Possible Engine Problem
Discussion
Hi All,
Just doing the regular checks..ie. oil, water, power steering fluid etc... and then needed to top up the oil. So get the bottle, open the cap and...... whoa.. some very nasty looking yellow, creamy, sticky type of stuff covering the inside of the oil cap.. So next job is to clean it all up, thought i should check the water resevoir and that was all ok, no signs of anything except water in that.. Can anyone shed some light on what this problemm might be and does it sound like the beginning of the end of the engine ???
I haven't noticed any deterioration of performance recently, and whatever this is has arised in the last two - three weeks...
Any help, comments or advice would be graet...
Thanks
Just doing the regular checks..ie. oil, water, power steering fluid etc... and then needed to top up the oil. So get the bottle, open the cap and...... whoa.. some very nasty looking yellow, creamy, sticky type of stuff covering the inside of the oil cap.. So next job is to clean it all up, thought i should check the water resevoir and that was all ok, no signs of anything except water in that.. Can anyone shed some light on what this problemm might be and does it sound like the beginning of the end of the engine ???
I haven't noticed any deterioration of performance recently, and whatever this is has arised in the last two - three weeks...
Any help, comments or advice would be graet...
Thanks
I would not panic just yet. The white stuff is emulsified oil. This can be caused by short journeys around town etc. where the engine never gets properly warmed. There are some engines where regardless of use they have this all the time. One old fashioned way to get a clue is to put some oil on your finger, pull the dipstick out and let it drip onto your oil-covered finger. If the drip bounces off it is mainly water (being much thinner it will be the first thing off the dipstick), but if it justs lands and merges with the oil already on your finger it suggests no water in the oil. A quick word with somebody familiar with these engines will quickly tell you if they tend to emulsify oil. Another giveaway will be the colour and quantity of the sump contents. Hopefully it turns out to be nothing to worry about.
I have a similar thing with my 4.2 at the moment, I have been doing a lot of shortish trips in it over the last few weeks and noticed that I had a bit of yoghurt on the underside of the filler cap, not much. Anyway I kept and eye on the water and oil readings and these remained normal, checked the water which was clean (well not clean but not oily). I spoke to Offord on Friday to get their opinion, they thought it was probably condensation on the inside of the engine, bearing in mind how long the car stood for before I got it I'm inclined to agree. I'll be keeping a careful eye on it and will probably get it looked at sometime in Jan.
How do you test the head gasket?
Anyone had one done? What sort of money was it?
D.
How do you test the head gasket?
Anyone had one done? What sort of money was it?
D.
Head Gaskets....Hmmmm. Tell me about it.
Mine had the "other" symtom of a head gasket going, which was a coolant leak from a Head bolt.
I am not sure if it is possible to inspect the head gaskets without removing the engine from the bay, and taking the head apart. At which point, for the extra cost of a couple of quid you might just as well have the gasket changed anyway!!
On mine, I am "lucky" since the leak points out which head gasket is going.
Mine is currently sealed up with Radweld, which a couple of people (including a mechanic at TVR dealer) have recommended, since the water ways will be flushed when the gasket is done anyway. Obviously not a solution for everyone, since it depends where the weakness is.
Likely cost for doing the job is about £1800 quid at a dealers, since it is engine out, and head has to be stripped. Other places might be able to do it cheaper, and I would be very interested to hear of any quotes that people get (since mine will need doing eventually).
On a slightly seperate note...the factory when asked said that they had "never heard" of a gasket going
They said that the reason for the gasket going could only be that there had been a water pump failure sometime in the past, and that this had caused a localised heat spot in the engine - warping the head. This would mean a new head, since they cannot skim that much off the head as it stands. This is £1500 per head.
Sounds bad, except it sounds like this is the factory putting their heads (no pun intended
) in the sand on the issue. Others (including Joolz) have seen heads go on these cars, for reasons no more sinister than the usual reasons for head gaskets going on cars (whatever they are).
Lots of information anyway (hope some of it helps, and people are still awake after reading my post).
Hope it isn't the head gasket at all, but if it is then any quotes you get would be very valuable to me!!
Merry Xmas folks!!
Mine had the "other" symtom of a head gasket going, which was a coolant leak from a Head bolt.
I am not sure if it is possible to inspect the head gaskets without removing the engine from the bay, and taking the head apart. At which point, for the extra cost of a couple of quid you might just as well have the gasket changed anyway!!
On mine, I am "lucky" since the leak points out which head gasket is going.
Mine is currently sealed up with Radweld, which a couple of people (including a mechanic at TVR dealer) have recommended, since the water ways will be flushed when the gasket is done anyway. Obviously not a solution for everyone, since it depends where the weakness is.
Likely cost for doing the job is about £1800 quid at a dealers, since it is engine out, and head has to be stripped. Other places might be able to do it cheaper, and I would be very interested to hear of any quotes that people get (since mine will need doing eventually).
On a slightly seperate note...the factory when asked said that they had "never heard" of a gasket going
They said that the reason for the gasket going could only be that there had been a water pump failure sometime in the past, and that this had caused a localised heat spot in the engine - warping the head. This would mean a new head, since they cannot skim that much off the head as it stands. This is £1500 per head. Sounds bad, except it sounds like this is the factory putting their heads (no pun intended
) in the sand on the issue. Others (including Joolz) have seen heads go on these cars, for reasons no more sinister than the usual reasons for head gaskets going on cars (whatever they are). Lots of information anyway (hope some of it helps, and people are still awake after reading my post).
Hope it isn't the head gasket at all, but if it is then any quotes you get would be very valuable to me!!
Merry Xmas folks!!
Latest News.... have checked the oil cap again.. and there is no evidence of any type of white/ yellow stuff. To be honest i use the Cerb daily but it's only ever a 10 minute drive to work, so i'm hoping that it won't appear again. I also rechecked the dipstick and that had no signs of anything but oil on it.. so problem solved..(hopefully).. thanks everyone for all your advice...
and hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas / New Years...
K
and hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas / New Years...
K
Thom said: What are the headgaskets made of? Usual material or anything special?
I heard that some cars' headgasket (944 Turbo Cup) were made out of stainless stuff...
Usual material - the head gasket is a natural safety valve on an engine if you like. Only reason to use metal gaskets is in overstressed turbo engines. If they blow, it causes a lot more damage.
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