i have a 93 polo coupe 1.0 that drinks like a fish. The oil cap is all milky and i am guessing that there is a headgasket problem. Can anyone tell me if there is a way of confuirming that this is the problem, and does the head need to be skimmed or is it just case of having the gasket repaired ??
regards
Andy
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There is a special tool to 'sniff out' any combustion gasses in the cooling system but I guess this is too expensive for DIY use really.
I'd get a professional opinion, being honest.
It could save you money...
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Head gaskets are easy to diagnose. Check the dip stick. If you have normal oil the gasket is alright but you need to give the motor a good run to evaporate condensation in the rocker cover. If there is mayo, you need a new gasket. Some times the head will not need skimming, just scrape off the old gasket (carefully mind) and use a 12" steel rule and feeler gauges, if its warped above the figure in the manual (usually 0.1mm or 0.004")then skim it.
Before you go that extreme though you need to look for alternate sources for the leak.
Hoses and water pump are favourites.
I recently had a gasket go where compression was pressurising the water jack, you would not be able to drive long with that type of failure so I suppose that not the case with yours.
Best of luck
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A compression test will often show adjacent cylinders that give low readings. This will show where the head gasket has gone.
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All,
thanks for yor help, so far i have checked the oil through the dipstick and this looks ok (no mayo) but inside the rocker cover oil cap there is plenty of mayo.
can someone confimr that if somethign like the waterpump goes this would happen ???
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I don't believe a faulty water pump would allow any water into the oil. Water pump bearings get noisey and normally movement in the bearing will be obvious.
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Sounds like you have an external leak. What rate are you losing water at?.
Look for tale-tell traces at pipe connections etc, the water pump may be leaking externally, sometimes that's difficult to spot.
If you dont cure the leak, it may eventally take out the head gasket.
Keep looking
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All,
thanks for ya help here. I have run up the car to see if there is any air locks ect, and i have given it a good run. The fan is cutting in ok, but i have noticed that when doing so the water level rises so high that it leeks from the overflow. Does this sound like the overflow caused by a failed waterpump ?
i thought if the head gasket was gone the power would be crap but it travels at 80mph with no bother ?
any further assistance is greatly appreciated
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Relax, your head gasket is fine.
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Keep an eye on your temperature gauge
If this goes high then check your thermostat.
****Signature? - I have to think of that as well??****
Hugo
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It's a good idea to note how much water you have top top up with each day. Dont go above the max level on the tank. If the leak is small Radweld may stop it. It could be a puncture in the radiator.
Best of luck
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Hi all,
thanks for all your help here. this is a great help. Does anyone know of a way i can clearly identify if the waterpump is gone ?
I have only put one kettle of water in to test, and this hit the rigth temperature for the fan to cut in, but i wondered why the wtare level rose to push out og the overflow.
regards
Andy
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When they go properly waterpumps fail at the shaft seal and you will see water being centrafuged off the pulley. You have not reported that so it may not be the pump.
Before you go any further, measure the size of the leak by topping up the expansion tank daily. If it's only a cup full per 50 miles or something like that the do the Radweld thing.
Can anyone else suggest anything?
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A Dent
Just building on what you've said, suggest he tops the coolent up and runs the car till it gets up to temperature and try to find where the leak is. If there's plenty of water in it the leak should be apparent if it's major (otherwise Radweld is the answer although there are other better products on the market).
If the engine is overheating but the radiator pipe to the thermostat is cold, then look at the thermostat. In all the cooling problems I've had with cars, the thermostat is usually the clear winner, and often the first thing that gets looked at/replaced, especially if you know it hasn'nt been replaced for a little while.
Also, double check the obvious, hoses, jubilee clips present and tight etc etc.
****Signature? - Ideas on a postcard please anyone!****
Hugo
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Not saying that this is the case this time but it is astonishing how many people think that you can get away with putting water in the cooling system without anti-freeze protectant.
For the sake of a ten quid bottle of anti freeze, many are prepared to gamble on head gaskets blowing due to corrosion. My mate who owns a garage makes a decent living out of charging £250 on average for head gasket replacements.
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Just thought I would throw my tuppence worth in.
Mayo in oil cap, often caused by lots of short runs where engine does not reach full temp and condensation + oil gather in cap and forms as mayo. Not helped by cheap oil either.
Water leaking from overflow, this could be due to a faulty presure cap either on header tank or rad (not sure what you have)
this will allow hot coolant to leak out when under presure or at operating temperature, due to the expansion of the coolant.
I am speaking from experience on this one drove me nuts over about 6 months new cap sorted a treat. Better spend a fiver or so on new cap than replace waterpump, which I doo not think is your problem.
Try a run and put heater on if you get normal heat then the pump is circulating thru the system. If not try bleeding the system
to eliminate any air.
Good Luck
David
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thanks all,
the water needs to be filled weekly but the car has the fan cutting in fine, just water is gone ? there is stilll mayo, but not much as i have run up the water to temperature and given it a good run. i am wondering what is making the waterlevel rise, so it leaks from the overflow from the top of the expansion bottle. That has all the signs of where the water is coming from and i have seen it happen.
I am not putting in antifreeze until i cure the leak problem, but the car was only serviced 5000 miles back so ir would of had antifreeze.
you are all being a great help, don\'t know what i would have done if i did not find the back room.
I am nearly at the stage of finding a fix, any more help is greatly appreciated.
regards
Andy
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Andy,
My money is on the cap of the expnsion bottle.
Don\'t forget that you need the anti corrosion protection of \"Anti Freeze\" it also raises the boiling point so just topping up with water may make matters worse.
let us know how you get on.
David
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Hi David,
thanks for your input here. I have run it up again to boil and watch as the fan cuts in. The water some how is escaping out of the top of the water bottle. On closer inspection i found that there is a large o-ring inside the lid of the water bottle that is not sitting in the ressess that it should be in. This is allowing the water to escape out. I will buy a new lid, as i think this may solve the problem. Stay tuned for update.
Again, my thanks to all.
regards
Andy
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Poloowner,
My wife's Polo was losing water from the overflow and the cap was very stiff when undoing it. I cured both with some silicon grease on the 'o' ring and the threads. Hope this helps.
Mike M
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