OK today was oil change day and first I did my truck and then when my wife got home I pulled her Vue in to the garage to do hers and when I took the oil cap off it had something on the bottom of the oil filler cap and in the fill neck. I have never seen this before. It was about the color of peanut butter and was slimy. It was totally covering the bottom of the oil cap and around the edges of the filler neck. I use Mobil 1 and change the oil every 4000 miles. I looked inside the oil filter and there is nothing in it and the oil is normal. Any ideas?

 

That sounds like coolant mixed with oil. I hope for your sake that it isn't.

 

Most likely condensation, it's quite common and normal; so long as your oil isn't milky.

 

Sometimes a bad PCV valve will cause the moisture not to be evaporated out of the crankcase.

 

The drained oil was good so I'm hoping that maybe it is the PCV. Thanks for the quick responses!

 

if she does a lot of stop and go condensation, its normal

 

Condensation mainly comes from driving your vehicle until it starts to warm up and then shut it off and it cools and forms condensation. If you run the engine until it is thoroughly warmed up, the moisture in the crank and other parts of the engine, will evaporate and not settle as badly inside the engine. Wipe the top and insides off, have her drive it until completely warmed up each time..or at least MOST times & you shouldn't have a problem.

 

It does sound like water in the oil, but since the oil in the filter and drain pan looks OK, it does sound like it's just condensation, so no worries. You might want to pop the valve cover off and wipe it out, but if it's a PITA I wouldn't bother. Keep an eye on it though, just to be safe. -TD

 

Short trip driving in cold weather can cause deposits that can vary in color from white to "peanut butter" to chocolate. It is the detergent in the oil emulsifying with water to protect the engine parts. Getting the engine warm will usually drive off the moisture.

Moved to the proper forum for more info.

 

She drives about 2.5 miles to work and 2.5 miles home. It's enough time for the temp gauge to show hot but not enough to really warm up the engine. Sorry for putting this in the wrong forum, I did a search but couldn't find anything on it. I feel a little better about this now, I have never seen it before and I have changed plenty of oil in my life. Thanks again for all the responses.