Milky oil in the pcv port

[Ian_12]

To start, it is a 2013 RS manual with 54K miles. Lately we have had serious issues starting when cold, and impossible to start if you add high humidity/rain. I started simple with plugs and coil which helped, but then we got down to 30's with rain. Car would not start.

Decided to get a new manifold since you get a lot for the price. As I went to pull the old one off, I noticed something that was horrific sight to me. Milky fluid in the intake manifold pcv port. I haven't noticed any loss of fluid and oil hasn't turned to a milkshake. So I have been wondering could this be just a serious build up of moisture rather than a head gasket issue.

Has anyone else noticed milkshake in the pcv port on the manifold before? I can see this being my problem but I am hoping for just a moisture issue (though this will be hard to remedy). If I can grab a coolant pressure tester today, that will be my next venture.

 

[JTee2017]

To start, it is a 2013 RS manual with 54K miles. Lately we have had serious issues starting when cold, and impossible to start if you add high humidity/rain. I started simple with plugs and coil which helped, but then we got down to 30's with rain. Car would not start.

Decided to get a new manifold since you get a lot for the price. As I went to pull the old one off, I noticed something that was horrific sight to me. Milky fluid in the intake manifold pcv port. I haven't noticed any loss of fluid and oil hasn't turned to a milkshake. So I have been wondering could this be just a serious build up of moisture rather than a head gasket issue.

Has anyone else noticed milkshake in the pcv port on the manifold before? I can see this being my problem but I am hoping for just a moisture issue (though this will be hard to remedy). If I can grab a coolant pressure tester today, that will be my next venture.

Very common to get upper engine/valve cover/intake manifold oil-water emulsion on most vehicles especially in cold weather or humid driving conditions. Usually because of short 30 minute or less drives where the engine heat can not "dry off" the water vapor from combustion and condensation.

The danger is that the water can then freeze and plug the tiny PCV port. Pressure can then build up and blow and engine seal. It seems especially prevalent in the 1.4L engine so many have used a PCV bypass of some type.

 

[Ian_12]

Seeing the location of the crankcase port to the pcv channel, I see an extremely slim chance of freezing. It would take a good bit of fluid to get up to that point. The car would run like hell for quite a while.

I went over the manifold and can't believe how strange this thing is built. The built in vacuum chamber separated by a diaphragm, two piece design, the rubber diaphragm pcv, and port restrictors. But I really don't like the pcv set up

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

This is sounding like how the VW's are in the winter. Go for a long drive and drive it hard a little bit after the car is warmed up. It'll go away. but it'll also come back once the car cools down and sits over night.

 

[Gimpster]

FWIW, I owned a '12 new off the lot years ago before this used '13, and it idled like poo in the cold too. Just like my '13, it missed/stumbled a lot when cold and I just changed my plugs gapped to .028. It stumbles to the point I'm kinda surprised it doesn't set random misfire codes.

In my testing with the LS coils, the thing idles much better... but I can't definitively prove that since I've not let the car sit outside with them on until the brackets are finished.

You can tell this engine is European, the PCV system being ridiculous to service and overly complex. No offense to my euro friends who might be on here.

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

FWIW, I owned a '12 new off the lot years ago before this used '13, and it idled like poo in the cold too. Just like my '13, it missed/stumbled a lot when cold and I just changed my plugs gapped to .028. It stumbles to the point I'm kinda surprised it doesn't set random misfire codes.

In my testing with the LS coils, the thing idles much better... but I can't definitively prove that since I've not let the car sit outside with them on until the brackets are finished.

You can tell this engine is European, the PCV system being ridiculous to service and overly complex. No offense to my euro friends who might be on here.

lol, I own a Golf R. I experience this same thing with the PCV so no offense taken.

As far as the misfire and stumbling when cold. The ignition upgrade actually fixes that. My car used to do the same until I upgraded. These were also first starts of the day in the morning when it's freezing. Now she doesn't anymore. The stock ignition sucks in this car. Plain and simple.

 

[JTee2017]

Hmmm .. been down in the upper 20's here and no cold misfires with my 2017 1.8L.

Sure seems to be a lot of fixing and fiddling with the 1.4L.


I do have an eventual short shopping list for my 1.8L. All metal thermostat and housing, better air intake, have a spare water pump on hand, and maybe some hoses. That's it. I've seen a few folks with 1.8s and they have well over 100,000 miles with just a few maintenance items.

 

[Ian_12]

Actually I think I found the issue. Whomever tuned the car previously did a poor job of it. I bought HP Tuners to look into it and found my STFT are -50 during crank and my ect is reading 120 degrees when it is 30 degrees outside (car has sat for two days). I'm going to look into the ect, but I don't think it is going to help that much with so much fuel being pulled during cranking.

But the best part is, when I go to read the ecm, it is locked. Absolutely perfect! Car is stuck blocking the driveway because it won't run in the cold. :banana: