Mayo on dipstick

[knight]

Checked the oil this evening and found what looked like mayonnaise on the dipstick, is this the first sign of a dodgy headgasket or is it possibly due to condensation? On sunday I drove out of the garage and washed the car, then drove about 10 miles for fuel before putting the car back in the garage. Could this cause condensation to form due to not getting it up to temperature? The header tank looks ok, but I can't get a good look when it's in the garage. I'm never sure whats worse, water in oil or oil in water!! Or are both as bad as each other.

[brogenville]

Whilst anything is possible, its certainly grounds for concern. I would be heading to a garage to get one of those chemical tests done on the coolant, and just to get an experienced eye to look at the mayo.

Perhaps you could post a photo of the offending substance?

[ro_butler]

knight said:

Checked the oil this evening and found what looked like mayonnaise on the dipstick, is this the first sign of a dodgy headgasket or is it possibly due to condensation? On sunday I drove out of the garage and washed the car, then drove about 10 miles for fuel before putting the car back in the garage. Could this cause condensation to form due to not getting it up to temperature? The header tank looks ok, but I can't get a good look when it's in the garage. I'm never sure whats worse, water in oil or oil in water!! Or are both as bad as each other.

There are usually threads about mayo at this time of year and it is usually due to condensation, so no need to panic just yet. Maybe worth getting it checked out though.

Generally speaking water in oil is worse!

[knight]

Cheers guys, info appreciated

Am back at work now so won't be able to get a photo just yet and as it's not my everyday car i will give the garage a call next week.

[kevin63]

I would say that Mayo on the top of the dip stick is quite common at this time of year due to the condensation, if it is at the bottom of the stick then I would be concerned, like mentioned earlier, I would also check there are no traces of oil in the expansion tank (rainbow effect on top of the water) good luck.

[Storer]

Short journeys are a common cause of mayo like deposits especially at this time of year. The engine oil never gets hot enough to evaporate the moisture that condenses inside the engine on short runs.

If it's a small amount of mayo just take the car for a good long run and get it nice and warm (you may need to blank off part of the radiator). If there is a lot of mayo change the oil first then take the car for a long run.