Sonicriot13 0 Posted August 1, 2007 Hey guys, just after a few hints. Having got the cylinder head off and had a good look around at things it appears to be in pretty healthy shape (same can't be said of the gasket). The only thing that bothers me slightly is the piston crowns and the valves and spark plugs are covered in a sooty deposit. Is that an indication of the fuel/air mixture being too rich or could it be an indication of another problem. Also with regards to fitting a new gasket should I use a sealant? There are no cracks or obvious signs of damage to the mating surfaces thank goodness, but I will get it checked by a pro for any signs of warping. If it turns out to be ok would a sealant be necessary? And one last thing, what's the best way to get everything clean? It is quite messy. Cheers, Joe :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidwort 0 Posted August 1, 2007 gasket shouldn't need any sealant, but a VAG one would be a good investment, your plugs should give you a better idea of how good the mixture was, black sooty deposits on them would mean running over rich, but obviously don't confuse with the ones that went bad when the gasket went. Perfectly normal to get some carbon build up in the combustion chamber. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boost monkey 0 Posted August 1, 2007 ^^^ ditto all of that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sonicriot13 0 Posted August 1, 2007 Cool, thanks for that guys. Already got a VAG gasket and should be ready to go. The spark plugs were brand new ones I put in there and obviously I have been running the engine hardly at all. Only starting her up to see if anything had improved (which it did but still wasn't right). Definitely need to look into that I think. Looking back now it was obviously the head gasket but I had so many other things to rule out first with leaking fuel lines and blocked air filters and dodgey ignition leads. Plus it had only blown right round the back of the engine so it wasn't until I got right under the car that I noticed all the sh*t dribbling from it and got my mate round to test the compression. Compression test will be first on my list next time I think.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidwort 0 Posted August 2, 2007 that's unusual, the 16v's seem to usually go between cylinders Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sonicriot13 0 Posted August 2, 2007 Yeah, that's what I was expecting to find. Oh well, hopefully a new gasket will fix the problems. I really need to get this car sorted now as now my grandma is sadly no longer with us :( the house is on the market and I kinda need to get it off the front garden.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
