ALFAGTV6.COM

[Neil McC]

Hi Guys,

I went to look at a GTV6 today, which I might want to buy. It hasn't had an oil change for about 18 months, and has been sitting outside, not started, for the past 3 months. It's winter here and there has been a lot of snow and sub-zero temperatures lately. When I took the oil filler cap off the cylinder head cover, there was a small amount of creamy stuff inside the cap and on the rim of the filler hole. Could this just be due to condensation, or is this definitely a sign of head gasket problems?

Neil

[Murray]

Neil the creamy deposits on the filler cap are not a definitive indication of a headgasket problem.Vehicles that are used for short trips in cold weather often have that build up on the cap due to condensation.I would suggest that you clean up the cap and take the car for a good run.Once fully warmed up you can recheck the cap as well as the coolant overflow resevoir to see if there are any indications of problems.If you have any doubts,get it inspected by a qualified mechanic who will be able to tell you if all is OK or not.Good luck.

[MD]

...and that should comprise of a coolant pressure test and an individual cylinder pressure down to detect air bubbles in coolant