Is it sludge???
Super Moderator

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 19,942
Likes: 191
From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Yes ~ Group 3 base oil is allowed to be called fully synthetic in the US but not in Germany as an example. You will note that Mobil makes no such claims in Germany.
UK & USA packaging claims.

Germany & sensitive country claim. (English version)
UK & USA packaging claims.

Germany & sensitive country claim. (English version)
Thanks everybody who shared his/her opinion. It helps a lot. i really appreciated being a member of this forum.
- To rule out head gasket blow. I checked coolant level and appearance. No coolant loose and looks okay.
- I tried to do longer trips to get engine hot. There is still sludge under oil cap but decreased. I am in Canada and in these days we are experiencing mines 20's. Temperature reaches around 85 degree on gauge which is normal I think.
- I changed oil and this time I put Castrol 0W40 instead of Mobile. Will see if it will be different.
Those were the update for now.
- To rule out head gasket blow. I checked coolant level and appearance. No coolant loose and looks okay.
- I tried to do longer trips to get engine hot. There is still sludge under oil cap but decreased. I am in Canada and in these days we are experiencing mines 20's. Temperature reaches around 85 degree on gauge which is normal I think.
- I changed oil and this time I put Castrol 0W40 instead of Mobile. Will see if it will be different.
Those were the update for now.
Check oil 1st, undo oil filter and check to see if getting slighlty creamy or has already gone creamy, if not then should all be ok, just normal moisture on inside of cap, if oil looks a bit creamy then the favourite on them is front cover seals, check coolant level aswell to see if gone down.
Check oil 1st, undo oil filter and check to see if getting slighlty creamy or has already gone creamy, if not then should all be ok, just normal moisture on inside of cap, if oil looks a bit creamy then the favourite on them is front cover seals, check coolant level aswell to see if gone down.
Hi gmphertford,
Thank you for your addition. I checked the oil and it seemed okay. No creamy sludge or indication of water. It was just dark color which is normal I think as it has been 10 k km.
Thanks
I have the exact same car you do. After reading this thread I thought I would take a look under my oil cap. Looked the same as yours. Now I have a 30 mile commute (one way) every day. This gets my car to full operating temp for sure.
So I did the same thing you did check the coolant (all looked good). So I also changed the oil. I used the Mobile 1 0W-40 Euro spec oil with a bosch fleece filter.
When I pulled the plug the oil poured out dark brown but no different then any other used oil I have seen. I pulled the filter out and once again nothing that look odd.
So as others have said the white milky stuff is normal and the only thing may be to change the oil at a shorter interval. Oil and filters are in a reasonable price range and the process is easy enough. So I will just change the oil more often.
So I did the same thing you did check the coolant (all looked good). So I also changed the oil. I used the Mobile 1 0W-40 Euro spec oil with a bosch fleece filter.
When I pulled the plug the oil poured out dark brown but no different then any other used oil I have seen. I pulled the filter out and once again nothing that look odd.
So as others have said the white milky stuff is normal and the only thing may be to change the oil at a shorter interval. Oil and filters are in a reasonable price range and the process is easy enough. So I will just change the oil more often.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,714
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From: 1 hours drive north of Sydney Australia
2007 W204 220CDI Classic Sedan
Just wonder whether the unseasonable cold weather is condensing more moisture than usual in the exposed areas of the engines eg tappet covers.
Interesting to see whether it continues during warmer times.
Crankcase venting gear should be in perfect condition with no brittle old kinked hoses.
Interesting to see whether it continues during warmer times.
Crankcase venting gear should be in perfect condition with no brittle old kinked hoses.
BigN8, I agree. I think the best curse of thing is changing oil+filter little more frequently. I change it 10K km.
Carsy, I think cold weather has responsibility doing this. I will be watching it in the summer to see if it is persist.
Thanks
Carsy, I think cold weather has responsibility doing this. I will be watching it in the summer to see if it is persist.
Thanks



