Solidified engine oil - GIF

[nova_robotics]

I believe the original intent behind the Cash for Clunkers program was genuine. I really do think they were trying to do a good thing. Then there were a number of "closed door" meetings with auto industry lobbyists before the roll-out of the program, the program was completely gutted and rewritten, and this is the turd we were left with.

[stillldoinit]

This is happened to me three times in the last 45 years. First time I was a mechanic in the Chevy dealership and on the second day I was there wrecker pulled in 69 Chevelle that the dealership and I just installed an engine a month before.. the owner drove the car to Florida, and it started knocking with no oil pressure. Because it was under warranty company had have a transported back to Kentucky from Florida. Mechanic drop the pan and the oil was solidified, but there was no other problems with the engine as far as leaks or modifications.. the oil was Quaker State.
The second time I was a mechanic in a commercial laundry to deliver uniforms and I had 13 trucks that I have to maintain. My rule for the drivers was for them to check the oil level every day before the day started.. a driver came and got me and says you need to listen to my truck. It was clattering pretty bad.. I checked the oil and it didn’t touch the stick. I had a couple quarts and checked again and it was over full. I thought it was due for oil change so I went and got the tools take care of it. Need to pull the drain plug and nothing came out.. stuck a screwdriver in the hole and it was like grease. I moved screwdriver around and finally got a trickle,was able to get about 3 quarts drained. Put plug back in and added a gallon of diesel fuel and ran about 20 minutes at idle and drained again. Added a quart diesel and refilled and sent him out and told him I would change oil again when he got back that afternoon,and changed again 2 days later, fortunately it was saved. That oil was bulk in a 55 gallon drum. It was Pennzoil salesman told me was probably a bad batch of additives.
The third time I loaned my daughter and son-in-law a jeep caravan order recall the big ones that look like a station wagon this is about 1990. Son-in-law called me and told me the Jeep had a problem. I went to check went to check oil and it was the same way. Son-in-law is really remorseful that he blows the engine up in my car and said he would figure out how to pay for it.. told him it wasn’t his fault and not worry about it. That was Pennzoil and had about 2000 miles on oil change. I fully believe quaker state in Pennzoil is that time we’re high paraffin based. Synthetic oil has changed the industry. We bought a 96 grand Am and it had synthetic oil his whole life changed every 5000 miles at 300,000 we gave it to our grandson. Have an 08 Hyundai ELANTRA that has 200,000 miles on it changed every 5000 miles still running no leaks and he doesn’t use between changes. We had a 2016 Tucson that ran full synthetic but we had to get rid of it because the transmission went out now we have a 2022 Tucson and oil is changed at 7500 miles.

[Elizabeth Greene]

A few things.

This was probably coolant in the oil. It's still slimy and semi-liquid, but that muddy chocolate texture is what that looks like. If you're a mechanic and have never seen this, I'd question how long you've been doing it. You see this from head gasket failures or intake manifold gasket failures on occasion. You also see it to a lesser extent if some genius leaves your drain pan out on the driveway and it gets rained in. :/

A related cool thing is if you put windshield wiper fluid in the oil. It solidifies it like Jell-O. Not liquid at all; you smack it and it just jiggles.

For a car that goes a long LONG time without an oil change you just get *black* sludge. The detergents finally give up in the oil and the muck just gloops onto everything. As long as the hydraulic lifters aren't completely gummed up you can usually bring these back to life.

On the cash-for-clunkers thing. That happened in 2009; you can see the impact on used car prices in the BLS data.

[mr mikey]

There are many ways coolant can get in the oil. The most common on trucks with diesel's was leaking or cracked injector cups, water pumps driven with internal gears, cylinder liners with pitting or worn o-rings, cracked heads or blocks etc. I remember working on some small block Chevy's that needed sealant on the headbolts because coolant was getting in the oil. Sometimes you acquire some gray hairs diagnosing the problem but once you find it you never forget.

[IntheGroove]

And exhaust manifolds on marine engines are a great source of water into the oil. If the manifold has a internal crack or is corroded, water can get sucked into the cylinder on overlap...