Gunky Oil

[D366Y]

Hi all,
Not Capri related but is an old Ford so figured it was worth a shot!

The Mrs mk3 fiesta has started getting a nice mayonnaise-y/grease-y fatty looking build up under the oil filler cap which I'm guessing is the oil mixing with the water/coolant so have got a head gasket kit and will change all that. However, do we also think I should take the sump off and renew that as well? Have a new oil filter as well.

Any tips would be appreciated!

Cheers

[andyd]

Are you sure it isn't just condensation? Short drives etc can cause this and the current wet weather won't help either.

If it is the head gasket you need majority of that crap out of the system, rather than remove sump maybe an engine flush and as with any oil change new oil filter

[STEVEW]

Hi D366Y,

I tend to agree with andyd that the problem could be simply condensation.
Is the engine running OK and the water temp. normal?
Are you losing oil or water?

Before going to the trouble and cost of changing a head gasket and dropping the sump I would do a few simple things.
- inspect the coolant and radiator cap for any gunge.
- pull the dipstick and inspect the oil there.
- clean the oil filler cap.

When these are done and everything seems OK take the car for a decent run to get the engine nice and hot after which drain the oil and remove the filter.
Replace the filter and oil and try to avoid short journeys.
Check at regular intervals to see if the problem has gone.

PS. Is that the royal "we" ?

[D366Y]

I'm not sure if it's condensation, I couldn't decide!
It is mainly used for work trips so less than 30minutes each way, has been on a few longer drives though.

The engine is running OK as far as I know, losing no oil as far as I know, she topped a bit up last week but that's the first time since the end of last year sometime. The engine stopped getting hot through winter so I flushed the rad repeatedly and refilled it with fresh coolant which has made it slightly better and it now gets vaguely warm, but still not very hot (according to the gauge, and definitely not as warm as my identical fiesta does).

Coolant/rad refill cap not gungey, but did have some mayo-coloured bubbles when I was flushing it.
Will check the dipstick later, and will clean the rocker cover funnel and filler cap to see if it re-appears.



It is on my list to change the oil filter when the weather is next nice at a weekend so might be a while


And yes, the royal 'we' by which I of course mean - you lot

Cheers
Danny

[Jasonmarie]

I had a mk3 fiesta and it did the same thing as I agree with it’s condensation , clean up as much as you can and take for a good hot run over a few hours . She must do short journeys and it’s winter so makes it happen .

[pbar]

You've probably already done this Danny, but I'd look elsewhere for other 'mayo' signs such as on the dipstick, and in the coolant bottle, if other areas such as these are ok it points more to condensation.

[STEVEW]

D366Y wrote:

The engine stopped getting hot through winter so I flushed the rad repeatedly and refilled it with fresh coolant which has made it slightly better and it now gets vaguely warm, but still not very hot (according to the gauge, and definitely not as warm as my identical fiesta does).

That to me is the problem, which points to a thermostat not closing properly. Which, if I'm correct, obviously means a new thermostat . (If it's similar to my Mondeo it is a pain to change.)
However, a quick fix, if you trust the temperature gauge, is to cut a piece of cardboard to partially block off the radiator. You may need to experiment with the size to obtain the correct temperature on the gauge.

This should get you through until either you can fix it and/or when the weather improves.

[Mc Tool]

I had a motorbike with mostly oil cooled engine and in winter it never got the oil hot enough untill I plummed out one oil cooler . If the oil temp didnt get hot enough (90 to 110 deg c ) the oil sight glass would get milky. I think you touched on the issue when you said the engine doesnt get hot .......maybe a duff thermostat...,jammed open? Engine should come up to temp winter or summer and the oil needs to see at least 90deg c .

[Mr B]

I use a Fiesta for work, it has a version of the great crossflow engine in her and yep she gets that mayonnaise under the oil filler cap, one thing to check for is the pipe for the crank case breather isn't blocked/crushed or broken, this happened to my Fiesta recently and seemed to intensify the mayonnaise issue.

Wayne

[Mc Tool]

Mayonase is just normal moisture in the oil ,nothing unusual about that but if the oil doesnt get hot enough to evaporate this moisture off the oil will emulsify and we get the white gunge forming on the cooler bits of the oil container ( the engine crankcase assy ). Unless you have a blown gasket or leaking in-radiator cooler dumping water into the oil its a pretty safe bet that the oil simply aint getting hot enough. Oil should ideally run 5-10 deg hotter than the coolant temp. Water aint the only thing that needs boiled off out of the oil , fuel vapour is another .

[D366Y]

Thanks Steve for the comment on the thermostat - I can definitely look at replacing that as well - it's right on top of the engine and looks straight forward to me...??

Thanks also Wayne - hadn't thought about the crank case breather - I will check that to make sure it isn't blocked either

Fingers crossed for some better weather this weekend so I can have a pole at it

Cheers
Danny

[Mr B]

Thanks Steve for the comment on the thermostat - I can definitely look at replacing that as well - it's right on top of the engine and looks straight forward to me...??

Thanks also Wayne - hadn't thought about the crank case breather - I will check that to make sure it isn't blocked either

Fingers crossed for some better weather this weekend so I can have a pole at it

Cheers
Danny

Your welcome Danny, on my Fiesta (2001) the crankcase breather pipe had deteriorated to such an extent that the vacuum from the engine made the pipe literally go flat with the engine running, I got engine smells within the cabin as well.

Good luck mate let us all know how you get on.

Wayne

[Major_Tom]

Take it out for a good thrashing.

[D366Y]

Take it out for a good thrashing.

Any excuse!
Can't wait to clear it all out and then tell the Mrs the only way to fix it is to totally rag it for an hour

[Major_Tom]

Take it out for a good thrashing.

Any excuse!
Can't wait to clear it all out and then tell the Mrs the only way to fix it is to totally rag it for an hour

I meant your penis. Fiesta as in the magazine, right? Oh dear it looks like I have grossly misread the situation.

[pbar]

Take it out for a good thrashing.

Hehe, you remind me of my MOT tester Tom, he tells me that when I take cars for an MOT.

[andyd]

Take it out for a good thrashing.

Hehe, you remind me of my MOT tester Tom, he tells me that when I take cars for an MOT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv0onXhyLlE

Brings back memories of my dad beating the petrol lawn mower with a brush when that didn't start

[D366Y]

Take it out for a good thrashing.

Any excuse!
Can't wait to clear it all out and then tell the Mrs the only way to fix it is to totally rag it for an hour

I meant your penis.

I do this as standard Tom, I get my five a day in don't you worry!

[Major_Tom]

Any excuse!
Can't wait to clear it all out and then tell the Mrs the only way to fix it is to totally rag it for an hour

I meant your penis.

I do this as standard Tom, I get my five a day in don't you worry!

Doy!

[pbar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv0onXhyLlE

Brings back memories of my dad beating the petrol lawn mower with a brush when that didn't start

Hehe good one Andy We have so many classic shows and comedies, we really were the masters of it back then.