ok guys so i've been doing some research on my car and i'm not 100% sure what is wrong, i know the obvious answer is head gasket but here are some stats on the car

2006 2.2l cobalt totally stock
175,000 miles
my commuter car to work, 70 miles each way 5 days a week
have started to notice milky oil at the tip of the dipstick and on top of the oil cap


so myself is thinking head gasket as well however the antifreeze hasn't gone down a mm, i know this because i marked where it was with a pen and checked it a week later so thats got me kind of confused on where the water is coming from

exhaust is clear with no sweet smell.

I'm not sure where else any moisture could be coming from any thoughts?

I am going to get one of those kits to test the antifreeze for oil basically and that should tell me a lot. What about a compression test, worth it?

Car runs great stays a steady 190 temp while driving but i want to get this fixed. While i don't want to jump the money for a head gasket this is just my beater car any thoughts on that bars leak head gasket stuff you can add to the antifreeze? worth it or not?

 

Condensation. This is normal if you have taken a lot of short drives. It's more common in cold weather as well.

 

could be condensation

 

that was something else that i had read about for short drives, i thought maybe my 140 miles a day might burn it off but it has been pretty moist and cold up here this winter so lets hope thats right, we'll keep an eye on it and wait for warmer weather!

 

Yeah, I have it on mine but I drive up the street from me about 30 seconds away to work on my other house. Wipe the cap off occasionally.

 

With that much of a commute it should burn off any condensation in the crankcase. Id do an oil change asap and keep an eye on it.

 

I have it on my oil filler cap in my 09 SS and my wife has it on her dipstick on her 09 2.2L up here in Michigan so it's pretty common.

 

If you are driving 140 miles a day it should burn off unless there's a lot in there. If it's just the little bit you described and still not burning off that's a little abnormal

 

I agree, so if its not from the coolant are there any other sources that could cause water in the oil, could it be from combustion and leaking around the piston rings or a valve not closing tightly?

 

Common issue with many cars in winter time.

Highly unlikely that there is a head gasket problem, and I would avoid any "head gasket repair" products, most are completely useless and just clog up the cooling system.

Although the moisture may burn off during your drive, its during startup and on shutdown that a lot of the moisture condenses into the oil cap and onto the dipstick, which is why you see it on there even after the car has been driven. Nothing to worry about unless the oil itself looks milky or you are loosing coolant rapidly.