Need to change the oil?

deecom

What is the the story with a mayonnase coloured deposit in a oil filler cap. It kinda freaked me out this morning, i think i read somewhere its a sign of something but i cant recall what. Any ideas, thanks.

BrianD3

Mayonnaise on the oil filler cap = water and oil mixing. This could be bad news - your cylinder head gasket could be gone. Or it could just be that the car is used for very short journeys and the engine never heats up properly resulting in moisture getting trapped in the engine and leaving a deposit on the oil filler cap

BrianD3

deecom

Thanks BrianD3, oil and water mixing its a new car so i presume its not good, however it is being used for short journeys, is there a way to stop this happening

Seth Brundle

take it for a good spin once a week

BrianD3

There is a small chance it could be a blown head gasket. If there's a *lot* of mayonnaise and it's on the dipstick as well as the filler cap then I'd be worried. Other signs that your HG may be gone are
-oily sludge in the coolant expansion tank
-loss of coolant
-poor running
-lots of steam/white smoke from the exhaust
-overheating
-coolant boiling in the expansion tank and being expelled through the cap.

If you have none of these symptioms then you can pretty much rule out the head gasket.

BrianD3

deecom

Lots of white smoke alright, have decided to take it to a garage in the morning, should be covered my warranty, i hope! Thanks for the advice.