Club 80-90 Forums

Not the best place to keep your mayonnaise. Ever since I rebuilt this engine 1.9 DG, I have had reason to remove the rt hand rocker cover on a few occasions to change tappets and set preload , each time I have done this there has been a light coating of mayonnaise inside the cover, each time I have wiped it clean and each time after approx 20-100 miles Ive took it off to find the same thing. Water does not seem to be going missing from the coolant, the oil on the stick is still pristine (I changed it after the first 50 miles). Tickover and compressions are all even, Now covered 350 miles. Out of interest I looked at the left hand rocker lid and its clean? Obviously this left one is the warm one next to the exhaust and coolant pipe, the problem one is the cold one? The cylinder head nuts aren't leaking,Does anyone have any idea about this or has anyone seen it before? There is no mayonnaise anywhere else on the engine?

Clean the breather tower and ducting out thoroughly, replace, reseal and monitor.

Ian

Can be caused with condensation associated with short journeys.as advised above clean it and monitor it

As said, as long as you are not using coolant it is normal in cold weather and short journeys. Minis used to do it a lot. Keep an eye on your coolant levels and if they stay good then there is likely nothing to worry about.

Thanks for your advice folks, I will monitor it for a while perhaps it is just the shorter journeys. I do hope it's nothing too serious!!!

I had the same a couple of month back. Apparently it's down to having LPG fitted, extra moisture and all that.....

Its the fact that I only get it on the right side rocker cover that bugs me!!

1_eyed_jim wrote:I had the same a couple of month back. Apparently it's down to having LPG fitted, extra moisture and all that.....

That's bollox.

123-jn wrote:Its the fact that I only get it on the right side rocker cover that bugs me!!

anything in the rocker cover comes through the pushrod tubes and past the tappets or in/out via the gasket.

So it maybe that there is a little more play in the tappets on that side allowing water vapour in the sump through.

another possibility is the LHS rocker gasket is not well sealed at the top and is letting the water vapour out thats coming from the sump.

or yet another possibility is the gasket on the RHS is not well sealed at the top getting water/ water vapour in.

there will be positive and negative pressure waves in the rocker area and so water/ water vapour can be drawn in or pushed out.

Ian Hulley wrote:

1_eyed_jim wrote:I had the same a couple of month back. Apparently it's down to having LPG fitted, extra moisture and all that.....

That's bollox.

I think I agree although, according to this slightly more water is produced by LPG than petrol, can't see it making a difference though.

http://www.lpgforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=9732" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ian Hulley wrote:

1_eyed_jim wrote:I had the same a couple of month back. Apparently it's down to having LPG fitted, extra moisture and all that.....

That's bollox.

Well it's not my bollox. So called garage advice from so called experts

1_eyed_jim wrote:

Ian Hulley wrote:

1_eyed_jim wrote:I had the same a couple of month back. Apparently it's down to having LPG fitted, extra moisture and all that.....

That's bollox.

Well it's not my bollox. So called garage advice from so called experts

Experts in what ? Corsas and other p.o.s. Chav taxis ?

Many garages who don't 'get it' are quick to slag lpg off and blame it for every ailment an engine can acquire ... because they don't know any better. Ask any one of us who've run lpg vans for a good few years and most (if not all) who've had a proper conversion have nothing but good things to say about it. There is always the odd one who had a backstreet conversion who's had troubles but for the vast majority it's saved us a fortune ... just look at the gallery, over the years and see which vans feature most ... lpg ones, because we can afford to run them the most. Simple as.

THanks again chaps , I shall have another peep if this rain ever stops for a few days as I still have one tappet on this side to change. Then I intend to change all 4 on the other side which is a real pig I wish I had changed them when I rebuilt the engine. The other side there is a coolant pipe which looks like it may be in the way of pulling the pushrods. AS for the mayonnaise we will keep our eyes on it. She is heading towards the 500 mile oil change now.

As said before it is condensation from doing short journeys cold weather doesn't help either.
Clean out your breathers and take your van for a good run every now and again and that should cure it.