Dreaded porridge!

Hi All,

I have just become the proud owner of a '71 series 3 2.25 petrol and I am loving it.....Steep learning curve at the mo...heavy steering, getting used to clutch etc but all good fun.

The landy has been rebuilt in the last six months by the previous owner and has not really turned a wheel since then until I bought it. The engine was simply drained of fluids, put to one side then refitted and fluids refilled.

I made a big mistake and did not check the oil filler cap before buying...rookie mistake. Now I have checked the oil filler cap and it has quite a covering of the dreaded oil and water gunge. After fingering around the filler hole I can feel it on the rocker cover too.

Now I have done a bit of reading and I am desperately hoping that this is a result of condensation as the landy has been sitting around in the cold weather and I have taken it for half a dozen quick trips only, not really getting everything up to temp....Water levels and oil levels appear good and no gunge on the dip stick ...Am I being a bit too optimistic?

I decided to have a look at the breather to carb pipework setup and all the pipework appears clean and tight, I did give the breather unit a good clean out. My next question is should there be a seal between the breather and the crank case? Mine was wobbly as only held on by the retaining bolt...should it wobble to the touch? Clearly it is not sealing anything as it was. It appears that the diesel unit has a seal but not the petrol? Could this lack of seal have caused the porridge?

Cheers folks and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hotrod

A sniff test should give a better idea of hgf. It could well be condensation and/or water getting in while the engine was out.

It's not a big deal really either way.....A cracked head would be a PITA though.

:welcome: btw

Welcome to the madhouse. The usual route here is via the 'introduce yourself' section and some inhabitants here can get a bit humpy if you ignore that. However now you are here ...
Engine could have head gasket problems. Get out on a decent run and get the engine up to temperature. If you are losing water and it is ending up in the oil you will still be getting mayonnaise on the filler cap. If you are not happy about putting a new one on try a bottle of K-Seal in the coolant. This is great for filling small leaks. Anything more and it's a new head gasket I'm afraid.

Mayo in the rockers isn't unusual in an engine only used for short runs. Get it good and hot and see if it disappears. This may be the week to do it!

Cheers for the replies and apologies for the lack of introducting myself, will do so shortly.

2 things....is it worth changing the oil at this point? I am guessing that the moisture gets into the oil and I'm not sure if it will evaporate/seperate out on a good run?

Also the crankcase breather seal? is there one and how tight should the PCV breather fit?

Cheers

Hotrod

With any luck you will have a cork gasket under the rocker cover, and a relacement is cheap and easy to get hold of.

Take the cover off and wipe all the mayo off, then replace with the new gasket.

The mayo on the breather can be washed out using soapy water then well rinsed and left to dry before replacing it. I've never had one that was a tight fit, although I believe that there are still replacement seals available ... I used a couple of lacky bands tristed together to stop mine rattling when I was running a Series.

I wouldn't do an oil change yet, as you want to get the engine hot on a run and then you will be able to flush any gunge out with the old oil.