The Car Care Clinic with the Dr John

The Ooey Gooey Carburetter - The Ooey Gooey Carburetter

Gene in Walton-on-Thames

Question

I have a secondary car I rarely drive. Recently, I had a weird problem that I cannot explain. Picture this: I'm driving along in mild traffic and suddenly get a bunch of smoke out the exhaust pipe ( whitish in color, I think). I get through the first light but the engine dies at the next light and I can't restart it. The car was not overheating and had only run for a few miles. I checked the oil and it was all very creamy. I thought I must have blown a head gasket. Then I noticed all this creamy goo in the air filter and carburetter as well; very puzzling. After getting it towed home I cleaned out all the goo in the intake system and flushed out the carburetter. It started right up and ran great. I changed the oil and filter as well. Now the car runs very well, has no signs of water in the oil and no loss of coolant. I can only guess that maybe from the rains, water got into the gas filler cap and after I filled up the tank it all got sucked in. But how do I explain the water in the oil? What happened?

Answer

The problem is likely a combination of events. Water can't get from the gas tank to the engine oil. Water in the gas will get into the carburetor and cause a running problem. The creamy goo you're describing is probably blow-by from the crankcase. This goo clogged the air filter, causing the engine to stall. The reason for the goo? Check the PCV valve; it is most likely restricted or plugged causing crankcase gasses to be forced out the vent into the air cleaner assembly.

Good Luck!
Dr. John