Sat 23 Apr 2005 15:33 CitroenAX Oil in Water - cmm

Hi all, I was topping up the water in the car this afternoon and saw what looked like oil sitting at the top. Where could this be coming from? TIA CMM Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 23 Apr 2005 16:55 CitroenAX Oil in Water - Martin1981

Oil in coolant can be a symptom of a failing cylinder head gasket. Do you have to top up the water very often? Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 24 Apr 2005 23:45 CitroenAX Oil in Water - cmm

Hi, I haven't had to put that much into it, and there haven't been any warning lights. I have always had to top up regularly since I bought the car 5 years ago, it hasn't got any worse since then, or not that I've noticed... ...thankyou for the tip, I'll get it checked out immediately! Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Apr 2005 22:35 CitroenAX Oil in Water - cmm

Just another question - is it normal for a 1997 car to need the Head Gasket replaced? Just having a look on the net and other AX users seem only to need theirs replaced at over 10 years old. It's got just over 85000 miles on it. Thanks CMM Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Apr 2005 23:03 CitroenAX Oil in Water - Quinny100

Head gaskets are a bit of a weakness on these engines and at 85k its not unusual that it needs replacing. Fortunately on these its a relatively straightforward and cheap job. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Apr 2005 23:12 CitroenAX Oil in Water - cmm

Thanks for the quick reply!! That is a relief anyway - I was thinking major credit card bill was on the cards...As a rough guide, how much would you expect to pay? Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 26 Apr 2005 21:10 CitroenAX Oil in Water - Martin1981

You may be lucky enough to get it sorted for around £300 as a rough guesss but possibly ( and hopefully) less. Just as long as the cylinder head isn't cracked or damaged, but if the engine hasn't overheated the head should be fine and may just require a skim. Worth asking round a few places to get a few quotes. By the way is this the 1.5 diesel engine we're talking about? Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 Apr 2005 16:25 CitroenAX Oil in Water - cmm

Hi, sorry the phone line got damaged and couldn't use the internet! My car is a 1.0 petrol engine. I will ask around, thanks very much for the ballpark figure there. Pity it also needs driveshaft replaced too, which I've been putting off for well over a year!! Many thanks CMM Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 Apr 2005 16:58 CitroenAX Oil in Water - Quinny100

The job is about 4 hours work or so. Depending on how long you want to keep the car may influence whether you want the head skimming but if its not overheated you'll probably get away without it. Gasket set will be £20 tops and you'll need a new set of head bolts which will be about £25. In all honesty AX's are worth so little these days if its an older one it might be better just to let it die and buy another one, especially if there are other problems with it. Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 3 May 2005 22:51 CitroenAX Oil in Water - cmm

Thanks for the advice - I'm getting the mechanic to have another look at it to see if anything's glaringly obvious, just while he fixes the gasket. Mind you, after having to get the bus into work, I'm beginning to think any price is worth paying for a shorter (drier) journey!! :-) Many Thanks, CMM Reply | Report as offensive | Link