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[benjy44]

my 3.0l v6 omega keeps over heating and theres mayo on the cap and on the neck is this the head gasket and is it now scrap?

[Welung666]

Is the coolant in the expansion bottle clean? How much mayo?

[benjy44]

yeah water is clean quite alot of mayo it started off with a little bit on the cap now the cap iscovered in it

[Kneepad]

Mayo on the cap and on the neck is not uncommon and is to be expected if you are using the car for short journeys.
Do you have any mayo in the oil? See dipstick.
Are you losing any coolant?

[PhilRich]

yeah water is clean quite alot of mayo it started off with a little bit on the cap now the cap iscovered in it

Mayo on the cap can be nothing more than short runs or stop/start running! If the Expansion tank has clean coolant in it & the tank itself shows no sign of sludge or gunked walls then the oil cooler can probably be ruled out  & if the dipstick is showing no signs of mayo/rust & the oil still resembles oil,  then I think the HG's are probably ok. 




  must learn to concentrate & not watch telly whilst typing!

[benjy44]

i cant see any on the dipstick it smokes alot and you can only drive it for 10 minutes before the temp goes into the red and the light comes on

[Welung666]

As there is no cross contamination between the oil and water then I'd bet the water pump has failed or there is a blockage in the radiator.

1st job - FREE! - flush the radiator in both directions with a hose, refill the system and test. If it still reheats then go on to the 2nd job.

2nd job - around the £30 mark - change the waterpump.

[PhilRich]

As Julie Andrews once said, lets start at the very beginning!
Is the coolant level in the bottle up to the cold fill (Kalt) level?
Is the oil level in the sump upto or very near the max level when cold?
Are there any signs of either water or oil leaks in the engine compartment?
Where is the car smoking from? (presumably the exhaust?)







tut! must not watch the telly while typing!

[benjy44]

ok thanks for the help will try it and see what happens

[Kneepad]

i cant see any on the dipstick it smokes alot and you can only drive it for 10 minutes before the temp goes into the red and the light comes on

There is also the possibility that the thermostat is jammed closed, but follow mr welung's advice first.

[benjy44]

the coolant is at the right level with no contamination i had the water cooler done a few months back the oil is on the max on the dipstick when cold and its blowing loads and loads of smoke from the exhaust plus ive just noticed theres oil in where my spark plugs are

[benjy44]

just had a new thermostat on it last week at the garage

[Kneepad]

Ah, now we're getting somewhere. Cam cover gaskets leaking oil onto plugs causing misfire.
Important that you do the gaskets and clean the breathers.
This is over and above the overheating problem.

[benjy44]

it doesnt misfire tho sounds ok when its running

[feeutfo]

my 3.0l v6 omega keeps over heating and theres mayo on the cap and on the neck is this the head gasket and is it now scrap?

Mayo is where exactly? On the oil filler or the water bottle filler? Presumably the oil filler which is common as said with short journeys.