I know that I am being extremely hopeful on this.
I checked the oil yesterday in my 95 Dodge Neon. Noticing that it was a little low, I removed the oil cap, and noticed a creamy sludge on the cap. (Kind of looks like the gear oil in the foot of an outboard motor after a season of use.)
Now I know this is being really hopeful, but could this simply be water/condensation in the oil? The oil is a little over due for a change (Time, not mileage wise), and with the odd weather we have had (cycling through from warm/wet to very cold/dry), could this be condensation? I am dreading that this is a head gasket issue, but was unable to smell the sweat smell of anti-freeze when I checked the cap and rag I used to clean it off.
Any ideas or things I can check to see if this is actually the head gasket again, as it was changed to a bi-layer back in 97ish?
(BTW, the car is a Single cam, 5-speed, with just over 445,000km on her.)
Mike mlawrenc(at)gmail.com