Normal oil build up?

ChrisQP09

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Just ticked the car over until medium temp before taking out for a short burst. Parked up, no coolant leaks to be identified. Turned engine off and allowed oil to cool a little. The oil cap appeared to consist of more black oil rather than the milk stuff however there still appeared to be a bit of milkiness on the inside of the rocker cover.

I will continue to monitor over the course of the week by taking it out for a drive on Tuesday evening. Couple of questions:

  1. Surely if there was a leak or coolant getting into the oil chamber there would be some performance related symptoms? Car is running perfectly!
  2. Should I pre-book the car into the MD and have it diagnosed for good measure? If so, will an MD be able to quickly identify/diagnose a problem if one exists?
 

ChrisQP09

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What you need to do is get the cooling system pressure tested as that will show the weakness.
Which will be coolant tank or the small hose over the rear of the engine by bell housing.

Running the engine for 5 minutes will cause condensation as it will just not get up to temperature.

Would any garage be able to perform this or does it have to be an MD?
 

philw696

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Would any garage be able to perform this or does it have to be an MD?
Any decent mechanic with the kit could do it in minutes as when pressurised the coolant leak should show itself as the pressure falls.
I would seriously doubt it would be a cylinder head gasket.
I put my money on condensation.
As I stated the weak links are the coolant tank and the small hose at the rear.
MLC did his recently the hose that is.
 

Wanderer

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5,791
Just ticked the car over until medium temp before taking out for a short burst. Parked up, no coolant leaks to be identified. Turned engine off and allowed oil to cool a little. The oil cap appeared to consist of more black oil rather than the milk stuff however there still appeared to be a bit of milkiness on the inside of the rocker cover.

I will continue to monitor over the course of the week by taking it out for a drive on Tuesday evening. Couple of questions:

  1. Surely if there was a leak or coolant getting into the oil chamber, would there not be any performance symptoms? Car is running perfectly!
  2. Should I pre-book the car into the MD and have it diagnosed for good measure? If so, will an MD be able to quickly identify/diagnose a problem if one exists?
I think if you had a serious problem you'd have white/grey smoke constantly. My QP seems to produce a lot of white smoke when warming up in cold weather, more so than other cars it seems, but it's fine when warm. I've had some ***** cars with leaks and ****, knocks etc performance never seems affected until you start hearing serious noises, like piston slap or big end knock, but my then it's too late...

WRT to second point, if you feel worried but a local guy to have a look, there's nothing special about the QP's cooling/oil systems, apart from the dry sump which confused a few in the past, but I think urs is a wet sump...
 

ChrisQP09

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2,994
Any decent mechanic with the kit could do it in minutes as when pressurised the coolant leak should show itself as the pressure falls.
I would seriously doubt it would be a cylinder head gasket.
I put my money on condensation.
As I stated the weak links are the coolant tank and the small hose at the rear.
MLC did his recently the hose that is.

My Toyota is actually in with the local mechanic on Tuesday for MOT prep so I could ask him to do the test on QP. So if condensation is the culprit, the best bet is to take it out for a drive rather than letting it tick over for 5 minutes?

Assuming however that the coolant tank or hose is faulty, are these big ticket items with a lot of labour?
 

ChrisQP09

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2,994
I think if you had a serious problem you'd have white/grey smoke constantly. My QP seems to produce a lot of white smoke when warming up in cold weather, more so than other cars it seems, but it's fine when warm. I've had some * cars with leaks and ****, knocks etc performance never seems affected until you start hearing serious noises, like piston slap or big end knock, but my then it's too late...

WRT to second point, if you feel worried but a local guy to have a look, there's nothing special about the QP's cooling/oil systems, apart from the dry sump which confused a few in the past, but I think urs is a wet sump...

Mine is the same on cold mornings, a bit of white smoke but then it vanishes after 10-20 secs or so. The odd time I smell petrol from the fumes but surely that is normal. There are next to no issues with the performance or running of the car apart from the fact that it is a part-time vehicle used only for weddings and simply ticked over for a few mins in between bookings.
 

philw696

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25,114
My Toyota is actually in with the local mechanic on Tuesday for MOT prep so I could ask him to do the test on QP. So if condensation is the culprit, the best bet is to take it out for a drive rather than letting it tick over for 5 minutes?

Assuming however that the coolant tank or hose is faulty, are these big ticket items with a lot of labour?
The coolant tank is really easy to change and not an expensive item in the world of Maserati.
The hose at the back is a bit more fiddly as the inlet manifold needs to come off, the wipers motor and scuttle too.
So if your rocker gaskets are weaping it's the ideal time to do them and any decent mechanic should be able to do them.
 

ChrisQP09

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The coolant tank is really easy to change and not an expensive item in the world of Maserati.
The hose at the back is a bit more fiddly as the inlet manifold needs to come off, the wipers motor and scuttle too.
So if your rocker gaskets are weaping it's the ideal time to do them and any decent mechanic should be able to do them.

Sorry excuse my lack of technical how-know, what do you mean by 'weaping'?
 

ChrisQP09

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Leaking oil around the rear corners off the cylinder heads.

Thanks! Apart from the visible signs such as constant white smoke and creamy oil, are there no performance related symptoms one can use to help diagnose a problem with the head gasket?
 

philw696

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Thanks! Apart from the visible signs such as constant white smoke and creamy oil, are there no performance related symptoms one can use to help diagnose a problem with the head gasket?
You want to get a TK test done as well with the coolant to make sure no exhaust gases getting in there but again I would be very surprised.
 

Ebenezer

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4,444
What you need to do is get the cooling system pressure tested as that will show the weakness.
Which will be coolant tank or the small hose over the rear of the engine by bell housing.
This

Car just passed its MOT but while they were doing some other remedial work (skimming the front disks as the disks had become warped!) coolant drips were noticed. System pressurised and the culprits were small leaks from the joins to the radiator. All connectors were tightened but I've been told to think about replacing all the hoses.

The kicker?

Maserati are out of QP hose kits...

Eb
 

ChrisQP09

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Over what period was a liter lost?

Unless your working that engine to operating temperatures regularly, you will get condensation at the top.

Eye up all the coolant hoses and hope its seperate issues. FWIW, header tanks are prone to splitting underneath where you cant see them, mine did.

Just checked my records, approx 1 litre coolant lost over a 3.5-4 month period instead of 2 months. How much are these cars expected to use?

Car used for 100-300 mile every month sometimes all in one go.
 

philw696

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Just checked my records, approx 1 litre coolant lost over a 3.5-4 month period instead of 2 months. How much are these cars expected to use?

Car used for 100-300 mile every month sometimes all in one go.
That's quite a lot and going somewhere.
Can you see any evidence or staining from the coolant.
That amount you should smell it.
Get the system pressure tested asap.
 

Zep

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does this mean that you are adding 250ml when you check it every month, or are you topping up more regularly? How far below the line is it when you are topping up?
 

ChrisQP09

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No coolant staining anywhere! I dont trust the local mechanic where I live so kind of need to find sonebody reputable to do the pressure test.

Coolant was about 45% full when I topped it up.