Yellow "gunk" on my oil cap???

[07Burb]

What is this crap on the inside of my oil cap?? On our trip back from Indianapolis we stopped in Illinois for us all to pee and got back in and got an "Add oil" alert. I went to check and indeed I was a quart low. Don't know why but maybe the two are related. Went to fill it up, took off the cap and bamo! This is what it looks like. I added the oil, cleaned the cap and journeyed on to KC. Got to KC, filled up with gas, checked again and the gunk was back again!!! What the heck is this stuff??? I'm afraid for the worst...

BTW....This is on my 2007 Suburban
5.3 L motor
112k miles
Last oil change was last September (approximately 3500 miles ago)

 

[1dopeHoe]

It's just moisture...however, check the condition of the oil itself. If it's sludgy or looks anything like what's under the cap then you have a headgasket issue on hand.

 

[07Burb]

UGH!!!

 

[sumo]

Dont sweat it. I see that a lot on cars i work on. Its only a issue if the actual oil is like that.

 

[07Burb]

Dont sweat it. I see that a lot on cars i work on. Its only a issue if the actual oil is like that.

So if it's not a major issue (I'm changing the oil tonight after work to ensure it's not actually in the oil but I didn't see any of this on the dipstick) then what causes it?

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Coolant

that looks like coolant... but I thought GM used pink stuff vs yellow?

Coolant in oil, or oil in coolant usually means a bad head gasket, that's where the systems come together...

Do you have the guage to do a compression test?

 

[07Burb]

that looks like coolant... but I thought GM used pink stuff vs yellow?

Coolant in oil, or oil in coolant usually means a bad head gasket, that's where the systems come together...

Do you have the guage to do a compression test?

Yeah, my coolant is the red stuff. I don't think I have a gauge but I think that's one of the things I can rent from AutoZone or something I believe.

---------- Post added at 08:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:08 AM ----------

Also, I should also mention that before our 1000 mile trip I put in some STP Injector Cleaner into the gas tank. Could this have possible gotten into the oil somehow and caused this??

 

[02Lightning]

It's condensation, I wouldn't worry about it. It comes from short trips and not burning off all the moisture in the motor.

 

[07Burb]

It's condensation, I wouldn't worry about it. It comes from short trips and not burning off all the moisture in the motor.

Well, I've just gone to the store on my lunch break and bought some oil, filter and some seafoam for the oil change tonight. My plan is to dump the seafoam in and take the Burb for a quick spin to get it in there and clean everything up. Then bring it back home (let it cool for a bit) then change the oil. I may also make it a habit to drive it more.

 

[stevek]

I mean you could always see if that yellow crap is water soluble...