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Joined: Mar 2003
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OP
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i was just doing a little work on the contour and checked the oil before i finished and noticed there was air bubbles on the dipstick. car has been sitting for about 3 hours. i use redline oil and i'm about due for an oil change. car only has 68000 miles on it, it just seemed strange because i've never noticed it before. some ideas on this would be great. 
1999 svt contour
manga flow exhaust, soon to be flowmaster w/custom y pipe from exhaust buddy
mirko maf adapter w/ 6" filter
dtec heatsheild
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Hard-core CEG'er
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Check your PCV system!
Water in the oil causes that. Either your PCV system is allowing condensation in the engine, or coolant is getting in there. Check the PCV first.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" -George Santayana
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 115
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Quote:
Water in the oil causes that
Are there AIR Bubbles or WATER bubbles? Air bubbles could simply be from too much oil in the crancase. Crankshaft whips throught it and aerates the oil. Or too LOW oil level will uncover the pick up during hard lateral movements. (accel, braking, hard cornering, etc.)and the oil pump will suck air and froth things up. (Neither is exactly a good operating condition for an engine!)
Water bubbles are a different mater. Water or coolant bubbles usually have a milky white look to them, and can often be found inside your oil fill cap as well. WATER could be from condensate forming as previously stated. The PCV system will remove it usually. Exceptions are in spring and fall, (Hey! Its Fall!) if you take very short drives. Condensate forms in the oil pan as the temperature drops during the night. When the temp drops below the atmospheric "dew point", water vapor will literally condense to liquid water. The temperature at which this will occur increases as the humidity level increases. (In its most severe form it's called RAIN!) If there's dew on the grass during the night or in the morning, you're at the right temp level. (I see you live in the Bay Area. Has it been sticky or foggy nights? Raining for a while?) Normally this would be evaporated out as the engine oil reaches operating temp and you drive long enough. SHORT drives never get the oil hot enough to evap the water and it stays in the pan, slowly making it look like your oil level is actually INCREASING! If it is COOLANT, not water, you have an internal engine leak, most common being a bad head gasket. Give us a little more info.
Former, now returned CEG'er!
95SE MTX, (AKA "The Road Rat"). Stock except for:TH fix, B.A.T. big brake kit, tranny cocktail and lots of re-insulated wiring! May yet be a 3.0!
"Speed doesn't kill, stupidity does!"
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Originally posted by Stevedrivr:
Air bubbles could simply be from too much oil in the crancase. Crankshaft whips throught it and aerates the oil.
Good call, but after sitting for 3 hours?
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" -George Santayana
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Joined: Sep 2003
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CEG\'er
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Quote:
after sitting for 3 hours?
Roger,
Not likely, but it is possible. Depends on oil viscosity, temp, oil additives, etc. If the oil was fairly frothy when the engine is shut down, it could last a while. Look how long soap suds can last in your kitchen sink. Soap bubbles have much less surface tension to hold them together than bubbles in oil. The smaller the air bubbles in the oil, the longer they will last. Less bouyancy to get them to the surface and a relatively thicker film holding them together when they do surface. Also, the lower the oil temp the longer they will last. But yeah, 3 hours is a long time!
BTW Roger , off topic but, you never got back about the wether there are two digit error codes for the EEC-IV. There is a link to them in the FAQ.
Former, now returned CEG'er!
95SE MTX, (AKA "The Road Rat"). Stock except for:TH fix, B.A.T. big brake kit, tranny cocktail and lots of re-insulated wiring! May yet be a 3.0!
"Speed doesn't kill, stupidity does!"
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Originally posted by Stevedrivr:
BTW Roger , off topic but, you never got back about the wether there are two digit error codes for the EEC-IV. There is a link to them in the FAQ.
Two digit codes are reserved for the cylinder balance test.
I have not tried this.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" -George Santayana
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 115
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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Quote:
Two digit codes are reserved for the cylinder balance test.
Cool. Thanks. Saved the page as an "mht" file on hard drive. Buliding up quite a library of saved info from the site. The "Road Rat" is putting me thru more electrical hell. Won't start and out there now working on it. May become a new thread for the troubleshooting forum!! 
Former, now returned CEG'er!
95SE MTX, (AKA "The Road Rat"). Stock except for:TH fix, B.A.T. big brake kit, tranny cocktail and lots of re-insulated wiring! May yet be a 3.0!
"Speed doesn't kill, stupidity does!"
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,254
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
Joined: Feb 2003
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Originally posted by Stevedrivr:
Quote:
Water in the oil causes that
Are there AIR Bubbles or WATER bubbles? Air bubbles could simply be from too much oil in the crancase. Crankshaft whips throught it and aerates the oil. Or too LOW oil level will uncover the pick up during hard lateral movements. (accel, braking, hard cornering, etc.)and the oil pump will suck air and froth things up. (Neither is exactly a good operating condition for an engine!)
Water bubbles are a different mater. Water or coolant bubbles usually have a milky white look to them, and can often be found inside your oil fill cap as well. WATER could be from condensate forming as previously stated. The PCV system will remove it usually. Exceptions are in spring and fall, (Hey! Its Fall!) if you take very short drives. Condensate forms in the oil pan as the temperature drops during the night. When the temp drops below the atmospheric "dew point", water vapor will literally condense to liquid water. The temperature at which this will occur increases as the humidity level increases. (In its most severe form it's called RAIN!) If there's dew on the grass during the night or in the morning, you're at the right temp level. (I see you live in the Bay Area. Has it been sticky or foggy nights? Raining for a while?) Normally this would be evaporated out as the engine oil reaches operating temp and you drive long enough. SHORT drives never get the oil hot enough to evap the water and it stays in the pan, slowly making it look like your oil level is actually INCREASING! If it is COOLANT, not water, you have an internal engine leak, most common being a bad head gasket. Give us a little more info.
very informative.... 
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