Technical Frothy oil under filler cap?

[Tropicalmike]

My 64 plate Twin Air lounge gets a small amount of beige coloured froth under the oil filler cap / top of the dip stick when I check the oil . Any body seen this and what it means ? I wiped it away but it comes back after a few hundred miles

The oil on the other end of the dip stick looks fine and doesn't seem contaminated and the engine performs fine . The water coolant level has not changed .

I have only had the car 4 months and done 2000 miles and it was serviced just before I bought it with 0-30w synthetic oil ( so garage said ) .

An ideas , Thanks

 

[The Panda Nut]

I have a TA Panda. Its the second. Both have suffered from this and it makes little difference what the driving is. SHort of long runs its the same.
I hawked the car round 6 of the oldest and best established Fiat dealers across the UK and they ALL said its normal. They all looked at the enh=gine and said it was one of the better ones, and it was much worse than yours. Mine have both been MUCH worse. The crank care is sealed and there is no significant way of venting water vapour. If I remove the filler cap my car will blow a lump of muck the size of a tennis ball out of the filler! I hate it but have accepted its normal and made worse by lots of jouirnys of a round 10 -12 miles. I have tried leaving the filler cap off after long runs which can hel dry thigs out, but it makes no difference. Were there room under the bonnet I would fit a catch can. The advice re the correct oil and sticking to change frequencies is sound. My dealer advice is to use a flushing oil if concerned. I have had this done on both cars but the foam is back in a week so its pointless expense, Its almost certainly why the oil chnage frequency was reduced from 18000 miles to 9000 at the end of 2016! It appears tommake no difference to the cars running and I have accepted it is normal. Not saying I think its either OK or good for the long term life of the engine though.

I asked GEM's technical officers advice and he said its not unusual for modern engines to have this issue. Sealed crankcase designs are part of the emissions control requirements. Fiat TA not the only engine so affected.

 

[steveras57]

AHHH "the catch- can GOOD FASHONED TECH! at last!

 

[Tropicalmike]

Twinair manual.. Very little info out there .
Why the Alfa/ Lancia owners all converse

0w30, check you manual
My TA's use different grades

Selenia IF you can get it..

Shop4parts, or a DEALER

I often just use Opie Oils online site to figure out nearest alternatives

Thanks for the reply , My manual with the car says 0W30 ACEA grade C. The manual is dated 03/2014 -1 edition and the car was new Sept 2014 Not sure if it euro 5 or 6 . . The OPIE oils site recommended 5W40 fully synthetic ?? However it says 5W40 for the 69 plate TA too. That manual also says 0W30 and that must be euro6 as one of the last TAs made . So I am doubtful about the OPIE recommendations . Halfords says 0W30 too. I have Millers oil 0W30 used in our 69 plate TA so I think i will stick with that unless anyone has some conclusive info to say otherwise .

 

[Ralf S.]

I find OPIE sometimes differs from the manual. Their search engine seems to recommend a "suitable alternative" where they do not have the correct oil (at least for my 0W20 slurping 500X. The Fiat manual is the king, in my opinion.

If I had a TA (and as soon as my X is out of warranty) I would change the oil early (e.g. at 6000 miles to make it easier to line up with the major service intervals which will be in multiples of 9-, 12- and 18,000 miles. Or, if you're doing 9,000 miles a year just do an oil change yourself, half way through the year... etc.

Ralf S.