Brown / Rusty Substance in Oil

Changed my oil today, and the oil drained from the truck had a brown / rust color on top as shown in the photo. I change the oil every 5,000 miles, and this is the first time it’s looked like this. Oil level was extreme low even though there have been no signs of leaking oil. Truck has 163k miles currently. I use synthetic 0w-20. Not sure if it’s relevant, but I just had two 600 mile trips over the holidays.
Truck seems to be running fine and wouldn’t suspect any issue had the oil not looked like this.
Any input on what may be happening here would be appreciated.

 

Did you check you coolant level?

 

Exactly what I was thinking. Looks like a head gasket issue.

 

I have not checked the coolant level.

 

I would start there. Let us know what you find!

 

Certainly looks like coolant is making it into the oil here.

 

Coolant level is low. Just a small amount showing in the reservoir.

 

Sounds like you caught the early signs of a blown head gasket....sorry man

 

I hear head gasket repairs are not cheap on these. Also need coolant system flushed, potentially replace the radiator due to age and oil contamination. Sorry man, good luck with repairs.

 

Appreciate the input.
if anyone has experience with addressing this, please let me know what I’m up against here.
Thanks.

 

From Google: "The average cost for a Toyota Tundra head gasket replacement is between $2,119 and $2,405. Labor costs are estimated between $1,086 and $1,370 while parts are priced between $1,033 and $1,035."

 

I've heard in the neighborhood of $5G's. Like the cam towers, the process is somewhat involved and labor intensive. Head gasket failures are very rare on the boards here. If it were me, I'd do the job myself and save on all that labor. Parts, even changing out the radiator and resealing the cam towers could be sourced for under $1G. May even get a new tool out of the deal.

 

Damn, Sorry to see this for you. seems very rare. Keep us posted and best of luck getting fixed

 

My spraynard-sense is tingling...

 

I see your DFW area and recently purchased this truck. Any chance it has undisclosed flood history?

 

I haven’t noticed any issues that would lead me to think that. Any tips on something I can look for that I may be missing? And if that’s the case, how would that help me at this point? Truck was purchased 21 months ago.

 

It’s illegal to sell a flood car undisclosed. Rusty seat brackets, rusty bolts under the hood. Milky or cloudy fluid in differentials or transmission, in addition to engine oil. If it’s possible to trace back ownership, do so and see what the story is.

 

Ok, thanks for the info. I haven’t seen any issues like that. I’ve changed the oil every 5k miles since I’ve had the truck (5 or 6 times) and this the first time I’ve had an issue like this.

 

Next step would be do a compression test to verify

 

I dropped it at the dealership this afternoon for a compression test. Should know something tomorrow.

 

Let us know what you find out, please!

I have 60k on my 2017 and I am in the process of doing tests for possible head gasket issue as well after finding my reservoir and radiator low.

 

Dealer tested compression on coolant system and cylinders and the readings were normal. They do not know what caused the issue. Suggested I check / change the oil after a few hundred miles again to see what it looks like.

 

I’ve found my overflow low a couple times - first time I wasn’t able to trace it - second time it was leaking around the hose clamp where the lower rad hose mates to the thermostat/waterpump. Look for dried coolant around all the connections.

 

Low coolant, small pin hole leak around the hose fitting, & or radiator is common with these. A lot of threads on here where people have no idea where their coolant is going.

 

Might be worth, if you still have some of the oil, doing an oil analysis. Could the oil just be frothy from a recent drive? Pan was dirty prior to draining oil? Great news on the compression check though!

 

Well my radiator is pressurized after the truck sits for 24 hours as well. I'm getting a c02 tester delivered tomorrow to check for exhaust gasses

 

That's good news. Not sure where to go from here. Low oil, what looks like water in the oil, and low over flow...hmmmm

 

Been doing some reading on 5.7 head gasket failures. Seems pretty uncommon. I'm seeing mileage vary wildly from 60k-190k miles. Also seeing that it is pretty difficult to confirm a head gasket issue until it gets pretty bad.

I would follow the advice of the dealer and keep a close eye on/document fluid levels for changes.