Technical Oil breather gunk

[grapeman]

Evening all,

I was out today checking all is well under the bonnet and found my oil breather pipe has brown mayo in it - oil and water mix. I've read around and people suggest maybe a sign of a head gasket on the way out - I don't suspect this as it was replaced and block skimmed just over a year ago and I've noticed no running problems. There is no mayo in the oil cap or dipstick either.

Another suggestion is a build up caused by making lots of short trips and the engine not getting to operating temperature. Has anyone else experienced this? Does that sound reasonable or is something more major at fault here?

(The mayo doesn't seem to extend all the way into the main airflow pipe nor is it in the air box filter)

1.2 16v 2001

 

[Ziggy122]

Evening all,

I was out today checking all is well under the bonnet and found my oil breather pipe has brown mayo in it - oil and water mix. I've read around and people suggest maybe a sign of a head gasket on the way out - I don't suspect this as it was replaced and block skimmed just over a year ago and I've noticed no running problems. There is no mayo in the oil cap or dipstick either.

Another suggestion is a build up caused by making lots of short trips and the engine not getting to operating temperature. Has anyone else experienced this? Does that sound reasonable or is something more major at fault here?

(The mayo doesn't seem to extend all the way into the main airflow pipe nor is it in the air box filter)

1.2 16v 2001

Totally common on all cars
Puntos been an 8 or 16v have it too

The hot crankcase cools causing water to form
This is then burns off when its next hot
Oil vapour and water vapour can mix and as a result you get the majo effect

Ive seem cars with oil fillers covered in it with no hg failures

If you wee getting huge amounts with a regular cleaning id then get suspicious but for now I'd clean it up and keep motoring


Ziggy

 

[grapeman]

Totally common on all cars
Puntos been an 8 or 16v have it too

The hot crankcase cools causing water to form
This is then burns off when its next hot
Oil vapour and water vapour can mix and as a result you get the majo effect

Ive seem cars with oil fillers covered in it with no hg failures

If you wee getting huge amounts with a regular cleaning id then get suspicious but for now I'd clean it up and keep motoring


Ziggy

Thanks for the explanation. That certainly puts my mind at ease.

Thanks Ziggy

 

[Brendan W]

As Ziggy said fairly common if doing a lot of short journeys in cold weather. As a matter of interest what oil are you using ? Might be worth considering a change to a different brand next time.

 

[steveoz]

Have that all the time on the wife's abarth.

I thought the HG had gone, filler neck full of mustard and the car was loosing coolant.

Put it into Abarth under warantee and it was the water pump leaking, they said the gloop in the filler neck is normal for that engine!

The wife does a lot of short trips to / from school etc. In the winter the gunk builds and I occasionally scoop it out.

It's crazy, as if I saw that on any car if I went to buy one I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, but it seems it's common in fiats.

 

[Ziggy122]

Have that all the time on the wife's abarth.

I thought the HG had gone, filler neck full of mustard and the car was loosing coolant.

Put it into Abarth under warantee and it was the water pump leaking, they said the gloop in the filler neck is normal for that engine!

The wife does a lot of short trips to / from school etc. In the winter the gunk builds and I occasionally scoop it out.

It's crazy, as if I saw that on any car if I went to buy one I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, but it seems it's common in fiats.

it'll be common on any car that does short runs, or alot of short runs stop starting

Soon transits with gunky caps too!

If its getting bad - it means the car is ready for an oil change / and or a decent run to get it hot and boil the moisture out
Water isn't a great lubricant for an engine... thats for sure....

Ziggy