dumb question - checking oil filler cap

[Alex5]

i know this will sound extremely dumb but i just want to be 100% sure..

im going to look at a car this afternoon and the guy is driving it to my house, this means the engine will be warm and i will want to take the oil filler cap off to look for any creamy goo or anything bad. can i take the cap off whilst the engine is warm or is this bad?
sorry

 

[DrR]

Lol

Yeah it's fine, just don't have the engine running.

 

[johnnyd]

I believe it is fine to take the oil filler cap off when the engine is warm. Its not a pressurized system and the oil wont be at boiling point. It will be hot so be careful. I may be wrong. I did take the oil cap off my 3 series at the weekend when the engine was hot and nothing bad happened. Might be worth getting a second opinion on that as i'm not 100% sure.

When viewing a new car I'd really want to see it turned on from cold. Might just be me. Didn't save me from having a few problems with said BMW though.

 

[Alex5]

many thanks!

 

[mace¬]

Make sure you warn everyone to stand back.