Water in the oil is one of the worst things that can happen to an engine. When water in the oil turns to steam it prevents oil from reaching critical bearing surfaces. Condensation, is precisely why manufaturers recomend oil be changed based on milage or "TIME". When coolant leaks into the engine oil, and the defect is repaired. The engine should be "Flushed" with clean warm motor oil, then refilled. Here's another tip. Never run any engine with water only as a coolant (especially destilled demineralized or deionized water). Even a short period of time can place years of wear on your cooling system components. Your antifreeze 50/50 has rust and oxidation inhibitors to prevent this. Water should have Chlorides under 40 ppm, Sulfates under 100 ppm, and total disolved solids under 340 ppm, and hardness under 170ppm then ot should be suitable for use as a coolant. Or used destilled water 50/50 with antifreeze.

MY2001 Silver/Black
MY1986 911 Red Cab

 

I just meant a 'little' meaning you cant even tell its there, maybe by testing but thats it.

On the eastern shore, there can be LOTS of condensation, I even get it all over the outside of the engine(I havnt looked inside )Even When the car is in the garage.

 

I don't think the water comes from outside air. It's a combustion product that blows by the rings in small amounts and accumulates in cold oil. (Complete combustion of gasoline produces approximately equal numbers of CO2 and water molecules.)

Fully warming up the engine vaporizes the accumulated water, thereby raising the pressure in the crankcase and venting the excess gas (with water vapor included) through the PC valve and into the intake manifold.

But the PCV only works one way, so the humidity of the outside air shouldn't affect conditions inside the crankcase very much. The only time your crankcase sees outside air is when you pull the dipstick or the filler cap.

 

yes yes, I only meant that if the humidity is so high on the outside, would that effect the inside at all?

Even when your engine is ingesting large amounts of water(I know it's not a water pump) what happens to all of it? Would conditions like that leave larger amounts of H2O in the combustion byproducts? And would that be included in some blow-by gasses?

Im just saying that wouldnt my current enviroment be worse for my engine/car than where I used to live Az? Im sure the rest of the car would go before you could see any signs of internal water damage of a 'well taken care of' motor.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Tox
[B]I don't think the water comes from outside air.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cdelena

Quote:

...Few of these systems are fully sealed.. over a period of time the brake system absorbs water, even if you never open the master cylinder...

I claim no special expertise here other than common sense, but I think that brake systems are more vulnerable to water on several counts. First, they have a much greater surface to volume ratio. Second, the walls of the reservoirs and lines are very thin and can allow minute amounts of water through. And third, water is a huge problem in brake fluid, so even small amounts are dangerous.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cdelena

Quote:

...It is hard to believe that in the 1000F+ combustion chamber there is much water being pushed past the rings.. I have seen no studies on this but it seems more likely the heating and cooling of air in the engine cavity is the real source of moisture in oil.

On a molar basis, exhaust gas contains about as much water as it does CO2 (a little more, actually). Assuming a tank of gas (say 12 gallons) is pure octane (C8H18) weighing 5.6 lb/gal, its complete combustion would produce about 7.9 lb of water -- about a gallon. Obviously most of this goes out the tailpipe, but it wouldn't take much blow-by for this to be the main source of crankcase water. The 1000F+ temperatures just mean that the water is in the form of steam, which would pass by rings the same way as any other gas. I don't know what proportion of combusted gases actually blow by rings, though.

[Edited by Tox on 02-23-2001 at 11:02 AM]

 

Tox

It's been awhile since college chemistry, but isn't it 'moler' instead of 'molar'?

 

Nah. I'm not the wurldz gratest spelur, but at leest I gott that wun rite.

 

Your right, water is a normal by product of combustion.

 

I wouldn't call it a byproduct, though. It's a main product. Water is providing slightly more than half the force that's pushing those pistons down, with carbon dioxide providing the rest. So internal combustion engines are really half steam engines (which is something I never realized before).