I’m sure all of us love having a chocolate milkshake, but this is certainly not the case if our engine oil looks like one.
If you are wondering if your engine oil looks like chocolate milk is even a matter of concern, then the answer is YES! If your engine oil is looking like a milkshake brown in color, it is probably a sign of trouble for you. This is possible when the coolant or the water is mixed with the engine oil.
This is when such a situation might arise and this can adversely affect the engine coolant system and its proper working. Several reasons can lead to your engine oil looking like a chocolate milkshake and you need to find the root cause and cure it!
In this article, we will be discussing the various factors and reasons behind the engine oil looking like chocolate milk. We will also be talking about the various ways and methods that can be used to deal with such a situation. Let’s dive into the deeper understandings of the same and prevent your engine as well as the coolant system from getting damaged.
Reasons Why Engine Oil Looks Like Chocolate Milk
Leaking of the gasket
If the gasket of the engine system is having any kind of leakage problem and is due to the same, the coolant tends to leak and get mixed into the engine oil, which can result in several issues. The mixing of the coolant with the engine oil leads the oil to look like a chocolate milkshake and this also degrades the quality of the oil. The oil engine oil looking like a frothy chocolate milkshake is also responsible for depreciating the lubricating properties of the oil and this can damage the engine.
Leakage in the oil cooler
If the oil cooler has a few cracks or nicks and is suffering from leakage, there is a possibility that the coolant or the water might get mixed with the engine oil and make it look like a chocolate milkshake. This is why it is recommended that you check the oil cooler and only when you are sure that it has no leakage points, you should continue with it or else you can simply replace it with a new one.
Coolant leaking into the crankcase
If the coolant has mistakenly or due to the fault of a few parts has leaked into the crankcase, it will result in its foaming. The frothing of the engine oil will then result in it looking like a chocolate milkshake. The coolant when contaminates the oil affects it badly and the engine oil can then lose its lubricating quality that will be something extremely harmful to your engine. If this happens, the coolant system of the engine is also affected badly and might get some severe damages.
Water mixing in the oil
Another reason why your engine oil can look like chocolate milk is when water is mixed with it. If by any chance, water gets mixed with the engine oil due to any reason like leakage, spillage, etc., the engine oil will form froth and will look like a chocolate milkshake.
This will decrease the quality of the oil and will also affect the functioning of the engine. The lubricating properties of the engine oil are diminished when there is such a case and this can cause some serious damages to the engine coolant system as well. So, if you want to protect your engine and maintain its smooth functioning, make sure that you are not allowing water to mix with it at all.
Because of short tripping
Short tripping is a term that is used when you are taking your vehicle for small trips or short distances and it does not get up to the operating temperature that is required. If this happens, it is possible that there is a build-up of solid condensation and this makes the engine oil look dirty. This can also cause the engine oil to look like a chocolate milkshake and can deteriorate its lubricating power to a great extent.
This is a very unusual yet possible reason why you are seeing a build-up of dirt in your engine oil. If the optimum operating temperature is not reached by the vehicle due to being used only for short distances, there will be a build-up condensation taking place in the engine oil that will adversely affect the working of your engine and vehicle.
These are a few expected reasons that can lead to the problem of engine oil looking like a chocolate milkshake.
How to deal with the problem of the Engine Oil Looks Like Chocolate Milk?
When you can observe that the engine oil of your vehicle is turning into a weird brownish color and is looking like a chocolate milkshake, you should not at all ignore this and take an action immediately if you do not want your engine to get damaged.
A few ways with which you can deal with such a situation are discussed in detail below
Track the root cause
To get the best solution for handling this situation, all you need to do first is to get to the root cause of the problem. The problem of your engine oil looking like a chocolate milkshake can be caused due to several reasons, to get the best and accurate solution for the same, you need to figure out what is the actual reason for such a problem occurring with your engine oil.
This is an extremely important step as it will lead you to the right path of getting a solution for this problem. If you think that the issue is caused due to the leakage of any of the parts of the engine, make sure that you inspect all the parts carefully and wherever you find a fault, you replace it immediately. By doing so, you will reach the root cause of the problem and will be able to solve it easily.
Repair the parts
If there is any problem with the parts of the engine, they are not working well or are worn out a lot due to the continuous usage, they may be playing an instrumental role in the leakage of coolants or water into the oil. This is why it is important to check the parts well and if they are majorly damaged or are completely worn out, you need to get them repaired, and only then should you use them. This is because the mixing of coolants into the oil results in it appearing like a chocolate milkshake.
Use flushing oil
To completely remove the frothy part of your engine oil looking like a chocolate milkshake, you can also go for opting the method of using a flushing oil to completely remove the gunk and the deposits from your engine oil.
In this process, you need to make sure that you are using new filters as well to make sure that they are working well. You can also opt for a flushing oil that is of a different brand and this will help in getting rid of the deposits of dirt, coolant, etc., from your engine oil. The flushing oil that you are using for this process also needs to be of a good brand. With this method, you will be able to fetch some good results.
Change the oil
If you think that your engine oil is badly damaged and is polluted and this is the reason why it is looking like a chocolate milkshake, you can change the oil as well. Changing the oil can cost you a bit but this is one solid solution for dealing with such a situation and you can easily get a better functioning of the engine as well as all of its parts. The engine oil can be changed easily and will also enhance the overall performance of your engine and vehicle.
Changing the engine oil when it looks like a chocolate milkshake and is highly contaminated with dirt, gunk, coolants, water, etc., is one of the most trusted and the most effective measures one can take to get rid of such a problem and save their engine and coolant system from getting damaged.
These are some of the ways and methods you can opt for to tackle the issue of your engine oil is contaminated and looking like a chocolate milkshake.
Conclusion
The contamination of the engine oil with coolants, water, and other substances is a very serious issue that needs to be dealt with as soon as you observe this problem. This is because such oil can heavily damage your engine and the coolant system as well. The smooth functioning of the engine and its parts is also affected badly in such cases and you need to take a step to either change the oil or follow any of the above-mentioned ways and find a solution for this problem.