Water and Oil in the air cleaner??

andy0097 · Post by **andy0097** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:07 pm

Have a 1991 Subaru Brumby with EA81 engine (got it cheap about 8 months ago with blown head gasket fixed that pretty easily and has run ok since then, that was up 2 months ago when it would stall at idle, found a large pile of white crap (oil and water mixture) up in the air cleaner box covering the white thermo switch thingy and clogging the right hand rocker cover breather pipe cleaned in all out the engine back to normal. Opened up the air cleaner again today and found same thing pulled breather pipe off and NO evidence of white goop down in rocker cover just seems to be up in the air cleaner. Noticed oil lying in bottom halve of air cleaner as well.
My question is where could

I possibly be getting water and oil coming from to end up in the air cleaner ( seems to be totally localised around the thermo switch thingy on the right hand side) No water present in the engine oil inside the engine.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:25 pm

I'm afraid to say but I believe you have done another head gasket. (or welch plug)
This was exactly what happened to me, with the water/oil in the air cleaner from one of the breathers.
Either a head gasket or welch plug.
Run through what you had done when you did your last head gasket.
Did you get the heads cleaned or faced? Etc.

Cheers Cam

Post by **Alex** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:29 pm

the oil in the air cleaner is just blow-by and nothing to worry about (unless its excessive)

id be more worried about the milky oil. This means your oil and water are mixing...ie, your headgasket is blown.

andy0097 · Post by **andy0097** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:35 pm

I've checked under the rocker cover and they are clean, when I did both heads they had there welch plugs replaced and head pressure tested and scimmed. cant see how the oil/water mix is getting into the aircleaner and not under the rocker covers.

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:04 pm

Has the engine been over heated or run out of coolant recently? If so one of the heads could be cracked internally but then you'd expect creamy goodness to be returning inside the rocker covers. Check the hose that connects to the PCV, I've had water pool down there before.

If the car still runs and drives ok top up the oil and coolant and keep driving it, see if the milky mixture comes back to all areas.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:18 pm

open the breathers up to those cheapy breather filters 16mm heater hose iss good fit

, eliminate them from the intake and see if things improve

andy0097 · Post by **andy0097** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:37 am

Will try and let you Know Cheers