If your dipstick keeps popping out ....

[Tony Russell]

Is it a problem ?

This relates to my "investigate everything to find out why the exhaust is smoking on a diesel Vaneo" thread.

One thing I have noticed lately is that the dipstick keeps popping up.
It might be that the O ring on the handle is wearing, or it might be that there is excessive back pressure coming from something.

And now I'm thinking that I'm seeing the very first signs of emulsifying on the oil cap.

So now I'm going down the route of looking for evidence that the head gasket or similar is slowly deteriorating.

Surely there should not be enough pressure to pop the dipstick up from the seal under normal circumstances ?

 

[Dieselman]

No there shouldn't even with a worn O-ring.

Pull the breather pipe off and see if it's breathing heavily, or not at all as it could be blocked, but unlikely. One trick would be to run some flushing oil through the engine to free off any sticky rings, after that a compression test.

 

[grober]

The dipstick popping out is probably an indicator of excessive crankcase pressure--this could be down to a blocked breather valve or some other emission control/recirculating pipework/valves not operating correctly. The emulsifying on the cap may be simply due to condensed water in the crankcase not venting properly-which takes us back to the original problem of crankcase pressure build up.

 

[Dieselman]

Isn't there an issue with the breather that goes down to the lower crankcase on these engines...?

Carb cleaner is good for cleaning breather pipes out.

 

[lynall]

Tony i reckon after this merc you will never buy another one!



Lynall

 

[jaymanek]

Isn't there an issue with the breather that goes down to the lower crankcase on these engines...?

Carb cleaner is good for cleaning breather pipes out.

yes they get all bunged up.. there was a qrite up a while back where someone changed the rubber breather hoses for metal ones..

 

[BlackC55]

Is that not just on the petrols?

 

[corned]

It certainly sounds like crankcase pressure is the cause of the dipstick popping problem, but a suspect blown head gasket is not likely to cause such a phenomenon. Unless the motor was terminally wounded, i.e. in a very major way of course...

Initially, from the title, I wondered if you were euphemistically referring to a trouser zip problem...

 

[jaymanek]

Is that not just on the petrols?

good point didnt notice that... not sure in all honesty.

 

[Tony Russell]

Initially, from the title, I wondered if you were euphemistically referring to a trouser zip problem...

Congratulations, I wondered how long it would take for someone to come up with a knob gag.

So, I did the 35 miles down from Glasgow tonight, and it was smoking away. Checked the dipstick before and after the journey (I am become a detail oriented wierdo) but it was in situ OK.


Took the cap off what I believe to be a part of the breather system. It contains a rubber diaphragm valve thing on a spring and a pool of oil that I bet shouldn't be there.

There's a hose coming out to the turbo (I think) and a hose coming in from down below somewhere.

Cleaned out the pool of oil, then removed the hoses and cleaned them with carb cleaner. Then wanged a load of carb cleaner into the valve dept bit as I could see there was a load of schucht inside it.

Put it back together, took the car to the end of the road and started up the hill.

Massive, I mean MASSIVE cloud of smoke. Cars were braking around me, and off I went up the hill. And it just cleared.

Went a run up the dual carriageway in a low gear and no smoke.
Ran up a steep hill for 1/4 mile, and no smoke.
Pulled over and let it rest, started up and repeated the above. No smoke.

So I'm back to where I was a week ago. Except this time I only did one thing so I know what cured it.

Question then.

If I put in an engine flush, and drove around on it for a couple of days so it really got in there, would that be silly ?

Surely 10 minutes at medium revs is a polite waste of time ?


Thanks all for the words thus far !

 

[Dieselman]

Don't drive with engine flushing oil in, it will knacker the bearings. Allow the engine to fast idle for a while then drain.

 

[Tony Russell]

Hi, and thanks.

Just to confirm, that's flushing oil + old oil , ie "Wynns Engine Flush" or other Halfords type material ? Not neat flush you're referring to ?

Do you recommend using a cheap sacrificial oil to run through after draining the flush ? To flush the flush as it were ?

thanks, Tony

 

[proser]

It'll do it no harm and alt least it'll get a bit more of the 'rubbish' out

 

[Smiley]

Make sure the drain plug undoes before putting the flushing fluid in. You cant drive the car once it is in - and if the drain bolt is seized......
Learned that from experience the hard way!

 

[Olivier]

Hi Tony,
have a read there about poping dipstick. Might be gummed ring that you have?
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