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head gasket question for a mechanic , Renault Clio 1.2



Neil

Eastie
Aug 27, 2010
729
Langney
Got a Renault Clio 1.2 and noticed the milky deposits when taking off the oil filler cap about a month ago but car runs perfectly otherwise.
The water in the radiator has gone down slightly but only about a pint in a month.
There is no white smoke out of the exhaust .
It never overheats.
It looks like the water is getting into the oil but not getting to the pistons .
Do you think its OK to carry on using it as I only do a 10 mile round trip each day ?
Would sticking one of those dog turds in the radiator sort it ?
Or would you leave it until it went to the pistons or could there be another reason its getting into the oil and the head gasket is infact OK?
Any mechanics there that have any advice thanks
 




WEST STAND STAN

New member
Mar 16, 2013
32
Got a Renault Clio 1.2 and noticed the milky deposits when taking off the oil filler cap about a month ago but car runs perfectly otherwise.
The water in the radiator has gone down slightly but only about a pint in a month.
There is no white smoke out of the exhaust .
It never overheats.
It looks like the water is getting into the oil but not getting to the pistons .
Do you think its OK to carry on using it as I only do a 10 mile round trip each day ?
Would sticking one of those dog turds in the radiator sort it ?
Or would you leave it until it went to the pistons or could there be another reason its getting into the oil and the head gasket is infact OK?
Any mechanics there that have any advice thanks

My housemates a mechanic and just showed him this post, he said just leave it as it is, its probably condensation.
 


HalifaxSeagull

Active member
Aug 24, 2010
772
My housemates a mechanic and just showed him this post, he said just leave it as it is, its probably condensation.

Mine had that too. I just cleaned it up and had an oil flush and it never turned milky again. It is probably just condensation as previous poster said.
 


tedlit

Member
Nov 18, 2006
103
Scotland (just)
Ten miles really isn't long enough to warm it up properly. Take it for a longer run (>25 miles and/or >an hour) once in a while; it won't do it anymore. :)
 


Neil

Eastie
Aug 27, 2010
729
Langney
thought it was condensation myself but definately not that.
Had a flush, oil and filter change done 2 weeks ago but the milky deposits have returned
 




Noldi

New member
Sep 5, 2010
308
Horsham
It's ok to just ignore it and it could only be condensation. But if it is loosing coolant then it is going some where ? if it is getting into the engine oil then it will effect the oils ability to lubricate and that would mean engine wear. It would not cost a lot for a mechanic to check if the head gasket is failing, be a lot cheaper than repairing a worn engine.

Noldi
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,278
"only" losing a pint of water a month? it should be none. there's a leak that needs fixing
 


dougdeep

New member
May 9, 2004
37,732
SUNNY SEAFORD
Give it a wash and polish, and then sell it.
 


grubbyhands

Well-known member
Dec 8, 2011
2,285
Godalming
Any coolant loss is a concern and a pint a week is a lot. My advice would be to get a pressure test done to establish where the coolant is going ( water pump is a favourite on those engines )and this is a fairly cheap test. I wouldn't condone putting any "dog turds " in as the renault heaters can block up easily. There is another test commonly called a "sniffer test" that involves drawing a sample of air in the expansion tank through a fluid that can detect the prescence of carbon monoxide /exhaust gas getting into the cooling system. "Mayonnaise" on the underside of the oil filler cap is very common on vehicles that do short runs and even more so in very cold weather
 


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