HEY ALL!!
I brought my car in because i was sick of my check engine light coming on when i was gassing it to pass people on the freeway and the service tech told me about the dipstick problem. there is actually a recall on that and there is a new addition. they replaced my spark plugs becuase they were misfiring (causing the check engine light to go off) and also they fixed something with my intake where they think coolant was mixing with the oil?? i dont remember what he said but if your interested in the details i will pull the paperwork with what all they fixed... i have had a lot of recalls fixed on my 2004 rx and i couldnt be happier with the choices i have made. i recommend bringing it in because its a small fix and the ONLY reason why your oil would be foamy is becuase some type of liquid is getting into your oil.

Cassidy

 

if coolant is mixed in your combustion chamber, you would need a new engine. You would also burn it out the tailpipe.

Like what the other guy said. If the gooey stuff goes away after you wipe it once, how are you going to say there are other foreign substances in there?

 

Another item this fixes is the oil that ends up in the intake tube.

 

Chalk that up as another problem fixed by this TSB. So, to the nay-sayers - is this still a cosmetic TSB?

 

to an extent, yes. But we've been over this all before, and i fear we're gonna start running in circles.

Some people want it done, others don't. It's a voluntary TSB. Let's just leave well enough alone.

 

As i mentioned in another thread:

I recently (~2 weeks ago) took my vehicle to the dealer and mentioned, "milky substance on dipstick" and they didn't do what was specified in the updated TSB. They just inserted a sleeve into where the dipstick goes to which wipes/grabs the gunk before the dipstick is fully removed -- the gunk now is accumulated under the sleeve.

Is it possible re-request for the updated version of the TSB be performed? The sleeve seems to fall out easily which reveals the excess build up of gunk.

Goodbye!
Edgardo

Pix of sleeve:

 

The new TSB is supposed to supercede the sleeve "fix". If it isn't working for you I don't see why it wouldn't be appropriate to re-request a fix.

 

Yes, go request for the change

 

Hmm... wasn't the emissions recall "voluntary" as well? Just throwing that out there..

 

The dipstick vent isn't a recall—just a TSB. No recall is voluntary, so… no—emissions was mandatory.

 

and even so...a lot of good it's did so far...

and that was a mandatory recall. Just imagine the quality of a volunteer TSB.

 

I thought it is just moisture in the oil being drawn to the dipstick. In a way it seems like pulling any moisture from the oil is a good thing.

I'm gonna get the TSB done anyway at the same time I get my motor mounts checked, headlights checked for leaking or evaporation of sealants or whatever, and cowl rattle fixed.

Speaking of which, what is the extent of the work necessary to replace the motor mounts?

 

^^^ To replace the motor mounts, You have to support the engine, unbolt the mounts, lift the engine (3-4", maybe more), and then replace them.

 

I had this done a couple of months ago. Driving the car in single digit temps for thousands of miles, the foam was totally eliminated from the dipstick. It was a great improvement.

It took my dealer less than a day to do it, maybe about five hours give or take, maybe less. They didn't have a problem doing although they hadn't seen the TSB, and I had to bring it in.

It's a great repair to eliminate a serious problem IMHO. Get it done, and maybe you should find a dealer who is less nervous about removing the intake manifold which isn't that big of a deal for a real mechanic.

 

Is this covered under the powertrain warranty?? I have my 8 in the shop now getting a new engine from the recall, wonder if the new engine will already have it done. What am I thinking that would be more work. lol. Had 59065 miles on her when I took her in for the emission recall. If not covered under the powertrain warranty think I will have to say no to doing it for now. Doesnt seem like a few extra dips to check oil is worth $500-600.

 

I doubt it will be a part of the new engine install. Print out the service bulletin and take it in to the service manager and nicely suggest that it would be nice if they would install the update under warranty. However, since the problem is primarily cosmetic, I wouldn't worry if they decline to do it.

 

This new fix is only now available in Canada (strange since this is where it's needed most). I had the initial plastic tube fix done. It didn't work, and the tube kept getting pulled out with the dipstick as already mentioned. The tube has now gone south somewhere (not in the engine). The dealer was quite willing to perform the new fix and has scheduled it for next week.

A good reason for having this done is that it could affect the resale of the car if that should happen during the winter. I bought this car second hand a couple of winters ago, and, during the mechanical inspection required by law, the mechanic, who claimed to have worked on rotaries in the past, was quite surprised at the appearance of the oil on the dipstick. He attributed it to a lot of stop and go driving in cold weather, and said it would probably clear up on changing the oil. It didn't.

People freak out when they see that oil, and although I agree with others that work performed on your car by your dealer can sometimes cause more problems than it solves, being able to read your dipstick, and not having this 'problem' visible to others is worth the risk in my opinion.

And it is reassuring to know that this fix apparently works judging from the experience noted. It's a good thing some people in the northern states were able to do this during the winter, or we would not know if the fix would be effective till next year - after most warranties would have run out -- or is something like this always covered, especially since the first fix didn't work?

 

I know this is a couple years late, but I have the foamy dipstick problem too. And it's mind boggling that someone would argue that it's okay to have moisture build up in your engine oil when there are hundreds arguments in the great rx8 oil debate. Watered down oil is last on the suggested oil list