engine responce.

This man knows his shoit.. How awesome would it be to have you as a local mechanic.. Lol... I'm serious though..

[nissannewby]

This man knows his shoit.. How awesome would it be to have you as a local mechanic.. Lol... I'm serious though..

Yeah he's not bad for a sparky. Also Ben-e touches on the heat thing it is amplified when over full as the fluid retains the heat more as well.

[happygu]

I am fairly sure it says in the manual to be careful not to overfill it, as this can cause issues.

Having said that, you will get a fair bit of oil spraying around, as the cams are just under the rocker cover ........ don't stick your fingers in ...... You will have oil flying around with any OHC engine.

Mic

[Money-fishing]

I am fairly sure it says in the manual to be careful not to overfill it, as this can cause issues.

Mic

Does it go in to what exactly those issues are Mic?

[alfonso]

blown gaskets are the main ones I think can also warp the head as does overheating .

[happygu]

Does it go in to what exactly those issues are Mic?



If the motor was overfilled with oil, you can get excessive blowby and at worst case - it can whip the oil up into a lather and spew out of the CCV hose
It can also blow oil seals.
It can in worst case scenarios, be sucked into the Turbo, causing Turbo damage

If you have excessive blowby it can also get to the MAF and contaminate it so give it a clean with electronic contact cleaner


I wouldn't panic too much, as there is a safety margin where you can overfill it, and you really have to severely overfill it to cause major problems.

[Money-fishing]

Well... She was well overfilled. 3 litres overfilled... Its back at the right level now.
Oil has definitely been sucked in to the turbo, hence the oil leaking from the hose between the turbo and the intercooler: 34271
What's the next step?

[june]

3 litres is a hell of a lot to over fill. who did the last service. I suppose its a lesson for all of us to regularly check dip stick.

[BigRAWesty]

Quick q. How much extra oil are we taking to get the above happen? I popped the oil cap yesterday and mist..
It does use a little oil, probably 1-1.5L per 5000k.. TD42 and Its done half a million, so expect wear.. But could this be a critical thing..??

[Ben-e-boy]

Quick q. How much extra oil are we taking to get the above happen? I popped the oil cap yesterday and mist..
It does use a little oil, probably 1-1.5L per 5000k.. TD42 and Its done half a million, so expect wear.. But could this be a critical thing..??

Are you over filiing yours though? In your case with the current milage a set of rings probably wont go astray

[nissannewby]

Quick q. How much extra oil are we taking to get the above happen? I popped the oil cap yesterday and mist..
It does use a little oil, probably 1-1.5L per 5000k.. TD42 and Its done half a million, so expect wear.. But could this be a critical thing..??


Are you over filiing yours though? In your case with the current milage a set of rings probably wont go astray

That sort of usage isn't excessive, if you were eating over 2 litres between services then you would need to start looking at something. Overfilling a 4.2 isn't quite the same, the 3.0 is a very sensitive engine as we all know, while its advised not to overfill a 4.2 will handle it better.

As for the rings, these may not be your only source for the oil usage, you can get a few checks done but at that sort of life I would say that the valve stem seals are also playing a part.