General 'Mayo' in the oil filler cap

[jjr0305]

As the title says, I've found a white/creamy substance on the bottom of the oil filler cap. I can't find any in the actual oil or on the dipstick though. I've also been losing coolant since it got serviced two months ago. The line on the bottle has gone from max to below minimum in that time. Is it ok to just top that up with some distilled water?

I took the car to the garage and the guy did a gas test on the coolant, which came back negative, so he said it's most likely not a head gasket problem. I've got the 1.4 Sport with 60k on the clock.

I've had no overheating, problems with the blowers, or bubbling noises as of yet, so could the two issues be totally unrelated? I've had my HG go on me on my old MK2, so really don't fancy it happening again

 

[middo85]

Id get a second opinion mate, coolant must be getting in to the oil somewhere.

Better to catch it before it causes serious problems

 

[jjr0305]

You reckon he's wrong then? I saw the gas test, and the liquid didn't change colour at all to indicate exhaust gas.

If I catch it early, does it end up being cheaper/easier to repair?

 

[dave]

been doing short trips? condensation in oil also makes mayo, a longer trip will burn it off.

keep eye on coolant after topping it up and see if it drops again

 

[chricol]

i wouldn't be concerned with the first couple of topups after coolant change. there might have been some air trapped somewhere which needs to be eliminated by time.

The creamy substance on the oil filler cap is probably condensation if you do short trips like dave has said. take it for a long drive to really get it up to temperature once in a while and keep monitoring the situation.

That being said, an oil change would surely do it no harm. What brand and grade of oil do you use?

 

[The Black Box]

Get a compression test done if worried. Also especially in this weather top up with coolant which contains rust inhibitors (one cause of hg going sometimes) and anti freeze to stop it going to ice just get the same colour (pink or blue) that's in there already if in doubt flush it out and refill with red. Any excess steam out of the exhaust? Odd running? If you get chance/ are worried pull the spark plugs if one is cleaner than other then coolant is probably in that cylinder. I wouldn't worry too much unless other symptoms appear.

 

[jjr0305]

I mainly do short journeys to be honest. Longest journey I do is about 15 miles. It's enough to get it up to temperature, but not for too long.

Can I just top up the coolant as you would with normal cars? I've heard that in the GP you have to flush the whole system out and re-fill it all?

In November I had a full service with spark plugs, coolant, oil & filters all done. No idea which brand of oil was used. It's still all nice and clear on the dipstick.

What's this compression test? I'm guessing it's a bit more in depth to the gas test which was done. Does it cost much?

And yeah I'll make sure I top up with coolant rather than just water. It's the pink one which my car takes.

I haven't noticed any excess exhaust fumes/steam and it's been running totally fine. If the symptoms persist, I'll have a look at the sparks in a week or so.

Really appreciate all of the help

 

[chricol]

if you do such short journeys then that's probably the cause. Yes you can just topup the reserve tank, provided that when it was filled whoever did the job took the time to bleed it properly using the correct procedures with a warm engine.

 

[The Black Box]

Compression test check compression In Each of the cylinders if widely different then something's up. That's dry then wet is when a small quantity of oil is poured into each cylinder in turn to check compression again if widely different something's wrong ie rings gone. The lack of long journey is probably it I would take it for a blast a proper Italian tune up. Just top is fine you only need to flush if unknown coolant or been topped up with water.

 

[GYoung87]

Is it more yellow than white? If its head gasket will be whiter and smell.

If its yellowy its condensation in the cylinders reacting with oil. Normal for winter as the hot air is cooled down more rapidly

 

[jjr0305]

Yeah it is more yellow than white if I'm honest. It doesn't seem to smell or anything.

I took it for a long drive the other day and gave it a good blast and it seems to have cleared all of the white crap away. I'm guessing that's a good sign?

Thanks again for the help

 

[keat63]

Before you start panicking about coolant in the oil. STOP.

Mayo in the cap is caused by condensation, no denying that.
But it's not necessarily caused by a failed head gasket.
As the engine cools down, the cooling acts as a vacuum, drawing in cool damp air, leaving tiny traces of moisture
The next time you run the car some of this moisture can result in mayo.
This would be more noticeable in a car which does mainly short journeys. (under 15 miles)


If you're loosing coolant due to a head gasket failure, you'll see a number of tell tale signs.

Plooms of white smoke under hard acceleration, lots of condensation from the exhaust when the engine is fully warmed up (after 20 or so miles)
Traces of oil in the coolant.

Or Mayo, (coolant in the oil) however, there would be tons of the stuff.
I bet you only have a little on the cap ??

Check the breather is clear.

You may just find that you have a tiny coolant leak somewhere.
Our Renault needed topping up on a weekly basis for 3 years. I never did find where it was going.
Buy a litre of Antifreeze, mix this at a ration of 50/50 and use this to top up.
Don't top up with just plain water, especially this time of year.

 

[Magic Johnson]

LOL was just browsing as found some mayo under oil filler cap. How appropriate is the ad underneath the post!