is it dead

[Bobby 0]

After picking up my corrado from birmingham i was driving it back and the temp gauge stated to flash so i pulled into the services to check the water levels to realise that water was leaking out of the side of the expansion tank (at the side where the cover goes over, looks like an a original hole not a crack or anything). Anyway after topping up the water level i thought it should be ok to get to the next services so set off. whilst on the motorway the temp start flash again along with the some buzzer (petrol) although i had filled the tank before i set off. anyway pulling into the next service station realise theres steam coming from under the bonnet, whilst pulling in to carpark the car stops completely. so i check the coolant and see theres none left in!!! decided to leave the car at the services and had it recovered back to leeds the next day.

 

Anyway now got it home and tried to start it up sounds like it really wants to fire up but wont, i've checked the oil no sign of creaming seems ok (gasket job)but no coolant could have mixed as there wasn't any!! and now when i turn the ignition on there is a constant buzz noise from the under side of the car near the fuel tank (silver cylinder looking thing underneath drivers side back quarter) what is this and what does it do? had some friends round to get some advice, they suggested to check the condition of the spark plugs, and if fuel is being delivered (any ideas how to do this?). the corrado is a 1.8 16v on a h reg a nd was stood for a few months before i bought it. Is there anything else i should check before i start going deeper into the problem (thank god the engine didn't seize up!!) :shock:

i'm thinking it may be something electrical burnt out?

any pointers would be much appreciated guys as i was looking foward to owning a corrado now i finally get one i may have cocked it up big time :cry: :cry:

thanks bobby :?

[Henny 0]

Right, here goes... 8)

 

The warning buzzer is oil pressure warning. (not fuel... Corrados don't have a fuel warning) Your engine was so hot due to having no coolant that your oil pressure dropped to a level low enough to set off the buzzer.

 

The hole in the expansion tank is the pressure release valve which is only there to release excess pressure in emergency (ie when it's too hot, too much pressure, or you've blown the headgasket) once this has blown, you normally need a new tank, and a new cap.

 

The silver cylinder is the fuel pump/filter (in front of the drivers rear wheel?). It should buzz lightly, but not too loudly that you can hear it loudly inside the car...

 

To test for fuel at the engine on a KE-jetronic car (1.8 16V), dis-connect the coil -> dizzy lead at the coil. Pull out an injector (grip it by the top of the injector, not by the fuel pipe!) and pull it straight out from the engine. They may be tight! Then point the injector into a jamjar and hold it there while someone else cranks the engine over. You should see a nice cone shaped spray of fuel going into the jar.

 

If you don't then your fuel pump has a problem.

 

If you do, put the injector back in (may need a slight amount of grease on the rubber seal to get it to click back in to the holder again) then take out a spark plug (reconnect the coil lead first!) put the plug into the plug lead, balance the plug so that it touches the thread of the plug onto the engine somewhere, then crank it over looking at the plug for a spark...

 

I'm guessing that you'll find that you have both spark and fuel, 'cos to me this sounds like you've lightly cooked the engine and have slightly warped the cylinder head meaning that you've blown your headgasket. I did the same on my MKI 16V (same engine) no oil was lost, but I lost all the water (due to a split pipe) and then lost all compression, so the car sounded like it wanted to run, but just never caught... :roll:

 

Good luck!

[big_mac 0]

the silver thing you are talking about is the fuel filter, and the buzz will be the fuel pump, priming the system, id check there is a spark on the 4 cylndes, then check there is fuel etc getting there but fill the car up with water first!!

 

sorry i couldnt be of more help but im a relative newbie too the others will come in in a while and baffle you with tales of co2 pots and things like that.

 

hope you get the problem fixed

 

take care happy dubbing

Andy.

[Bobby 0]

henny and big mac thats much appreciated, i'm hoping its something thats not to bad, the buzz can be heard from inside the car and is quite loud!! also the oil level is quite high on the car could this suggest something , although it could have been high when i picked it up. Atleast something works the oil pressure switch :lol: i will do the checks as u say henny tonight. would'nt the car start if the gasket had blown and just have a lack of power, sorry i'm no engine expert, :oops: did changing the gasket sort your car out henny? i'm hoping i aint banana'ed the head cos i aint got the money to fix anything until i sell my mk4 polo. :(

thanks again guys i seriously apprecaite your suggestions

[Henny 0]

the warped head will be cured by skimming it which you need to do when replacing the head gasket anyway... It's not that expensive to do on a 16V... If you've blown the gasket it would stop the car running and from starting as you've got no compression so the fuel never ignites with enough of a bang to keep the engine running... Hence why it sounds like it's trying to start, but never really does...

 

High oil level isn't a bad sign, and does mean it's less likely that you've done any more damage to bearings and the like by cooking the engine... :?

 

If it's the head gasket, you're gonna have to drop the oil anyway, and it'll be worth putting in new plugs too... 8)

[Bobby 0]

thanks fella for getting back to me so quickly i wiil check fueling and ignitions sparks are all good and then go from there, just looks scary as i've done headgakets on polo's before, 8 valves though and the idea of taking the manifold of the back seems scary on a fourteen year old car. i think all will become clear once the heads off and my expert inspection tecniques can be used............ not), how difficult is it to remove the head on a valver a lot of work?

thanks Bobby :D

[andycowuk 0]

Depending how bad things are, and I hope its not so bad......£150 should easily buy the parts need to replace the head gasket but if u dont do ur own work, the labours gonna skin u bad!

 

I have a complete 2l engine or a 16v head if u need / want them.

[Henny 0]

it's not that bad a job on a valver 'cos everything is reasonably easy to get at... I did one on my old 16v Corrado (14days before I wrote it off! :roll: :oops: ) and got it all done in a weekend having never done one before... 8)

 

Get yourself a Golf MKII haynes manual which covers the 1.8 16V engine so that you have a good step by step guide... 8)

[Bobby 0]

i don't think there is a haynes manual on the corrado so shall i use the one that covers the mk2 golf as the engine is the same isn't it? i had a mk golf when i was 17 so i may still have the haynes for that knocking about, thanks. will begin the strip down on the weekend then, just wanna make sure that its something to do with the gasket first rather than doing the gasket and then it still don't want to fire up. Is gasket set 150 for a valver? might be worth looking into getting a cheap mk2 golf lump complete. :shock:

[andycowuk 0]

Is gasket set 150 for a valver? might be worth looking into getting a cheap mk2 golf lump complete.

 

I dont think the gaskets are that much, but I seem to remember the 10 head bolts becoming expensive. I think a later metal head gasket would be a good idea. If u bite the bullet and do this, then (assuming u make a good job) u shouldnt need to do it again, but if u go to the bother of having a new kr lump installed, whos to say it wont happen again in a few months?

 

If u do go for the new engine, dont get a kr, get a abf or 9a or 6a.

[Bobby 0]

ok called out a mechanic who reckons its gonna be the head gasket, although he aint sure why the silver looking thing under the car is continually buzzing, its not the fuel pump in the boot. any tips on changing a headgasket and what year or part no's do i ask for to get the metal gasket rather than the other type? :?:

thanks Bobby :mrgreen: