2008 Chevy Malibu - 2.4L 4cyl
Water on oil cap - https://ibb.co/6Z6VfD4
Thick Yellow stuff around oil cap opening - https://ibb.co/CQgh6zV
Tan stuff on dipstick - https://ibb.co/xHWH1mH
I'd assume this is a coolant to oil leak due to a blown head gasket? I'd ask for a confirmation as well as what you logically think should be done.
That looks like condensation. It's common. Does the car not get driven very much or for very long?
I drive the car about 5 to 6 days out of the week and about 6-20 miles when I do drive. What about the other stuff on my dipstick and around the oil cap opening?
Your username is very fitting in this situation. Just like salad dressing, moisture gets whipped up with the oil by oscillating engine parts to create that mayonnaise like substance. It happens in cars that make short trips (10 mins) just like you. The engine does not get hot enough, for long enough, to evaporate the moisture out of the oil, and to melt the mayo. The white stuff then collects on the coolest, hardest to reach places of the engine (such as the oil cap).
Aside from changing your driving patterns, there isn't a lot you can do about it. But it isn't reason for serious concern either. As long as you keep the oil topped up, it's not going to seriously harm the engine. Using synthetic oil might help a bit, or a lighter viscosity if your engine is compatible. Other than that, just try to take the car for a solid drive as often as you can. Short trips are unfortunately just not optimal or efficient conditions that cars are designed for. Cars simply work best operating right around that 200F.
Sounds like it, try some K Seal.....
Buy a cheap harbor freight radiator test kit. Look at your radiator cap and see the max psi specified. If it says 15psi go with 10 or 12psi on it and wait a while to see if the pressure bleeds off. Listen closely as you wait or have some one with good ears listen. (Tinnitus has wrecked me hearing). They may be able to hear the leak from the pressurized coolant system. Some vehicles have coolant lines that run through the manifold... it's not necessarily a blown head gasket.
Just pull the spark plugs and if one of them is wet and smells like coolant, you have your answer.
