What Caused This Gelatinous Engine Oil?

Here is the not-so-classic case of engine oil that solidified into a sort of messy gel. What happened here?

Dec. 9, 2019

Dec. 9, 2019—Here's an interesting one. A Massachusetts driver took his Chevrolet Cruze into an auto shop because it wouldn't turn over. The techs removed the oil pan to find a Jell-O mold of solidified engine oil.

The Drive told the story, which is based on the tech's viral Facebook video. It was a mess, and the gelatinous oil looked like a sticky mess to remove. The owner apparently posted to an online comment section that he was getting regular oil changes at the dealership, and the car had a second used engine installed after the first one had a cracked piston at 75,000 miles.

There are a few theories to the cause of this oil condition, including a leaky head gasket or an overheated engine sucking all the water out and leaving the gelatin oil.

Image: Brendan Thibeault / Facebook