Oil & Water (mayo) around outside of oil cap?

[RWheldon]

I have been to look at a 52 plate TD4. There was a small amount of oil and water (cream) mixed around the outside of the oil filler cap on the engine cover. The screen washer jet sits directly above this so I thought perhaps that this had dripped and caused the mess. I cleaned it all out and cleaned the filler cap out (just in case of any water contamination). Then drove for about 5 miles and the oill & water was back.

The inside of the oil filler cap looks clean, the oil & water appears around the outside of the filler cap in the plastic engine cover.

There is no sign of oil in the header tank, it isn't using any water and the oil inside the engine is fine. The engine has done 58K. The owner did overfill it with oil a month ago (about 1 inch above the max mark).

The owner only uses it once or twice a week on short local runs.

Would this be a head gasket job, or is there somewhere else I should be looking first?

Common sense is to walk away and not touch this vehicle, which is a shame because apart from the above it is the best one I have viewed.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[viorelluta]

The head gasket failure happens only to the 1.8 petrol engines, so this should not concern you. That TD4 probably has some other "weak points" where some oil comes out. It should be checked anyway.

[Les Henson]

Cars that only get used for short journeys will suffer from this - especially in damp/colder weather. The engine never gets hot enough to dispell any moisture that gets sucked into the engine as it cools down so there's a high percentage of damp air that mixes with oil vapour and creates the 'emulsion' around the filler cap. This can also be caused by a problem with the engine breather system. A long drive which will allow the engine to get right up to operating temperature usually cleans it up.

Les.

[WESTENDER]

RWheldon

this mayo is usually caused by an engine not getting up to operating temperature and boiling off the water that condensates in a cooling engine. An oil change and new filters and a blast up the motorway will work wonders, and if the vehicle is only used on short, stop start journeys shorten the service interval.

Hope this hasnt put you off freelanders

[RWheldon]

Many thanks for the responses. I have experienced this (years ago) with the wifes old Montego, this used to get loads of the mayo mix inside the filler cap and in the neck of the oil filler. What I couldn't understand on this one is that the oil & water were outside the oil cap around it in the plastic engine cover. Could the owner overfilling it with oil (about 2 litres over) have caused some pressure to force it out of the cap, or could this escessive oil caused some more sinister damage. He has only done a few local miles with the excess oil in.

As for Freelanders, or any Land Rover for that matter, I will not be put off. My first was a series III lightweight, so I know that these vehicles need a lot of maintenance and can sometimes be a little costly.

Rich.

[RWheldon]

Just for information, if anyone checks this thread, I did buy the Freelander.

1) Drained oil

2) Flushed engine

3) Replaced oil filter and new oil

and most importantly

4) Changed the crank case breather filter (complete unit with housing £16) - This was absolutely choked up. Land Rover recommend this is changed at every service.

No more problems at all!

Best car I have had!

Thanks for all replies.