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[Greg2041]

Help!  I was just about to head over to Chelmsford and panic!  As I opened the oil filler cap it was covered in this brown sludge.

I can't see any sludge in the water tank and I don't do that many short journeys.

The car has always been serviced by Vauxhall.

On the badometer how bad is this?

Greg

[Welung666]

You need to work your way through everything checking...

Any oil/sludge in the header tank or strong smell of oil/petrol?

Any whiteness/sludge on the dipstick?

Any loss of coolant or oil?

If you answered no to all 3 then I'd clean the sludge out of the filler cap and neck and re-fit. It could be down to the cold weather and the oil Vx added last service but be very vigilant in checking the main 3 above.

If it is just the cold try re-fitting just the filler cap to the rocker cover rather than the neck and cap, that help reduce the cold spot on the top of the engine

[Greg2041]

Sounds like good news then as 1 to 3 don't apply.  Usual loss of oil for me is about 1.5 litres every 6 months and it has always been like that.

Thanks everso

Greg

[Greg2041]

Meant to ask..

"re-fitting just the filler cap to the rocker cover rather than the neck and cap, that help reduce the cold spot on the top of the engine .

Do I then fit the cap on the rocker cover to the oil filler cap?

[Welung666]

Be vigilant though! Get into the habbit of checking it 2 or 3 times a week. My last petrol V6 was the same so I only fitted the filler neck when it needed filling, and even with lots of short journeys I never got mayo in the rocker cover without the neck fitted.

[Welung666]

Meant to ask..

"re-fitting just the filler cap to the rocker cover rather than the neck and cap, that help reduce the cold spot on the top of the engine .

Do I then fit the cap on the rocker cover to the oil filler cap?

Yes, the cap and neck have the same fitting on the bottom

[Greg2041]

Panic Back.  There is a strong smell of petrol coming from the sludge and a small loss of coolant but I haven't checked it for a while?

Greg

[Welung666]

Petrolly smelling oil isn't anything to panic over yet. Coolant loss is a little more worrying though. First port of call is to check the common leak point... the HBV, feel down from the matrix pipes you'll feel the HBV (feels like a space ship) and check all over it and the attached pipes for wetness.

[Greg2041]

I've had the HBV fixed about 3 months back but I will keep a careful watch on the water level.

The car runs really smoothly but my fear is that it might be the cylinder head gasket.  Disaster!

BTW when you say you only fitted the filler neck when it need filling, how did you remove it?

Greg

[Welung666]

I've had the HBV fixed about 3 months back but I will keep a careful watch on the water level.

car runs really smoothly but my fear is that it might be the cylinder head gasket.  Disaster!

More likely to be the oil cooler than the head gasket if it even has started going.

BTW when you say you only fitted the filler neck when it need filling, how did you remove it?

Greg

At the bottom of the neck is a teardrop shaped piece attached with a hole in it. This hole just rests over a rocker cover bolt. Just lift the teardrop to clear the bolt and untwist

[Greg2041]

That's great.  My very last question.

The oil cooler doesn't sit behind the bumper?  A couple of weeks ago, I hit a deer.  The only impact was to the bumper which has badly cracked.

Happy New Year.... almost and thanks again  : - )

Greg

[TheBoy]

That's great.  My very last question.

The oil cooler doesn't sit behind the bumper?  A couple of weeks ago, I hit a deer.  The only impact was to the bumper which has badly cracked.

Happy New Year.... almost and thanks again  : - )

Greg

no - tucked in the bowels of engine

[jb]

The best thing any v6 owner can do is get rid of the filler neck and fit the oil filler cap direct onto the rocker cover - no more mayo issues................