I have Milky oil

[chef2b86545]

I have a 88 Four winns Freedom. 3L 4 Cylinder Inboard. First of all I forgot to winterize it last winter. I have not had it in the water since last year Fouth of July. Back in April i pulled the dip stick and the oil was milky.I have heard a lot of different things it could possibly be. Can anyone help me?

[lewisboats]

milky oil generally denotes water has been mixed with it. Is all the oil milky or is it just in the dip stick tube. First step is to drain the crankcase and determine if all the oil is contaminated. If so then the water or other fluid has been mixed with the oil while the engine was running and hasn't separated out. If the crankcase oil is ok with a skim of milky on top then it is condensation mixing with oil vapors. I would have burnt off with some prolonged use. Either way...change the oil and filter and run the boat a bit. See if there is any further contaminating of the oil. If so you might have cracked something and cooling water is getting mixed with the oil.

Steve

[chef2b86545]

Would this have anything to do with not winterizing it?

[Ramius41]

You could have a cracked block , or hopefully it is only a head gasket!

Good luck!

[ted655]

Location- Michigan? All winter?
Sorry. My money's on a cracked block.
Why you no winterize?

[alan white]

just posting to get the notice--- carry on.

[Ramius41]

Originally Posted by ted655

Location- Michigan? All winter?
Sorry. My money's on a cracked block.
Why you no winterize?

I dont disagree Ted , i was just giving him the good news bad news scenario!...lol...the cracked head or gasket is the good news!...

[lewisboats]

The thing of it is...if the oil is all milky that would mean it has been mixed by going through the pump...ie run after the water entered the crankcase. I want to know if you started it since last year.

Steve

[chef2b86545]

No i have not. It has not been started since the weekend after fourth of july last year.

[ted655]

Steve has a point. IF there was a crack during the winter, the water would have seeped in, lifting the oil up on top but not "mixing" with it.
So... om the 4th, last, did the oil get looked at? Seems it would have been noticed then. Any heat issues while the boat was running last year? anything to indicate this might have been present before this Spring? It could be a head gasket after all. IF stored with little or no water in the passages, that might have saved the block from breaking this winter.
Wish I could be that lucky. At this point, I say change the oil, pull the plugs & look for REALLY clean one (steam clean) spray Sea Foam in before reinstalling plugs. Close your eyes & start the engine. Watch the guages Check for "sounds, smells, bubbles" and generally recheck frequently. Gotta find itASAP. Hope or pray, whatever.
We all hope for the best.

[chef2b86545]

The first time i started it on the fourth i checked it and it was fine. I had left it in the water and that first night there was very heavy rain and the bilge filled. i drain the bilge but after that the boat was not running the same. It was running slower than normal. but i just thaought that the plugs and oil needed to be changed. Just didn't get to it last year. And also never used it agian.

[alan white]

Another test would be to take the cover off of the water impeller. Drop the impeller into a container of water and the oil will tend to rise to the top. You mentioned that the bilge had filled, presumedly up to the level of engine gaskets and seals. If this occurred before the last time the boat was run, there's a possability that the water leaked through into the engine. I've had this happen through the double seals of a two stroke engine, so the possability of the single seal you probably have leaking by, does exist. In the past, before the last winter, if the boat wasn't properly winterized by drainage and running through anti-freeze, a minor crack might have started between oil and water passages/cavities either in the head or the water jackets. Cracks tend to grow with vibration and hot and cold cycles, until cross-leakage starts.
Head gaskets can also fail, especially if ever overheated, especially if the head became slightly warped. The seam between the head and block should be examined for signs of drippage stains. Often such leaks don't involve the cylinders but when power impulses do push hot gasses out through the gasket, you might see white smoke behind the boat at times, something you might have noticed last year.
Check freeze plugs too. Water in the bilge could get past a freeze plug formerly pushed out by a one-time freeze. They should all be seated flush and show no signs of oil drippage.

[ted655]

Don't open the Champagne yet but you might just be REAL lucky. Let's hope for the best.
Someone on here will tell you the steps in purging a engine that was run with water in the oil, IF that's what happened. The bad news is that it sat all winter and anything that could rust, did rust. Also if it indeed was "just" a contaminated oil sump, then the issue of not winterizing is STILL looming over you. How a block wouldn't crack in a Mishigan winter would be a miracle.
If this engine isn't damaged by all the neglect, then go buy a lottery ticket, your on the beam!

[alan white]

Good luck, and definately follow the best advice for rinsing and reconditioning the crankcase. There are products you can add to oil for this.
At least it's fresh and not salt water. Salt in water ruins bearings.
A little bit of water can make oil look horrible, but if it's not enough to bother the bearings, they will be okay, because heat from running the engine would probably have steamed the water out of the bearings before it had a chance to get in and sit.

[Callinectes]

Have you changed the oil and filter yet? If not, see what the oil level is. If it is about at the right level, you might just have condensation, but if it is way high, that could indicate a cracked something.