Hi everybody, So, I am noob to the f-car. I just bought a 2014 california. What a marvelous machine. I should have done this years ago. I constantly find reasons to drive it, and my E55 now seems like a dog. The running temp goes up to 190 which seems high-ish to me. Have not gotten a definite number from the dealer for the spec'. Checked the oil and there is white emulsion in the oil cap. I have been driving it everyday for 3 weeks. My previous experience with more pedestrian cars would make me suspect a head gasket. On any other car I would change the oil and put it up on my lift, check the plugs, and do some pressure tests. It's due for a service in February, but if it needs to go in sooner then it will. It's a 400mile trip and two cars so it's a bit of a hassle. Thanks for any advice. Jim
happened on my aircooled 911 and it does not have any coolant. You need to drive it more. BTW, 190 operating temp is normal.
Thanks for the quick post! I thought about that, but I drive it everyday. That said, I did not check it at the dealer. So, I'll clean it and drive it and see what happens. Jim
Some oils tend to foam, and that will show up as white condensate on the cap. Shell oils, especially.
So, I just had it in for its annual service and it passed with flying colors. The tech said even driving it daily if you don't go at least ten miles one way it will happen. I only go six one way. On the 180 mile trip to the dealer it disappeared. They use Pennzoil so we'll see if that changes. There are about 15 inches of snow on the ground and I'm going through with-drawl. Apropos of nothing, I have driven old Mercedes for years and got nothing but grief for driving a Mercedes. People love the Ferrari and said I should have gotten one a long time ago. Go figure...
Short trips are very bad for these cars. They like to get fully warmed up before being shut off. Here in Las Vegas, that means at least 10 miles in the summer after about 3 minute warm up. In the winter I try for at least 20 miles after a 5-7 minute warm up in the garage. People who drive them daily tend to get rid of them quickly.
I drove mine all most daily for a couple years and I would not get rid of it. That being said I all ways took the long way to my destination and allowed for the extra half hour, way more fun!!
Garages Kill. Driving a car regularly will prevent many problems. I will take a longer route like Taz355. Warming up a car for 5-7 minutes is likely to cause oil dilution and can lead to bearing failure or cylinder scoring. All gasoline engines run very rich during the initial warm up and taper off as engine temp increases. The extra fuel is not burned and some of it ends up in the oil. The lower rpm's allow more of it to stay in the cylinder rather than be exhausted. All manufacturers recommend gentle driving during the warm up period and not long idle periods for that reason. I have read about the long warm up for these cars in multiple threads on this forum and it was contrary to everything I learned. So, I checked with the dealer and was told not to for the same reason. Unlike older American cars these engines are machined to very strict tolerances and piston slap is non-existent and heat is not necessary to seal the pistons. Clean oil of the proper viscosity protects the bearings and valve train as long as the oil pump is working.
