Head Gasket Problem? Please Help

[Craig_471]

Im having a few problems but not sure what exactly it can be.. ive heard many things about what it could be.. wondered if you guys could help?

Basically.. i have to top up the water in the tank about 1 - 2 times A WEEEK... now this isnt normal and dont do my bank account any favours with buying anti coolant every weeek lol..
I have gunk under neath the oil cap..
Sometimes the smoke coming out of the exhaust turns a bit blue, which implies it could be the head gasket or there is to much oil in there, which at the present minute, there is...
There isnt no loss of power .. or not as im aware, its hard to tell.. as ive just had a standard exahaust put back on for the MOT ( before i had a preformance exhaust ).. so again, its tricky to tell!!

Its swings and roundabouts really..

Can anyone help please?! It would be greatly apprichiated!

[ianinnes]

If you cannot see any apparent water leaks anywhere, then I would get your oil changed. If you can see water in the old oil, then the chances are the head gasket has blown.
Of course I could be proved wrong, but these were the same symptoms I encountered on my VX Astra couple of years back.

[gavdaman]

Hi just reading you problems.. it doesnt sound gd Ive just got rid of my Vauxhall corsa Vegas 1.2 B for a newer corsa C .

My car did exactly the same as yours kept filling it up with water and at some points espesh after winter weather we had it puffed a lil smoke out nothing to mean anything.
1 thing to check if its head gasket check your exhaust and feel to see if its damp coz thts a sign but however going bk to the vegas car i put water in like once a week and every couple of days it would need some more also along with the car started whistling sometimes like a kette. But it kept drinking water for a couple of months untill 2 weeks ago tht is.... I was driving home from work and my engine light came on and I smelt a bit of burning so I thought id carry on driving to get home quicker coz i wasnt tht far as I carried on driving I looked at temp gage and it was well ova a 100 it was touching red so I pulled ova and popped the bonet and the the water was coming bk out of the water filling cap even when it was tight enuff so as anyone wud do put some more water it cold water and within 5 mins of driving and getting it home it did it again. So i left it with my dad over the week and he changed the radiator and the thermostat and neither one made a difference also the fan wasnt kicking in and checked tht. so he phned a mechanic and said it sound like head gasket if uve done all tht. and wud cost 2-4 hundered to get it fixed... so i thought best buy a newer car.

I hope you get it sorted but dnt leave it too late craig coz ull b without a car

Hope this helps

Gavdaman

[Sam58]

Check to see if there is any gunk on the dipstick, if it is just oil then that is fine. Your car will steam a lot in damp, windless conditions until the car is well and truly warmed up, but do check how it is after a good few miles.
If you cannot find any leaks in the cooling system, then you could be in a bit of bother with the head gasket, as that is a lot of water per week you are using. Try some radweld in the cooling system, this might just cure any leaks that you may have. Keep an eye on the temperature guage, if the car is beginning to overheat at all, switch it off, and allow it to cool. Overheating is one of the main indicators of a hg problem.
You could also try taking each plug out in turn, and look for any sign of water, put your finger over the plug hole and get someone to "jag" the engine over, not enough to start it though. Check for water, and smell for petrol.

[BenR]

I have a 1.2 16v SXI and it's doing the same, it's been tested by my local garage and they said it's the headgasket, and they can't find any other problems. BUT they don't have the equipment to lock the cams. I keep losing water into the oil, will the radweld help this? It'll only be until I can find a garage that can do the work (If anybody knows a garage in Dorset that does have the stuff, it'll be much appreciated)

[Craig_471]

Hey guys so sorry for my late reply!
I have found out that it is the head gasket, ive asked a really good mechanic i know and i explained the symptons and he has said that it is deffintly on its way out, how ever, he said he will change it for me free of charge, so that one is sorted!

I used something like Radweld, i think, i just poured something in the water tank at night, let the engine run for a while to get the water circulation going and it sealed up any leaks that were there, the water level is staying at a good level and i havent had to top it up in about a month! Which is good, however, the car still has a loss of power and the temperature rises quite quickly all the tiem, and then the fan kicks in, goes back down, 5 mins later it comes back on, and the fan kicks in, and so on and so on lol.

Thanks anyway!