Help - Mayo in oil...!!!!!!!!
Discussion
Worst nightmare!!!
I had a faulty water pump...slight leak comming from the hole in the casing...i made sure the water level was topped up (it was only going down very slowly)...didnt drive the car hard and the temp never got above 70.
Tonight i removed the water pump ready to put the new one on tomorrow and thought i would have a look at the oil level while i had the bonnet up...looked in the filler cap and there was slight traces of 'mayo' in it...not thick and lumpy, very runny like white water.
1. How can i tell if the cylinder head gasket has gone?
2. has anyone replaced them and how hard is it?
3. Has anyone got an idea of shopping list to do this job...ie gaskets, bolts, how much beer???
Sorry if i do not reply tonight as i am going down the pub to drown my sorrows :drunk:
I had a faulty water pump...slight leak comming from the hole in the casing...i made sure the water level was topped up (it was only going down very slowly)...didnt drive the car hard and the temp never got above 70.
Tonight i removed the water pump ready to put the new one on tomorrow and thought i would have a look at the oil level while i had the bonnet up...looked in the filler cap and there was slight traces of 'mayo' in it...not thick and lumpy, very runny like white water.
1. How can i tell if the cylinder head gasket has gone?
2. has anyone replaced them and how hard is it?
3. Has anyone got an idea of shopping list to do this job...ie gaskets, bolts, how much beer???
Sorry if i do not reply tonight as i am going down the pub to drown my sorrows :drunk:
Don't panic yet. It may well just be condensation.
First off check the oil in the sump (ie. on the dipstick). If this is at all coffee coloured, you have problems. If it is clear (or black, if you haven't changed it recently!) then there is a reasonable chance that the mayo in the filler cap is nothing to worry about - just condensation as a result of the car not being used enough. Take it for a good, long run a lot more often!
You can check the head gasket by doing a compression test and, more reliably, by getting a chemical test done on the coolant. This checks for exhaust gasses dissolved in the coolant, so is a good indicator of the a failed gasket pressurising the cooling system. It does not, of course, necessarily detect a failure between the water jacket and an oil gallery, but these are fairly uncommon.
In almost every instance of a blown head gasket that I've suffered, the temperature has gone off the scale intermittently a few times (before it finally blew, and there was no contamination of the oil prior to final failure (big cloud of steam from the exhaust - we are talking Red Arrows - and sump oil the colour of chocolate milkshake). I'm not saying that temperature is a foolproof indicator, but it's usually more significant than a little mayo on the inside of the filler cap.
Good luck!
First off check the oil in the sump (ie. on the dipstick). If this is at all coffee coloured, you have problems. If it is clear (or black, if you haven't changed it recently!) then there is a reasonable chance that the mayo in the filler cap is nothing to worry about - just condensation as a result of the car not being used enough. Take it for a good, long run a lot more often!
You can check the head gasket by doing a compression test and, more reliably, by getting a chemical test done on the coolant. This checks for exhaust gasses dissolved in the coolant, so is a good indicator of the a failed gasket pressurising the cooling system. It does not, of course, necessarily detect a failure between the water jacket and an oil gallery, but these are fairly uncommon.
In almost every instance of a blown head gasket that I've suffered, the temperature has gone off the scale intermittently a few times (before it finally blew, and there was no contamination of the oil prior to final failure (big cloud of steam from the exhaust - we are talking Red Arrows - and sump oil the colour of chocolate milkshake). I'm not saying that temperature is a foolproof indicator, but it's usually more significant than a little mayo on the inside of the filler cap.
Good luck!
I have checked the dipstick and that is clear...oil change about 500 miles ago.
The car is used everyday for work...although it has been laid up for a few days over the weekend as we went away...so could it still be condensation???
I have got the new water pump today so i shall put that in...change the oil and filter (again) and see what happens.
The car is used everyday for work...although it has been laid up for a few days over the weekend as we went away...so could it still be condensation???
I have got the new water pump today so i shall put that in...change the oil and filter (again) and see what happens.
Yes, it could still be condensation - particularly with the big changes in humidity that we've been having recently.
If mayo was being produced as a result of a blowing head gasket, I'd expect it to be a lot more obvious. Just keep an eye on the oil, water and especially the temperature, but continue enjoying the car until it gives some further indiaction that something is wrong.
If mayo was being produced as a result of a blowing head gasket, I'd expect it to be a lot more obvious. Just keep an eye on the oil, water and especially the temperature, but continue enjoying the car until it gives some further indiaction that something is wrong.
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff