just found tell tail signs on dip stick.nothing else wrong.<60k miles.what else could it be?thanks 4 any help!

 

Irbill, having water in your oil is truely a problem. As for determining where it came from, that can be a bit more difficult. Unfortunately, the best way I know of is to pull the head off of the car and then see what you have. More than likely it is a head gasket that has failed. But, something like overheating the car can cause the head to warp which can lead to the gasket leaking (which would require a new head to be installed or at a minimum machined). If this is a car that is not drove much and you live in a cold environment, if you don't keep enough antifreeze in the coolant, the coolant can freeze and then you end up with a crack in your head and/or engine block. For this, the only fix is to replace the cracked part.

After that, hopefully someone else will have a "from experience, this is what causes this problem".

On a side note, welcome to the forums. I think you will find a lot of very informative people here that are willing to work with you to help you get past your issues. But, don't be a stranger once the problem is resolved. We are a friendly bunch and love to get to know one another and in general, have a good time. Please stop by the "New Member" section and introduce yourself. I think you will find that we are not your average internet club. So, sit back, learn some about your car and enjoy a cup of joe.

 

Could you post a couple of pics, (of the dip-stick maybe), and ask for this post to go into the X300 forum where experts will no doubt give a prognosis. I am not familiar withthe failurre modes of the AJ16 engine, but the previous AJ6 could ocasionally blow a head gasket. Has the engine ever overheated during your ownership ?

 

thanks I was hopeing there might b a water cooled oil cooler ala porsche 944 or something simple like that.I'm in LaPlata md.just up the road.

 

Thanks 4 the reply,don't know how to send pics. yet.will look in x300 soon.Not over heated on me,last 9k miles,sence I've owned it.

 

lrbill, if you ever need any help, let me know. It isn't that far to where you are. I may even have a few tools that you would find of interest. Besides, I am always willing to get a little greasy and learn some new stuff about engines.

 

Welcome to the forum Irbill,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help section to the X300 section for wider viewing by members with the same model.

When you get a minute, please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the new Member Area - Intro a MUST section. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful information on posting the the forum.

Graham

 

The classic sign of a blown headgasket is water in the oil. This results in the oil emulsifying. You will see evidence of this if you remove the oil filler cap where you will find that the oil appears to be similar to mayonnaise in consistency and colour. If the headgasket has blown the water level will also be falling. Often an early indication will be that the heater stops working as the water level drops. Frost restoration sell a system that can be used to test for combustion gases in the coolant How do I flush and refill my Cooling System? | Frost Auto Restoration Techniques

Quick head gasket check

Before changing coolant it's a good idea to check the car's head gasket's not gone, allowing exhaust gasses through from the combustion chamber to the engine's water jacket.
Engine off, undo the oil filler cap and check for a creamy deposit indicating water contamination. Can also be due to condensation within the rocker cover so check further. Run engine, undo the cap (careful if hot) and look for bubbling. Don’t confuse this with the water frothing a bit as it is pushed round the system. To make absolutely sure no exhaust gasses are leaking through the head gasket and into the engine’s cooling system the Block Tester will give a definite yes or no. With the engine running the rubber pump draws air from the expansion tank up through the test liquid. If any exhaust gasses are present the liquid turns from blue to yellow/green. Thankfully the Golf left the liquid a nice clear blue.

 

+1 on the block test fluid.

An alternative (although no better, no worse than the test fluid) would be to find a shop with an exhaust gas analyzer which can be used to "sniff" the coolant for hydrocarbons.

Cheers
DD

 

How much and what kind of use does the car see?

Normal condensation can accumulate and been seen in/mixed with the oil, especially on cooler parts of the engine. If the car is seldom used and/or used for only short trips there isn't enough heat to burn of the condensation. Often you'll see evidence of this on the inside of cam covers or oil filler caps...or dipsticks. We're tricked into thinking we have a head gasket leak.

On the other hand if you drain the crankcase an ALL the oil shows signs of water contamination the outlook is very bleak.

A hydro-carbon test as shown above is a good idea.

However, if the car see very little use you might wanna give 'er a good highway run for an hour and see if the evidence of water has magically disappeared. Or perhaps change the oil first and monitor the situation....making sure the car is given plenty of driving at full temp.....and see of the water reappears.

Cheers
DD

 

"Normal condensation can accumulate and been seen in/mixed with the oil, especially on cooler parts of the engine. If the car is seldom used and/or used for only short trips there isn't enough heat to burn of the condensation. Often you'll see evidence of this on the inside of cam covers or oil filler caps...or dipsticks. We're tricked into thinking we have a head gasket leak."

Doug is right and I would bet that this is your problem - infrequent short trips. Take your car for a good long, hot, highway run and then check,

 

thanks,I think its ok,drained the oil in clear containers,see no sign of large amounts of water,flushed cooling system too.May just have been condensate,I hope!Will keep an eye on it.

 

looks like u got it at condensate,just seemed to b alot of froth on dip stick,drained oil into clear containers,dident see any signs of h2o.flushed cooling system also.Thanks again.