Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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oil light came on yesterday, so checked the oil today and the level was ok, needs topping up a small bit.
however i also took the oil cap off and there was a tiny bit of 'mayo' under it. i cleaned it all off and will check it again tomorrow, but does it definitely mean the headgasket is on it's way out? or could it just be condensation?
there was a tiny bit on the dipstick, which made me check the oil cap.
haven't had any problems with overheating, although i do have a small coolant leak (maybe 100ml's a day) which i am in the middle of sorting out.
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JoshSRi
Member
Registered: 6th Jul 10
Location: York
User status: Offline
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Wipe it off, take it for a long drive and see if it comes back. Like you say, condensation can build up if you do a lot of short journeys.
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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Condensation.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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cheers josh. had a quick google as the engines are also found in the 3 series and it seems quite common on these engines in cold weather.
i do a 10 miles trip to work each day which takes 12 minutes, so it never gets a proper run.
hopefully i'm just worrying over nothing.
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random dav
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: NSW
User status: Offline
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What brand of oil do you use? Cheaper ones like Eurocarparts own can produce more condensation.
WRLFC !
Project cars
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monkeytwizzel
Member
Registered: 10th Aug 11
Location: Chard, Somerset
User status: Offline
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It doesn`t always mean bad news chap,just do oil and filter change and put in some good oil as someone mentioned and check that breathers are not blocked.
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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i used to drive 2 miles to work and this is how bad condensation can get.
inside was fine
i power washed the top, cleaned it with fuel and then let it dry, popped it back on went for a good drive and its never come back.
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Ben G
Member
Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
User status: Offline
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bloody hell! that would make me cry thinking about the potential repair bill 
drove the car about 25 miles today, about an hours worth of driving, parked up at work and checked it a few hours later and there was none of that stuff on the oil cap, although when i checked the dipstick there was a small amount on that.
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chris_uk
Premium Member
Registered: 8th Jul 03
User status: Offline
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Lol. I nearly did.
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monkeytwizzel
Member
Registered: 10th Aug 11
Location: Chard, Somerset
User status: Offline
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Wow that is quite bad! on mg maestro`s we used to put a wynns oil additive in with the oil because they suffered like this but with yours i would hang on for a bit because it looks like you may have a head gasket problem.
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Ian
Site Administrator
Registered: 28th Aug 99
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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Biggest clue is the coolant level and the condition of that.
If the HG is going it'll mix and you'll see the coolant go off as well.
Otherwise I'd be thinking more about condensation as mentioned, driving style and the time of year will both contribute to that.
Worth getting a fault reader on it, even if you have no lights you might want to see if you've got any misfire codes, P030x
I assume it still drives OK?
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