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Re: Foamy oil

To: cobra@cdc.hp.com (Roland Dudley)
Subject: Re: Foamy oil
From: HERTZBERG JEAN R <hertzber@spot.Colorado.EDU>
Date: Tue, 4 May 93 13:58:52 MDT
> 
> > Date: Tue, 4 May 1993 18:41:18 -0500
> > To: british-cars@autox.team.net
> > From: tim.lamb@ml.csiro.au (Tim Lamb)
> > Subject: Foamy oil
> > 
> > The oil gauge in my Mini Moke reads distressingly low when at idle, I
> > dipped the oil the other day immediately after a short run, to find the oil
> > full of small bubbles and apparantly at a lower viscosity than it should
> > be. The engine (and oil) has done 1000 km since a rebuild. Could fuel
> > contamination be causing the problem? 
> > 
> > If the fuel pump on the back of the block had a leaky diaphragm, would it
> > pump enough to run the car while contaminating the oil? 
> > 
> > Is there a way to check if the oil has been contaminated with fuel, and is
> > it a fire danger if there is fuel in there?
> 
> 
> A leaky fuel pump diaphragm can, indeed, cause this.  This very problem 
> lead to the demise of the engine in my snake a number of years ago.
> Sniff the oil on the dipstick to see if it smells like gasoline.
> If that's inconclusive, see if the oil will burn readily.
> 
> Roland

As I recall from a blown head gasket on a GAC (Giant American Car) some years 
back that water in the oil makes a nice froth. Turned the oil into a creamy
light brown mixture, like Guiness head, that was visible at the oil filler
cap.
-Jean H
> 



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