Head Gasket? Maybe??

[spikeboy4]

Hey,

So car has been running kinda crap and i suddenly couldnt change gear on the way home today.

Got home, had a look, no oil.
checked the coolant, coolant was a light brown colour.
that being said, i havent changed the coolant since march.

My thought was, head gasket has gone, BUT, theres no water in the oil (its not a milky kinda colour) just that the coolant is abit brown, but no rainbow effect to confirm its deff oil.

What do you all think? would rather double check before some garage charges me a fortune in labour to change the gasket.

[LesterPiglet1]

Has there been a problem since you topped the oil up? Then there probably isn't a problem. Milky residue appears on the oil filler cap due to driving short journeys. It is also more likely in colder weather. Take the car for a good run and get it well warmed up. This should burn off any condensation in the engine.

[Jimi137]

my coolant was brown as well and i had no probz. i think it just gets a bit brown over time from limescale and just dirt leaking in

[spikeboybarrett]

Aye, topped up oil, seems ok now.

See how it goes i guess ^_^