10 replies to this topic

[RON1966]

My wife uses her GT all year and by the end of October I know I will start the ritual of wiping mayonnaise out of the rocker box until the spring. She always warms the car anyway so it always comes up to temperature . The stat I have in is 82 degrees.  Would fitting a higher rating stat and maybe stopping  some of the colder air passing through the rad help to eliminate this . Engine crankcase breathers are all intact and clear. Is this a common problem on an A series. Thanks Ron.

[David128]

With short journeys seems to be always a problem. No real cure. Occasional blast on fast roads at over 50mph for at least 20 mins seems to  help.

[nicklouse]

Changing stats will not really effect anything as it is the oil you need to get warm. As it is the clod air condensing in the engine.

I am of the belief that only a short time should be spent warming the engine up. As faster warming is done by driving it.

[Mini Manannán]

30 seconds to get all the fluids moving then go.  The engine will warm up far quicker when you get the revs up.  

 

Your mushroom soup problem does sound like the short journey problem, that big old lump of iron will take a fair while to get properly warm.

[Spider]

Maybe going to a 20W40 Oil Grade would be helpful. Depending on your ambient temps, (and they sound well low enough), it will be within the spec of the engine.

[carbon]

Ron, what type of oil filler cap do you have fitted on the rocker box? Depending on the model and year a lot of the earlier cars had a filler cap with 1/8 hole to allow small amount of air into rocker cover that was then pulled through to the carb via engine breather, this may help to keep 'mayonnaise' levels down. For winter use a 88C thermostat may also help.

[RON1966]

Thanks for the advice  . The rocker cover is alloy with a big red filler cap as the engine was out of an MG Metro Carbon. Never thought about running a different oil grade other than 20/50 but as an oil change is due I might look into altering this as well. Am I right in saying 20/40 is thinner and this would not be detrimental to engine or transmission.

[carbon]

Ron, when I used to run a Clubman Estate as daily driver I put a bit of thin plywood behind the front grille in the winter months (across about 2/3 of the width) to reduce the amount of cold air going in the front.

 

Worked a treat, but this was for a 50 mile round trip commute, so did not really have any problem with mayonnaise in the rocker box.

[RON1966]

Might try blocking some of the cold air through the front then Carbon. Picking up an 88 degree stat tomorrow and a new radiator because I noticed a leak in the matrix. Radiator was worse than I thought. Got the rad out earlier and the thermostat housing without breaking it luckily. The missus is going to try and take it for a decent run at least once a week.

[Spider]

Never thought about running a different oil grade other than 20/50 but as an oil change is due I might look into altering this as well. Am I right in saying 20/40 is thinner and this would not be detrimental to engine or transmission.

 

From the factory workshop manual

 

 

The appropriate Viscosity of Oil to use is temperature based.

[RON1966]

Well a couple of months after new rad and  88 degree stat and longer runs the soup in the rocker box although still forming is nothing like as bad and the temperature gauge actually gets to the middle of the gauge. So a definite improvement if not totally cured, so now for a bit of bodywork.