dispatch van 1.9 td, water and oil ????

steve67 · Unread post by **steve67** » 09 Feb 2007, 19:38

hello,

i have a dispatch 1.9 td(1999) van with 108k on the clock with service upto 96k(2yrs ago) it has only done 12k in the last 2 yrs.
having only owned the van for 6 weeks i thought i would get a full service done. all was ok until the engineer saw paste/cream in the oil filler cap, he told me that this is the sign of head gasket trouble.
there are no other faults- over heating , lost of oil or water or any leaks. the oilfiller cap seal is missing and i have one on order.
since the service last saturday i have cleaned out the cap and kept an eye on levels etc, all i can report is droplets of water in the cap,
the van is a second vehicle and is only used every now and again, upto 80 mile max a week.
any ideas, is the engineer correct, is it head gasket failer?

regards

Stewart(oily) · Unread post by **Stewart(oily)** » 09 Feb 2007, 19:43

If its not losing coolant then the symptoms you describe are just a result of too many short journeys, keep up the lubrication servicing and all should be well.
Stewart

np · Unread post by np » 09 Feb 2007, 19:58

I`d agree with Stewart.My wifes Astra TD gets some gunk around the filler cap,as she only does short journeys.The car temp does`nt get very hot.All her previous cars did this,the worst being her Fiesta which was always getting mayo around the cap.
I thinks its do do with low mileage & short jouneys/stop start,where the engine does`nt get very warm.hot enough to burn the moisture away.Hence the build up of gunk/mayo.

np · Unread post by np » 09 Feb 2007, 20:00

np wrote: I thinks its do do with low mileage & short jouneys/stop start,where the engine does`nt get very warm.hot enough to burn the moisture away.Hence the build up of gunk/mayo.

I`m sure some one will give a more technical term for this

Unread post by **philhoward** » 09 Feb 2007, 20:53

np wrote:
np wrote: I thinks its do do with low mileage & short jouneys/stop start,where the engine does`nt get very warm.hot enough to burn the moisture away.Hence the build up of gunk/mayo.
I`m sure some one will give a more technical term for this

It's an emulsification...

steve67 · Unread post by **steve67** » 09 Feb 2007, 21:07

thanks for the advise, i can now sleep at night

i will keep an eye on the oil and water etc,

Unread post by **philhoward** » 09 Feb 2007, 21:18

Just take it out for a good long run (10-20 miles) every now and then - that should stop it. It'll be more obvious in cold (damp) weather as there's more moisture in the air.

Any engine that takes a while to warm up (even old-school petrols) - an iron block doesn't help - will suffer if only used for short journeys.

Naturally water inside the engine isn't good, but inevitable.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 09 Feb 2007, 23:21

The answer was really in your question. 12k in 2 years? A sure recipe for for emulsion. as already stated, it just needs some engine heat to dry it out.

steve67 · Unread post by **steve67** » 10 Feb 2007, 08:41

What is the running temp of the 1.9 td engine?

if you say its not getting up to temp could it be a problem with the thermostat?
the heater does get hot and the needle reads just over the 70 mark.

thanks again for your help.

Gammy leg · Unread post by **Gammy leg** » 10 Feb 2007, 20:02

Steve,

These engines do seem to run quite cool. The only time you may see any increase is if your stuck in traffic, but at this time of year it will probably only scrape up to the half way mark at most.

Gammy

steve67 · Unread post by **steve67** » 11 Feb 2007, 09:08

Gammy leg wrote:Steve,

These engines do seem to run quite cool. The only time you may see any increase is if your stuck in traffic, but at this time of year it will probably only scrape up to the half way mark at most.

Gammy

as i said in another thread, mine runs at around the 70 mark,(1/3-1/4 mark) but i have this condensation problem in the oil filler cap and was advised that the engine is not getting up to temp.
i have been for a good run(40-50miles) to see if helps, the temp is steady, the oil is fine the water is also ok.

so i asume that the thermostat may need swapping

steve67 · Unread post by **steve67** » 19 Feb 2007, 17:29

steve67 wrote:
Gammy leg wrote:Steve,

These engines do seem to run quite cool. The only time you may see any increase is if your stuck in traffic, but at this time of year it will probably only scrape up to the half way mark at most.

Gammy
as i said in another thread, mine runs at around the 70 mark,(1/3-1/4 mark) but i have this condensation problem in the oil filler cap and was advised that the engine is not getting up to temp.
i have been for a good run(40-50miles) to see if helps, the temp is steady, the oil is fine the water is also ok.

so i asume that the thermostat may need swapping

ok,
i have run the van this week daily and done 20-25 per day, i still have water dropplets in the filler cap and on the dip stick, the oil on the dip stick is grey.
the coolant level in the black resovoir seems to be steady with the water level on the red marker. i have checked presure from the coolant when cold and there isnone,i have look for bubbles in the coolant while the engine is running but with the resovoir being black it hard, but i could not see any.
when warm the top rad hose is soft.
the engine temp stays a 70 after rising to 75 initially

after read my way through the forum my head is spinning, is it the h/g

cheers

Stewart(oily) · Unread post by **Stewart(oily)** » 20 Feb 2007, 10:22

Top hose being soft, definitely head gasket okay, if the gasket has blown you will feel the top hose "inflating" with pulses of pressure, then the coolant will start blowing out of the pressure cap, you would definitely know. if the oil is grey then an oil and filter change would help lots, if the heater performs properly then the thermostat is probably okay, these engines dont produce a lot of heat, I thought mine was okay until I had a good journey in cold weather, I only had tepid heating, a new stat made the thing get hotter, if in doubt the stat is under a tenner and takes minutes to change.
Stewart

steve67 · Unread post by **steve67** » 20 Mar 2007, 17:45

UPDATE.................

As in previous posts,
i don't do many miles,
i have been keeping an eye on the coolant/oil levels.

i have just topped up the coolant,
in the last 300 miles it has used 3/4 litre.
i still have a small trace of mayo and there is droplets of water in the filler cap when the engine has been running for a while.
also i have noticed that the mpg has gone up slightly.

my gut feeling is the h/g is on its way out, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TEST FOR THIS?...or could something esle be causing this?

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 20 Mar 2007, 19:34

It may not be Steve, you may still have a tiny leak somewhere. The problem is that coolant can leak under pressure when hot and immediately vapourise and leave no signs and yet not leak at all when the engine is cold. Favourites are the heater matrix, thermostat housing and the water pump. The latter gives itself away by leaving a furry deposit. Can you smell coolant in the cabin when the heater is on full? If the matrix is a little weak you may briefly smell coolant when the engine is hot but just before the thermostat opens, when coling system pressure is briefly at its highest.

On a petrol motor, one test to help diagnose a borderline head gasket is to use the MOT emissions probe to "sniff" the coolant for combustion products. Seeing as the probe measures CO which is very, very low on a diesel, it may not work

My money is on a leak. You appear to have no pressurisation problems, bubbling in the coolant or frequently reoccurring airlocks so I reckon the gasket is fine. Diesels have a lot of combustion pressure and a borderline weakness soon turns into a full-blown failure.