Steam from oil filler cap!!!

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Doobs too

Doobs too

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Hello agian, I'm still on the lookout for a decent P38 4.6. I saw one today which looked really relly good initially. There was little body rust, it drove nice and smoothly and even though the LPG set up was pretty old and single point it went reasonably well. The trouble started after we got back from a run. I stopped the engine and a few mins later popped the bonnet and removed the oil filler cap to check for mayo. It had so much condensation on the inside of it I was able to pour a couple of drops of water onto my hand. There was steam slowly coming out of the hole in the cam cover. I was told this was normal but surely this isn't the case is it? Do any of your vehicles do the same? It must be a head gasket failure or liner slip mustn't it? I've no experience of either of these on a RR but I've NEVER seen water on the underside of the cap before on any other vehicle.

As ever any pointers would be appreciated.
 
i recently filled with 20/50 oil, bad idea and drained it and refilled with 10/40 semi but i didnt change filter! after a short while i was getting low oil pressure and droplets of water under oil cap, no condensation though! anyhow iw since changed oil n filter again and have done 500 miles and no water droplets at all, it could be bad or old oil!!! its possible! did you look at the water level?, did it run hotter than mid way n gauge?, was there condensation from exhaust? remember lpg produces more condensation that petrol from the exhaust!
 
The water level when I first saw it (cold) was less then the indicated cold level. After a run it had not changed but the run was short (<15 mins). The top hose to the rad was pretty firm so I gave it 2 mins to cool and slowly undid the expansion tank. It was so pressurised that the level increased massivly when I undid the cap so that it was at the correct 'cold level' indicator.

The coolant didn't smell of exhaust but the coolant tank was brand new. The oil cap had the condensation as previously mentioned and a very small amont of white deposit, I thought this could be from the condensation.

I'm in two minds to be honest. The engine had been cleaned and coated with shiny silicon to make everything look new. Also the oil had just been changed and the expansion tank was brand new. If I was trying to cover up an overheat I might do those things, on the flip side itcould all be coincidence. The car had no real history with it and a dealer was selling it as a favour to the bloke who owned it so I couldn't even gauge the owner to get a feel for how he looked after it.
 
Doobs too said:
The water level when I first saw it (cold) was less then the indicated cold level. After a run it had not changed but the run was short (<15 mins). The top hose to the rad was pretty firm so I gave it 2 mins to cool and slowly undid the expansion tank. It was so pressurised that the level increased massivly when I undid the cap so that it was at the correct 'cold level' indicator.

The coolant didn't smell of exhaust but the coolant tank was brand new. The oil cap had the condensation as previously mentioned and a very small amont of white deposit, I thought this could be from the condensation.

I'm in two minds to be honest. The engine had been cleaned and coated with shiny silicon to make everything look new. Also the oil had just been changed and the expansion tank was brand new. If I was trying to cover up an overheat I might do those things, on the flip side itcould all be coincidence. The car had no real history with it and a dealer was selling it as a favour to the bloke who owned it so I couldn't even gauge the owner to get a feel for how he looked after it.
Click to expand...

a sniff test of the cooling system will tell you in a flash if there are combustion gases present , i would be very cautious tbh.
give it a good run i.e 40 or 50 miles , watch the temp gauge and it should stay just a tiny bit under the middle , maybe rising to the middle if its a warm day and your slogging up a steep gradiant .
my coolant level is just above the low level mark when cold , rising to max ( ish) when hot but i can slacken the cap when hot after first releasing the pressure and remove it without any coolant spewing out .
its hard to say without looking at these cars what cause`s pressurising , it can be a number of things , some are simple to sort out , others are a nightmare !!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: ,
tread very carefully mate , and treat it with suspicion .
rick.
 
Remember it's a buyers market and you will find the right one. Temperature gauges vary slightly, on some cars just above the centre line is ok as long as after a long run it has not risen any more.
If you are worried about head gaskets and liners etc. check the coolant tank for excess pressure leaks and top hose for excessive pressure as a starter, check oil for contamination etc.
If it&#8217;s had a new tank why?
Don't like the sound this one and it's not worth spending any money on a car you are not happy with, the time to spend money on testing is when you are happy with all aspects of the car and just want to confirm your decision.Walk away from this one as well and put it down to experience.

Keep looking we looked at loads of them before we found one that suited
Good luck
Fred
 
my temp gauge is a fraction over half way, the left side of the neadle is level with the right hand side of the centre mark! always has been since rebuild and never seems to move once hot!
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I have decided not to persue that one, it's all good experience isn't it. The good thing is there seems to be a good turnover of LPG powered P38's in the market, they come up quite regularly. It took me 5 months to find my Z!

Off to see another tomorrow night with some history, amazing that one owner's managed to file reciept. Of the three RR I've sen so far none has any history!

Quick question, how solid does the top hose to the rad need to be for it to be a problem? What causes the pressue, can't just be the water pump, is it the coolant trying to boil?
 
redrange said:
my temp gauge is a fraction over half way, the left side of the neadle is level with the right hand side of the centre mark! always has been since rebuild and never seems to move once hot!
Click to expand...

Mine is always there as well.

If it's very bad traffic, and I've been in it for around 20 mins, it might rise to a couple of needle-widths above that, not never gone any higher.
 
Hi Doobs,
Its good experience, but can be dissapointing when you find one you like buts it has problems.
It took my friend and myself weeks to find the one I have but it was worth the effort.

Older owners are more likely to keep reciepts and have the vehicle serviced by a dealer.

Keep Looking, good luck.

Fred
 
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