Posted by Mike Deal (141.152.254.104) on October 29, 2004 at 19:40:57:
In Reply to: Grey oil in atomic 4! posted by Deanson Lin on 23:40:21 10/24/04:
Grey oil usually means water in the oil. Over cranking without starting can cause the exhaust system to fill up and back up into the engine, contaminating the oil since there is not enough exhaust pressure to blow the water out. I think a blown head gasket may be another cause. You may need to change the oil a few times to get it all out. Its not good to run with any water in the oil especially if you use a detergent oil. It tends to thicken the oil up. If mine doesn't start i the first 10 seconds, I close the water valve. I throw it open as soon as it kicks over. I'm not positive but i think this sudden surge of water has helped blow out some of the build up. It's been running cooler and I have better water flow since i started doing this.