condensation on my stick... and a hole in a piston ?

[mudgroup]

finally got the matt black fb ute on the road.. registered.. all going well... then the radiator blew like crap out the overflow... replaced the thermostat, i think it was jammed shut... took it for a drive a couple of days ago... all good !
checked the oil this afternoon and there was condensation on the dipstick... took it for a 20 min run... checked oil again.. condensation gone.. lifted the oil cap... and a shitty grey sludge under the cap.... any ideas ? stu

[mrs ratbox]

maybe blown head gasket or head damage or cracked bore, i know they're not the things you want to hear, check after a good drive and keep an eye on the water and oil levels, may just be condensation from the cold weather i'm guessing yor having

[mudgroup]

thanks mick... have herd of cold weather causing this... so heres hoping... have done about 100k's this morning.. and no dramas.... but still a build up shit around the base of the oil cap.... radiator holding when driving.... water level ok... oil level ok... just an oil change...?.. and on that.. what do you use in a grey motor.. just stay away from the synthetic stuff ?.. stu

[Cal]

I use that Valvoline XLD Classic 20/50.

A bit thicker than most oils

[mrs ratbox]

if you did 100k's and it's still sludgey around the breather that's a bit of a worry, you could try an oil change (i have no oil recomendations) and give the breather a flush with degreaser and dry it out

[mudgroup]

cheers mick... will try that tonight... !

cal... thats what i have in it ... but got to freezing a couple of nights in a row.. and the car was left out.... will try some fresh stuff !

[Morf]

Hey buddy, had a similar problem with my ek and it turned out to be one of the welsh plugs behind the side plate leaking water into the oil. Definately something worth checking before pulling the head off.

[mrs ratbox]

how did you go

[mudgroup]

yeah no good mick! stuffed if i know... no more condensation on stick... cleaned and dried the cap out as you suggested... but more crap has shown up on cap after another run...
have pressure tested a couple of times.. and has held pressure ok ?!?
looking to strip off head today... welch plugs done before i dropped engine in... but will check them again morf

related or not... holds water just ok on hwy.. but in town... the radiator overflows flat out! replaced thermostat.. could it be the water pump ? stu

[mudgroup]

righto... no good.. pressure tested again.. and after running for about 45mins.. dropped a few psi... !
so head off... head gasket gone... and 2 pistons have holes in them !... head not damaged... !
i love these cars.. and the grey motor... but damn they are

[mrs ratbox]

and 2 pistons have holes in them !...

[mudgroup]

yeah mick.. thats what i thought when i saw them... not one.. but 2.. no.2 and no.4 pistons... i suppose all will be revealed when we pull it apart ! like i said.. no damage to head...

[Devilrod]

Bugger!