Astra milky oil

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
View Threaded
Fri 15 Dec 2006 11:27
Astra milky oil - crol

I recently went to Kwik Fit to have my oil changed on my Vauxhall Astra 1.6 Petrol 2001. I usually do this myself but due to ill health could not do it this time. They opened the filler cap and found that it contained milky white oil and recommended to have it flushed out and checked by a gargage because they felt the head gasket had gone.

The only problem with this is that I am not losing any water and the milky oil looks like its collected around the top of the filler cap and flowed down into the top end of the engine, so making it look worse.

Another factor has been that the wife has had it 2 weeks ago and only did short journeys, therefore could this just be condensation. I am back to my normal driving, 50 miles a day, but would this get rid of the milky oil or would it remain once there?

Any advise would be appreciated

Crol

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 11:41
Astra milky oil - Peter D
Oil and filter change and some good runs may resolve the issue. Keep an eye on the water level and the inside of the filler cap and wipe any mayo off it. If you are not loosing water then it should sort it. If there was a lot of mayo originally then change the oil again at 1000 miles. Regards Peter
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 11:58
Astra milky oil - carl233
May be thermal breakdown of the oil, do you know if it was a semi-synthetic? These symptoms can be common when multigrade oil is used on hot running engines.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 12:27
Astra milky oil - crol
The oil being used is semi-synthetic. I have also noted that the engine is running at a lower temperature on the gauge, has this got a bearing on anything? But I still would expect the water to be disappearing.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 12:41
Astra milky oil - Dynamic Dave
Quite common if has only been used for short journeys. My Vectra (and previous Vauxhalls I've had) do the same. Once you've taken it on a good run the oil should get hot enough to evaporate any moisture present in it.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 14:04
Astra milky oil - piston power
I had the same car with the same problem, yes condensation and also a blocked breather pipe, the pipe from the block upto the rocker cover right hand side at the back looking from the front, there's a rubber hose with a spring clip use pliers/mole grips etc to undo it is tough give the pipe a good clean out in the sink rinse through with water all will be ok !! good luck.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 15:45
Astra milky oil - crol
Thanks for the advice. I'll try cleaning out the breather pipe.

It seems that the advice from Kwik Fit may not be correct. I'm hoping so anyway.

Thanks for everyone's replies

Crol
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 15 Dec 2006 16:57
Astra milky oil - Ruperts Trooper
Recent Astra 1.6 8v engines do seem particularly prone to mayo under the oil filler, much more so than older, smaller, variants of the same engine design.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?