QQ 1.6 diesel J11 coolant and condensation issue

[Razaakif]

Hi there,

I have a nissan qashqai j11 1.6 diesel automatic. I am facing two problems

1. Condensation under oil filler cap. This is because of air leak from a pipe. As soon as I accelerate or when speed is constant, i hear hissing sound like air is leaking from somewhere which I believe is causing condensation. Please see photos attached. Water droplets. The garage who did head gasket told me it’s PCV valve.

2. Coolant loss. I won’t say it’s high loss. I recently had head gasket done. Water pump changed. Thermostats (upper and lower), timing chain, egr cooler and two leaks from pipes. The garage has done pressure test and as per them its holding pressure and not losing at all. So it could be expansion tank or cap. I can see some marks on tank and cap. Please see image. They have given up as they are not able to find the leak and I’m fed up as well. [url]

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[GreenV8S]

Condensation under the oil filler cap is common and usually doesn't indicate a problem. A sniff test aka block test would let you confirm the cooling system isn't leaking into the crank case via HGF and so on.

You've had a lot of work done. What was the reason for this? Losing coolant definitely indicates there is a problem and if that started after major engine work then it's reasonable to ask the people who did that work to fix the problem. If it's losing any significant amount then a hot or cold pressure test should reveal it. If the leak is slow and somewhere hot then it may be hard to spot but there are only so many places to look.

[E-bmw]

As above, condensation on the cap isn't at all uncommon.

Several years ago, I bought a 328 bm & it had been stood for over a year & only started & idled for 5/10 mins once a month, it looked like I was in line to do a head gasket from first glance.

I took a chance on it & started my 150 mile journey home after checking I had the recovery phone number to hand, the car went fine & by the time I checked when I got home it was completely clear.

Many short runs will leave water condensing in the top of the engine.

[Dynion Araf Uchaf]

the brown ste on the coolant cap looks like oil/coolant sludge. I suspect that although the dealer replaced the coolant, they probably didn't clear out the coolant pipes of the residual sludge, and so what you are seeing is what left of the sludge in the pipes being moved around the system. This may or may not also effect the water pump, could block or restrict the water channels and may force coolant out of weaker parts of the system.