Hi guys,

This is my first post here, having been an active member of SA Rotors and Ausrotary in the past.

I have a question, but first a little background on the car.

My car is a non-turbo Australian delivered 1986 FC.

It has had the motor rebuilt by a once reputable shop here in Adelaide back about 15-20,000 kM ago - sat in a garage for about 8 years with an electrical issue, which has since been rectified and back now on the road.

The rebuild was due to a number of things, seemingly. One was some dodgy coolant o-rings, and most catastrophically, a total purge of engine oil via the front crank pulley seal...

I have recently been taking it for decent "spirited" drives around the traps, and last drove it on the weekend in about 29 degrees C heat.

Whilst driving, the "Add Coolant" light came on, the overflow reservoir was completely spilling full, and when I got it home, the top rad hose was empty.

I have drained the coolant (perfectly fluoro green) pulled all the hoses, thermo, all that off, and thought to check the oil cap for white residue, when I found this:




Not knowing how long that has been there like that - is this concerning, or probably due to moisture/fuel in the oil after sitting for some time - it's like a brittle mud, if that makes any sense?

What, if it is a concern, would allow me to diagnose this?

I haven't looked in there for a while, but could this have been there a while and I just hadn't noticed?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

PS. And how can I remove it without getting it in the motor!

Cheers.

 

No idea, looks like sludge you'd find in an old cast iron holden donk with cupro radiator - does seem extraordinarily thick in that last pic to just be emulsion condensate corrosion even if it did sit for that length of time! You can very gingerly tap out all the pressed metal oil and water barbs using a hammer with a dolly on the other side of the fitting. Stopping the crud falling down might be a trick, as the tapping will dislodge it most likely......paper towel manoeuvred carefully down the hole beforehand.....or drop the sump?

These regional sections are pretty dead, better off posting further up.

 

I don't believe it looks bad per se, just not usual.
I will remove the tube - there is a thread on a bracket one side, so I might get a long bolt to fit and see if I can use it to apply a bit of pressure rather than tap it too much.

I may throw a towel down there to catch what falls - I did think of that but couldn't think of a perfect solution.

Thanks for responding - I don't suppose you know if this can be directly cross-posted to other areas?

 

Not sure if there's anyone with mod privileges in this area to move it - suppose a double posting in the 2nd gen area or a link to it might elicit more response?

 

Will give that a shot.

 

So, I managed to remove the oil filler neck, and it wasn't actually that difficult.

Did my best to keep most of the gunk from falling in by using an old shop towel.

I put a screw in the mounting bracket to apply some force to "pop it". Then tap tap left and right with the rubber mallet.

It eventually became moveable enough to pull out.

Used a rounded file to remove some of the more stubborn stuff, then used the scourer pad on a screwdriver handle (secured in the divet with a cable tie) through it. Finished it off with a steel scourer sponge.

Gave it a good wash and thorough polish.

Whacked it back in with some Loctite aviation sealant/gasket, and seems nice and tight.

Now, to keep my eye on it.

Despite the yellowish stain, it's pretty spotless now.