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[jay69]

early today i had to travel just mover 80miles and half way there the check oil display lite up on the mid display. i pulled over at the nearist petrol station and checked the oil and it was very low and lucky for me they had genuine vauxhall oil . when i came to fill it up and taken the yellow cap off and there was a small amount of cream like liquid on the inside of the cap . What could this mean any help please .J

[jonnycool]

It doesn't mean much on its own, the filler cap gets condensation on it in cold weather, so makes oil mist creamy in that area, especially if you only do short trips in your car.

I doubt if running low on oil has damaged anything, unless it went much below the lowest mark on the dipstick. You need to find out where that oil is going though

[albitz]

Wther or not you did any damage depends on how low the oil level was. I would have thought it unlikely if you put oil in soon after the display appeared.
The creamy "mayo" substance is something which happens to these engines if they are used for quiet a lot of short journeys, so it could well be that you had a lot more of it before you started your journey but burnt most of it off while driving on the motorway. It isnt indicative of any serious problems.

must type faster.

[jay69]

when i first got the car just over five weeks ago the first day i got it i checked the oil and it was spot on. our lass mainly drives the car day to day as i have a company van and she make lots of stop and start style driving could that be the reason its useing oil ?

[Bumbazor]

It shouldn't make it use oil but short trips would likely cause mayo on the filler cap.

[sjc]

Check your cam covers for leaks as blocked breathers is a common problem and this prevents the crankcase pressure from escaping and causes the pressure to find a way out - and the cam cover gaskets are the weakest link.

As others have said, mayo in the filler neck / oil cap is not a sign of a problem, however, mayo in the coolant header tank is!  And, BTW, if you find any there then it's usually a sign of oil cooler failure NOT head gasket.

[jay69]

i'v looked under the car and theres no sign of any oil leak any where  its really clean

[Bumbazor]

If the cam covers are leaking you won't necessarily see any drips. Oil could get into the plug wells, the V, or onto the exhaust manfolds and be burnt off, all before it even hits the ground.

[sjc]

When you stopped, how long did you wait before checking the level?  Enough time for ALL the oil to return to the sump?

Reason I ask is that my MV6 complains about low oil whenever it goes below the halfway mark between Min and Max.  I've no idea if it's the dipstick that's wong or the system is designed to be super safe.

Also, because of the shape of the sump, heavy cornering can give false warnings too (I've found)!

[bigdods]

When you stopped, how long did you wait before checking the level?  Enough time for ALL the oil to return to the sump?

Reason I ask is that my MV6 complains about low oil whenever it goes below the halfway mark between Min and Max.  I've no idea if it's the dipstick that's wong or the system is designed to be super safe.

Also, because of the shape of the sump, heavy cornering can give false warnings too (I've found)!

IIRC correctly there are two warnings - check oil when you hit about half way down the distick then oil low when you get near the bottom.

[dbr]

When you stopped, how long did you wait before checking the level?  Enough time for ALL the oil to return to the sump?

Reason I ask is that my MV6 complains about low oil whenever it goes below the halfway mark between Min and Max.  I've no idea if it's the dipstick that's wong or the system is designed to be super safe.

Also, because of the shape of the sump, heavy cornering can give false warnings too (I've found)!

IIRC correctly there are two warnings - check oil when you hit about half way down the distick then oil low when you get near the bottom.

OIL LACK  from the display was very worrying the first time. But it was 3/4 full.