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YOUR RESEARCHhelp, carrera 4s 2004
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Fill engine
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I took the oil filler cap off and noticed that they'd been filling the engine with what looked like a good Dijon mustard.
Leading evidence: 'Fill engine' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Fill engine' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Hi, Ive clocked up about 24,000 miles on my C4S cabrio, any time I open my oil tank there appears to be the caramel effect, ie when the head gasket is about to go.
Does anyone have any similar experiences/advice???
Thanks
Imy
Hi Imy,
If you mean you see caramel coloured 'gunk' inside the oil filler pipe and cap that is not uncommon and nothing to worry about.
If however, you see it in your expansion tank (the left side of the engine compartment which contains coolant), then as you mentioned, you probably have serious issues.
Hi Imy. I bought my 996 C2 (MY2003) from OPC Aberdeen - I live in South Wales. They kindly drove the car to just north of Birmingham for me to view it. I took the oil filler cap off and noticed that they'd been filling the engine with what looked like a good Dijon mustard. I didn't have any nice bread or ham to hand so I thanked them very much for their efforts and sent them back to Aberdeen! (Drum-roll followed by cymbal crash).
Seriously though, I really did turn the car down on the this basis as (like yourself) the last time I'd seen anything like this it was on an old Morris 1000 which had a tea bag for a head gasket. I was convinced that one of the heads on this (6,500 mile) 996 had popped!
Well time is a good healer for extreme embarrassment as well as pain and I subsequently discovered that it's a "normal" quirk of this car. The people from the OPC even 'phoned their head mechanic at home for me to talk to! But I couldn't be swayed. I'm stood in a service station with a large banker's draft looking at an otherwise lovely 911 with what I'm convinced is a popped head! Let's be honest, it's just not going to happen is it?
After doing (a lot) of research, which I thought that I'd already done, I wired them the cash and got it trailered down to me. I'd love to have heard the conversation between the two guys from the OPC on their way back to Aberdeen though!
The oil filler pipe is quite long. When your engine gets hot small amounts of condensation form in the filler pipe. This mixes with oil that lays in the pipe and creates the Dijon. It's now 14,000 miles later and mine still does it - but to varying degrees. I notice it more in the colder weather. This is because the filler end of the pipe is that much colder than the end that leads into the engine, I guess.
Hope this helps. Adrian.
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