Noticed a rusty orange color inside oil cap and down filler tube.

[Jimmy John]

Noticed a rusty orange color inside oil cap and down in the tube Was quite alarming at first. Googled it and the consensus seems to be it generally is the result of driving short trips and condensation forming. I do drive about 5 miles each way each day so that part would make sense but I find it hard to believe every vehicle would do this. What do you think?

 

[1999hoe]

Whats on the dipstick ?

 

[Jimmy John]

Oil looks good on dip stick.

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[rndsommer]

I would check and change the oil and keep an eye on the coolant. I had a 96 Cherokee that had the same issue and no coolant loss and the oil always looked good. It ran fine in spite of how it looked. Condensation coming from somewhere. Put 40k on it like that. Motor eventually died with 262k.

 

[retiredsparky]

If you want to get a look under the valve cover, buy a USB camera with a convenient cable length. They have an LED lamp combined with a lens and they are only about 5mm (1/4") in diameter. Try to place it into the oil filler tube without getting the goop on the lens.

The reason I suggest this: if you have a small crack in the head, you could have a buildup like that shown in your picture on the top of the head. When there is a very small leak, the coolant does not make it's way into the oil in the pan(the coolant evaporates), so no sludge on the dip stick. The cracks are unfortunately not uncommon and form often at the head bolt locations. Google GM head cracks or Castech heads. If you buy a new or rebuilt head from Summit Racing or other supplier (RockAuto.com) avoid the problem heads with the distinctive marking (I believe they are stamped with 217 lower right corner).

If your sludge is from inadequate warming of the engine, you could try a longer route once a week to evaporate the excess moisture out of the engine. I think you have a small head crack but I could be wrong.

Larry

 

[06Escalade]

I would send blackstone an oil sample. Doesn't cost much. They are very informative, will tell you if there is a small coolant leak, engine wear, etc.

 

[Jimmy John]

Took my cap off and cleaned it a couple days ago and drove about 50 miles in 4 trips and checked it again last night and it was still clean for whatever that's worth.

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[Jimmy John]

Yesterday I looked at the cap on my 03 Impala that I had been driving before I got the suburban and it looked like it had been doing the same thing. Just not as much was covering it but the weather was warmer then.

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[Jimmy John]

Recently drove 800 miles one way and back cap still looks good.

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[Z28TWITCH]

As long as your truck doesnt have a brand new motor or very low miles...completely normal. Especially if you dont get up on the highway often, or up to running temp often
Engine gets hot, then cools off, moisture inside the crankcase condenses into water, mixes with oil, and then vents off once engine is up to temp, not getting up to temp with leave a nasty film on everything that doesnt move inside the engine...take it for a good cruise once in a while and itll never happen......unless of course you nuke a head gasket...thats a different story