Apparently Mazda has a fix for this - insulated dipstick insert. Look for a fairly recent thread in this very forum (last week or 2). My understanding is the foaming itself is not harmful to the engine and is just happening in the vicinity of the dipstick tube. But if it's bad enough to prevent you from reading the oil level then that's another problem. I think others have resorted to inserting and wiping off the gunk repeatedly until they can read the dispstick. But, take it in and ask for the fix.

There are approximately a million posts on synthetic oil in the RX-8. Use the search, and happy reading :)

It's NOT foaming the oil - what you're seeing is an emulsion of oil and water caused by condensation of water vapour in the cooler dipstick. It's normal, and absolutely no problem. Search the forum for 'dipstick' and you'll find dozens of threads about this - it happens in cold weather, and the emulsion disappears if the engine is hot for a loong drive.

Regards,
Gordon

white stuff in oil
 

I think I seen this thread before but I could not find it I checked my oil today and on the dipstick there was a bunch of white stuff it looked like cream or something do you guys know what that is ? :mad:

Yes, we know what it is. Do a search for "dipstick" and read the hundreds of posts regarding this non-problem. It AIN'T a problem. If you really want to know what it is and how it forms, do the search.

MODERATOR: Would you please make a sticky for this "problem". It's frustrating having to respond to this kind of post over and over again. If it's at the top, MAYBE the newbies will read it first.

The problem is people have so many ways to describe it that searches don't return results. So here are some keywords so someone in the future will get a hit:
oil
water
watery
milky
gunk
gunky
white
whiteish
yellow
yellowish
dipstick
foam
foamy
grease
greasy
filler
stuff
condensation
emulsion
emulsify
emulsification
normal

ther is a STICKY! currently the 4th one down here

can anyone link me to the insulated dipstick thread? i searched but this and another thread w/no info were the only two results.

That thread was merged into this one, here is one of the posts with a photo.
https://www.rx8club.com/showpost.php...8&postcount=85

Just as a suggestion to any MOD’s when threads are merged can the old thread id# redirect to the new merged one? Many times questions are answered with a direct link to the specific thread. Once it gets merged the old link takes you to a sorry message

Good idea....cappuccino, froth, frothy.

oil foaming?
 

Ever since I changed the oil the last time, whenever I check the oil, it appears "foamy". I haven 't put any additives in: put 5w20 in and have added a bit of 10w30 when it was low. (I know you shouldn't mix it, but it isn't synthetic.
Any ideas why it would foam?

Thanks :confused:

i take it you have not searched this topic on here....it is very common to have the foam on the dipstick, don't worry

there is an announcement in brigth red letters at the top of the tech forums here that says "please Read the Sticky threads" if you had done so BEFORE posting this thread you would have found this thread https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-trouble-shooting-95/strange-gunk-oil-dipstick-info-questions-49652/ which talks ad nauseum about the foam.

milky substance
 

i know this has been a known issue to a majority of us. but just to ease some of you that the problem is only condensation, i've taken a picture to show you that it's not just the RX8. this is a picture of the oil fill on a 330Ci from my work, and trust me, a lot of other BMWs have this too. btw, the picture isn't great quality since it was taken with my camera phone. so the answer is "yes" there is nothing wrong with your 8 :D

http://www.tmobilepictures.com/photo...atez82wecy7935

ooohhhh i was already reaching for the links and the "close this thread" button :D

good post thanks :)

i might merge this after awhile with the sticky tho..

yea...i didn't know where to put this. do whatever you'd like with it zoom44

You guys are the bomb! I knew to come here first before calling the dealer about the
chocolate milkshake on my dipstick and I totaly accept the condensation theory cause
I was not seeing it in the summer, I live in San Jose, CA and its just recently been
45-50 degrees when I leave for work and I haven't been a good girl lately and let it warm
for 3 minutes like they say . . . Thanks again !

In case you are not aware, there is a new TSB out on the milky stuff that explains the cause of the stuff. A "fix" is offered in the TSB, but in my opinion, the fix may be worse than the "problem". Mazda doesn't consider this phenomena a problem, but they are offering up a kind of rube goldberg solution for those owners who consider it a problem.

Water in oil is normal ?
 

Recently discovered a miky substance on my dipstick.. Called my Mazda service and was told Mazda considers this normal.. I was told I didn't need to do anything unless the engine started running rough.. I've got 14k miles, have changed the oil 4 times but have never seen this until recently.. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Immediately after turnng off the engine, before the liquids settle, there is a milky substance and clear droplets of water all the way up the dipstick... Does anyone view this as normal ? I'm not even certain Castrol would stand behind their product mixed with water..

As was mentioned in the other thread, check out this thread:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=49652

Sorry if I didn't paste it as a link...

Link to the new TSB on this. It's a PDF. http://www.finishlineperformance.com.../01-009-05.pdf

ahh that's fo r the links...i have fo rthe first tiem in 30k miles discovered thi sas well on my dipstick:(

I've had the same problem.
So i took it to a mazda garage and they put a new smaller dipstick tube and and dipstick in free of charge and its ok now :cool:

I think it is normal - but it looks even worst when it is cold outside and the little droplets freeze. Looks like coffee ice cream :) I shall ask the dealer for the fix too....

I just posted the same mortification response when I saw my dipstick for the first time last night when I fueled up my new 8 for the first time. Master Tech gave me the same answer as you all.
Would running synthetic possibly change this?

Don't know, but I wouldn't use this non-issue as a reason to use synthetic oil in the engine. There certainly may be valid reasons for using a synthetic, but this ain't one of them in my opinion.