Hi guys

Im calling out for assistance here as I'm worried something bad is up with my motor.
I have a ralliart tj and has had a relatively easy life, up until I crashed it some 3 months ago.
It's been stored at my mothers while I source replacement parts and it gets started once a week.
Symptoms:
Milky sludge under oil filler cap and around the filler all tho inside the filler still looks Bronze and shiny.
It's a little rich but it was also like that when I was on vacation.
Dipstick shows the oil in the sump is a little dirty but no milky sludge.
Starts fine, warms up, runs and would probably run until it used up all it's fuel, but turn it off for 30 seconds and start again and you have a completely different story.
If I had to describe and sounds like its limping at start for about a second, croaks into life but then idles way to low then dies and adding throttle didn't help, but 40 seconds ago it was all fine and dandy and if provoked would rev hard with all it's might

Any help is good help.

Riceguy

Check your coolant and see if there's any oil in it.
Its possible, however unlikely, that the sludge is a result of rocker cover condensation from storage/lack of use/low ambient temperature (my spare car - not a Magna - suffers from this when stored for an extended period).
You'd need to give it a proper run, give it a compression test and pressure test the cooling system to make an adequate assessment.

If the engine has been overheated/run without coolant after the accident I'd say there's a fair chance you've damaged the head gaskets or even the heads. Alternatively it could be condensation build up from the engine repeatedly not being run up to full operating temperature as you would with say a 20 minute drive. Engine idling low then dying despite adding throttle sounds like the battery needs charging. My AWD displays similar problems about every 3 months due to short 5 minute runs during the week. When I take the vehicle for longer runs on the weekend the symptoms disappear. Perhaps once the vehicle is back in regular use the problems will disappear.
Cheers

Guys, not a head gasket....

Cars which sit, get started for short times and shut down will often milk up due to water vapour not getting burnt off. Only after a good long drive will you get that to evaporate and burn of

You guys are awesome, the condensation sounds extremely plausible, but ill by a comp tester to be safe.


Thanks again

RiceGuy

Make sure the battery is fully charged before you do compression testing as a non fully charged battery = slightly slower cranking speed for each cylinder = lower compression readings as the battery drains down

Cheers

Personally I would not waste my money on a comp tester. The most reliable way is a monoxide test in the cooling system when is up at full temp. If your car starts and runs then clearly the damage was not that bad so head damage is not likely. If you are confident you have not cooked the motor again head damage is unlikely. I have seen these motors get very hot with no damage done.

Get the car back on the road, drive it to a mechanic who has a monoxide testing kit if you really feel the need to and get it tested, if you have coolant entering the sump it will be very obvious as you will have coolant in the oil as well, not just a little bit of sludge on the filler cap. On these motors the main place they blow is the cyl into the cooling system, when even on a cold start you will get extreme poor running situation as one or more cyl will have coolant in them and the radiator level will constantly be dropping when motor is off. When running you will get excessive pressure build up as well