So I'm panicking a bit.

I decided to take off all the PCV hoses on the engine and clean them off (oily ends) and tighten everything up before I did an oil and filter change today.

So I took the end off of the oil filler tube. There was creamy yellow goo on the inside of the nipple. The inside of the hose was full of it too. I pulled off the breather heater, and it was completely covered as well. I pulled the oil fill cap, and it was covered on the bottom as well.

The head gaskets were done recently (25k miles ago) at the dealer, and I'm not losing any coolant.

I did a quick google and came up with moisture in the system. My daily commute is a 4.5 mile, 12 minute one way trip. The temperature reads perfect 12 o'clock right on "N" once warmed up. The car seems to warm up at a normal pace, but I've never had a car with an all aluminum engine, if that matters. During my drive, I'd say the engine runs at least 5 minutes at "N" temperature.

I did buy a new thermostat and hoses because it's 10 years old, and because I noticed the upper hose doesn't get as hot as I think it should. It's by no means very hot to the touch. I could keep my hand wrapped around it for maybe 15-20 seconds without discomfort, with the car at "normal" temperature on the gauge.

Can the car not be heating up correctly, but show "N" on the temperature gauge? Any advice on the goo? Should I throw the thermostat in now? I was going to wait until I got the new hoses in to flush the system and install the thermostat.

Thanks,
Nick

 

I should also add that I usually check my oil weekly, and didn't notice anything about a week and a half ago. I did drive the car to work and back on Sunday and Monday, which were 21 and 18 degrees low temperature, respectively. Could the extreme cold be causing it?

Thanks,
Nick

 

[QUOTE=NTL1991;863753]

I did a quick google and came up with moisture in the system. My daily commute is a 4.5 mile, 12 minute one way trip.

Thanks,
Nick

I would say your whole problem is in what you have stated.

Clean it all out, throw in the new tstat and then take the car for a good blast down the road for about an hour.

4.5 miles... really. Bicycle, scooter, public transport... before you kill the car.

 

I agree with Jimbov8 short runs and stop start causes condensation thru out the system. If you have no water in the oil and no oil in the water a clean out and good run as suggested

Ray

 

Just finished draining the oil. Looks just perfect for ~3,500 miles. Glad to see there's no water. Phew!

I'm just waiting on some RTV for the thermostat housing, then a coolant fill up and level check, and I'll be able to button it all up. I'll bring it out tonight and and give it a good run.

I guess I have to start taking the long way home...

Thanks,
Nick

 

Mine was like this (well not quite as much) when I did the same jobs last year, cleaned them out and that was it, ok ever since ....condensation plus short runs cause the buildup. You should also take a look in the big concertina hose to the throttle body, more than likely it's full of muck too. The muck collects in the bottom, wipe it out and refit and you're good to go.
btw, the stat uses the supplied large o-ring to seal the housing, no gasket or RTV necessary.

 

Thank for the replies. Finished it all up, so far so good.

In the service manual it said to use Hylosil on the thermostat housing prior to refitting, and there was a little left from the last time the job was done at the dealer, so I put a little on during reassembly.

I'll check that accordion hose to the throttle body and see if there's anything in there.

It seems my heater is a bit more consistent. I could frequently feel the air temperature drop when the engine was idling, while sitting at a light, and then once back on the throttle, hotter air would come out. Hopefully it'll help sort out any cold-running issues and I feel better having the new antifreeze in there anyway.

Thanks again,
Nick

 

So I drove the car for about 50 minutes after work, all highway. Needle stayed right on N, where it normally sits. Heat was nice a hot from the vents. I got back home, opened the hood. I had some antifreeze sitting on the perimeter of the expansion tank, in the little edge where the temperature level sensor wires clip to. There was a few drops around the cap, which is where I think it came from.

I unscrewed the cap slowly, and found that the system had zero pressure. No hiss, nothing even faintly resembling a hiss when opening it up. It was also at the cold level, not higher up in the tank.

I removed the oil filler cap and saw condensation on the bottom of the cap, just water, no sludge, but it should've evaporated if the engine was at operating temperature for ~45 minutes or so, right?

Should I look at replacing the pressure cap?

Thanks,
Nick