How do we spell relief.........Synthetic oil

The explanation I keep seeing is that the dip tube ends up being a cold zone which encourages condensation and since there's little flow in this area the water eventually overwhelms the adsorptive abilities of the additives in that small bit of oil. I am wondering if it would be worthwhile to install some type of insulation around the dip tube where it is exposed in the engine bay.

Temperature in the UK has gone above 5 degrees centigrade and most of us have noticed that white sludge has totally disappeared. I did also change to Castrol GTX Magnatec semi-synthetic, but I think that's just a coincidence.

Either way, the problem has just disappeared.

well i to have this stuff in my oil im just glad to see it is a common accurance i got real worried for a minute.

best forum out there keep the good threads coming

Weird gunk in my oil!
 

I just left the gas station where I filled up my 8. I checked the oil, but there was a lot of beige gunk (kinda like grease) all over the dipstick! I've never seen oil do that before and it didn't seem normal to me. I cleaned off the dipstick and put it in two more times and it still had some of the gunk on the dipstick (there was oil on the dipstick too of course). Sorry I don't have a picture, but I want to know if anyone knows what in the world I'm talking about? Have you ever seen this before or guess what it could be? I am a complete non-car expert (computer nerd), so please don't laugh if its something silly. Thanks.

This might help

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...light=milk+oil

Hey thanks expo1. I had done a search, but I didn't really know what to search for. I should have tried milky dipstick or something else more perverted sounding. :) This thread can be closed now, since this topic has been covered.

LOL :D

The emulsified dipstick problem
 

Having just hit winter over here in Germany and not visited the site for a while due to tours in sunnier climes. I found the emusified oil on the dipstick and immeadiatly checked the coolant, but it was fine, so I visited my Mazda dealer in Monchengldbach. Old father time came out and had no idea what was up, I did mention the fact that it could be condensation but he said "nein". After reading the problems you's guys have had it still worries me.
If the oil becomes slighlty emulsified surely that means that integral parts of the engine are coming into contact with water making rust and hot spots, also if the wankle design burns oil then surely emulsified oil is burns the water off into the CAT thus rendering it kapoot!!!. I would be interested to here what anyone else thinks.....It still won't stop me getting another one next year. :confused: and many thanks

Basically, everyone seems to agree that it doesn't hurt the engine at all. Most say that taking it out for a long drive will help get rid of it. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Mine looked bad this time last year (as it does again this year) - i drained the oil last year and it looked fine. All the water and carbonate emulsion seemed to be limited to the dipstick tube.

I did have my low coolant light flicker for about 5 sec last week though... so I'm a bit concerned but not real concerned as the coolant level looks pretty good < shrug>

I've only seen it on the dipstick once. Never again though. If I remember right it was in the summer and really hot out. I had been running the piss out of the car too, so I thought that that may have contributed.

New theory on oil froth?
 

I did a search and didn't find this...

From the CarTalk website:

"A word of caution: Be careful not to overfill your car’s crankcase with oil. If you put in too much oil, the engine’s crankshaft can actually come in contact with the oil. And because the crankshaft is turning at several thousand revolutions per minute, it can quickly whip your oil into a froth — like the steamed milk that sits on the top of a cappuccino. Why is that bad? Well, the oil pump can’t pump froth very well, and as a result, it can’t get oil to the parts of the engine that need lubrication. The result . . . a hefty boat payment to your mechanic."

What do you think?

We don't have crankshafts. Our eccentric shafts aren't covered by the oil pan anyways. No oil comes in direct contact with it other than what is purposely injected into it. Our oil pans are merely reservoirs for oil with no moving parts anywhere inside. This can't happen in a rotary. Don't worry about it. I still wouldn't overfill it though.

Mine does the same thing. Even after driving all day.
A few in and outs for the dip stick and all is good.

Good old RG edumacating us unwashed masses..... :)

Probably the result of bad muffler bearings.

Um, chrome reverse muffler bearings. It could have been the falikan rods too.

Damn it nojooc, who you calling old?!!!

I think I'm the unwashed masses. :eek: I think I smell fine though. :p

Major Problem?
 

Hi Guys I have a question. I now have 1100 mi on my RX8, I checked my oil Yesterday before going on a 300mi trip and saw that there was like a white liquid on my dip stick. I am thinking coolant I checked that and it seems ok. I don't know all that much about the Rotary but conventonally this means there is a problem. Is this normal for the RX8 or should do I need to bring the car in for repair.

Thanks
Greg

Do a search... I think its normal

Search for "Milky Oil". This is basically condensation brought on by short trip driving, especially in cooler weather, where the oil doesn't get hot enough to boil off water vapor in the crankcase. Give it a good run which gets everything up to temperature, then check it.

Sorry, old(er) :)

frothing usually, apart from the crankshaft, is caused by condensation in the block, or oil that exceeded 250 degrees, or a lack of being at operating temp during several power cycles

Ugly Stuff in my oil.
 

Sorry if this is a cold weather issue, and already posted but i have not seen it yet.

I checked my today. Last check was two weeks ago, before it got cold and snowy in chicagoland. I pulled out the dipstick and its covered in a brown foamy/milky like crud. The first few checks it was at the bottom of the dipstick. Then it was only in the middle. Some pictures below. Is this serious? Do i need to get into the dealer? Or should I stop freaking out?

BTW the oil was changed at 5000 miles early october. I now have 8800 miles. And the car is running fine.