Blown Head Gasket?

I drive a new 2009 Toyota Tacoma access cab. I did my first oil change at 3000 kilometers and again tonight at 6080 kilometers.

I took off the oil filler cap and saw a creamy coffee coloured paste coating the inside of the oil filler neck. I Googled possible causes and one possiblility is a blown head gasket.

It's dark out now so I can't get a picture tonight - but will post some tomorrow. Any thoughts? Could my diagnosis be correct? How does a guy end up with a blown head gasket on a pampered truck with 6000 kilometers?

 

Sounds like a blown head gasket to me. Id take it in. Don't risk hurting your engine.

 

Most likely NOT a blown head. There have been other threads on the issue so I'll recap...

It's pretty common on the 2nd gen Tacoma to have this milky mix on the underside of your oil cap. From what I understand it's because the filler neck is so long that condensation forms and thus you get your milky mix. I haven't asked Toyota myself, but those that have asked their local mechanic have been told it's not an issue.

Both my 2008 and now my 2009 have this - usually worst in the winter. If you're really freaked, do an oil change, if what comes out looks like chocolate milk, bad head gasket for sure.

 

Thats true too about the moisture and the cold. How does your oil look? I've seen an intake leak do that too. I'd also check your cooland level to see if you are losing any.

 

right on.trust me you would know if you had a blown head gasket,overheating,no power,and smoke from the tailpipe.like chris said most likely condensation it's common on 4cyl's.short trips and cold weather will usualy cause this.

 

Thanks for your input guys. I went out to my shed and checked the used oil - black as night and no resemblance to chocolate milk. I do lots of short trips - it's only a five minute drive to work and the temperature has been ranging anywhere between just above freezing to 10 degrees celcius (50 degrees fairenheit) for that last month or so.

I'll check the coolant level tomorrow in the daylight and will post pictures for you to see.

 

Id agree with this part of his statement. Better safe than sorry. Good luck man. I hope its a short drive to the stearlership. Otherwise, that film may be gone by the time you get there. Where did it go? haha. It never fails.

 

once you can get it fixed, invest in a remote starter, i am in the process of saving up for one now

 

I do short trips and live in Toronto, Ontario where it can get cold.
Mine does this too, nothing to worry about.
Do a search here, on Toyota Nation, and on TTORA, it is common, espicially once colder wheather arrives.

Shawn.

 

Short trips in which the engine never reaches normal operating temperature are bad for any engine. Warm it up first, then drive to work.

 

also consider switching to a synthetic oil

 

Good advice. The majority of people seem to think it's condensation causing the buildup which is a relief for me. Next time I'm at the dealership I'll ask them about it.

I laughed at your comment about a short drive to the dealership. I live in the middle of nowhere. It's a tiny little town in the British Columbia interior and a two hour drive to get anywhere. It only takes two minutes to drive the entire length of Main Street.

Thanks again guys.

 

Yep, its condensation build up. Mine gets it all the time, and it some times is in the filler kneck also, like a small streak of it. But does not get hot, not looseing coolant, oil on the dipstick is not milkey, and it runs better then the day i got it! And I use Moible 1 fully synthetic 5w30.

 

My 07 has it - even with synthetics. My Mother-in-laws V8 Grand Cherokee (with synthetics) also has it.

I'd say its pretty normal.

 

Problem is, that's not really good for it either. Warming at idle prolongs the warmup time and allows more crap to get into the oil and can also stress the cat and increase engine wear. (Cylinder wear goes up as operating temp goes down due to the tendency for gasoline to dilute the protective film on the cylinders and rings.)

I have no idea which is worse. It is probably a good idea to do an extended drive once a week or so to really get things warmed up. By extended, I'm thinking half an hour or so.

Like Chris said, short trips constitute severe duty due to the stuff that can build up in the oil that would otherwise get driven off at full operating temperature.

I'm not even sure that synthetic oil would help. I'm a fan of synthetic, but the problem isn't so much oil and additive breakdown (where synthetic is superior) but rather contamination. You might be better off using cheaper dino oil and changing more frequently to get that crap out of the crankcase.

My $0.02.

 

Hi down there in Texas! It gets cold there? Just kidding. Actually I've got a relative that lived in Plano, Texas for five years.

I've got more than a streak of it...my filler neck looks like the inside of a blender after making a chocolate milkshake. I'm not worried anymore though after talking to all you guys. HankB, good advice on the cheaper, more frequent oil changes.I plan to do it every three thousand kilometers. I'll also start plugging in my block heater at night and see if that helps.