goopy white stuff

[Matt_H]

when i got the 90 (tdi) I found some white goopy stuff in the breather pipe that goes from the top of the engine to the air filter (the braided pipe thing).. I cleaned it all out and cleaned the seperator plastic bit.

Anyway I took the pipe off today and foudn more goopy white stuff in there.

The car is loosing water, but not that much, in 500 miles it's used half an expansion tank at the most.  The main oil is blacker than a black thing and level has not changed, smoke from the exhaust seems to be just smokey smoke and not steemey smoke.

Should I be worried or is this normal to have this goop?  

I've chucked half an industrial strength radiator leak fix tablet in and topped up again for now with pure coolant.

Matthew
PS now where do I get one of those 6.5 litre gm diesels from and how can I make it fit?

[hobbit]

Its part of the engine breather system, condensation is the normal reason

Any excessive coolant loss in the engine will show up in the oil, like grey oil instead of black, you will prob find that the inside of the rocker cover is gunged in it too. Clean out the air breather system, should be a gauze mesh somwhere, not dealt with these engines, going by general layout

[Budgie]

I'd go with Kev, condensation in the rocker cover is more likely. Give the rocker cover and the breather system a good clean and see how it goes.  

[Matt_H]

thought it was mostly likely condensation - looked under oil filer cap and its fine in there, I cleaned out the breather pipe and the seperator bit that sits on the side of the engine, but tis back:-(  

M

[Jimbo]

Do you only do short runs in the 90 ?, SWMBO's Golf only does 12 miles a day (to and from work), and that suffers from condensation (and white goo) in the rocker cover (and on the inside of the oil filler cap) - so every now and then I take it for a long blast to get things nicely warmed up.

Jim

[robbie]

I wouldnt worry either. If the oil is looking fine, then that would be a good indication of anything odd.

My dad used to have a 1968 Hillman Minx (some may recall them... like the Hunter) and his would regularly get clogged, mainly because he only did short journeys. If ever he went on a long journey, it seemed to clear it out, probably something to do with the amount of heat generated and over how long a period. Some smart alec on here will have a formula no doubt for working out how much you should have for a given mileage ;)

[Matt_H]

think this may have been a bit of a red hearring - the water was down - probably not topped up enough after the timing belt was done at safari... and we reckon the water in the pipe may have been where I washed out the seperator and pipe a few weeks ago... rocker cover is clear, the two inlets to the seperator were clear too, unless they are warm enough to move the condensation down the pipe!  Here's is hoping.. just got fix the starting problem and find out why oil on the glow plugs now.. I hope this isn't a cracked block :-(

Matthew

[hobbit]

As on the other thread, compression testing is looking a good idea

Oil will normally either come down through valves, stem seals are the norm to be done for that, or up through worn piston rings, do a compression test (with a diesel compression gauge) and then repeat the test with a squirt of engine oil in the bores

[muddyjames]

 Here's is hoping.. just got fix the starting problem and find out why oil on the glow plugs now.. I hope this isn't a cracked block :-(

Matthew

I had oil or some form of liquid around my glow plugs when I changed mine.