Can someone confirm the worst for me?!

[pete_griff 0]

basically i think my head gasket has gone -

 

i'm badly down on power - like the engine is missing - checked all leads are secure etc. i have been losing water, but there is no sign of leakage (water wise) from anywhere on the outside of the engine other than the most minute leak from the head gasket near the aux belt tensioner, but its so miniscule that i wouldn't be losing water like i have been - i havent been losing loads, but it definitely would have shown some sign of itself if it was anywhere on the outside of the block/thermo housing.

thankfully i'm getting no mayonaise anywhere, so the only thing that i can think of is that water is getting into one of the chambers somewhere.

 

plus the car has been sat in the cold for approx 3 months without moving (even though it did have anti-freeze in it), also i ran some coolant flush through it yesterday which is likely to have finished off whatever crap was left sealing up the cylinder...

 

can hopefully confirm 100% when i get the plugs out - hopefully in the next day or two as i need to get hold of a plug lead removal tool

 

i just wanted to open this up to the forum to see if anyone has any other ideas/thoughts on what it could be...

 

i'm happy to admit that until i got my vr6 a few months ago, i was a vr6 virgin; so my knowledge overall of the engine is not expert - but i've rebuilt several engines in the past...

[CTWG60 0]

Get a block tester kit off ebay for about £30 it's chemical tester that can tell you if you have hydrocarbons in your coolant. Worked a treat for me. Is your temp gauge all over the place and coolant spitting out the expansion bottle when it overheats? That's what was happening when my head gasket blew.

[pete_griff 0]

no - the weird thing is that my oil/coolant temps are as normal - as is oil pressure...

 

i went out to double check it wasn't just me being a mong with the leads earlier, but no - same problem

 

unless the coil or one of the plugs has failed, which i will test soon, i really can't think of anything else that it could be...

 

will have a look for the block tester kit though, cheers

[craigowl 0]

Coil pack will be cracked if it is still the original. Many of us have had to replace this component. If it is cracked, damp road conditions - aggravated by salt on roads, by the way - will cause a misfire due to arcing.

 

To test coilpack, raise bonnet and with engine idling, use a plant mister to spray on coilpack. If it is not sound, you will hear the engine faltering and if it is dark enuf you may even see the electricity arcing about on the outside surface of the component.

 

Worth a check, anyway.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Pete, you would know if the gasket had gone mate..... the expansion tank would over pressurise, the coolant would smell of exhaust fumes, you'd get constant steam from the exhaust and coolant residue on the rear bumper. Pull all 6 plugs and one or more are a different colour (and wet) compared to the others, then it's a good chance the gasket has gone on that cylinder/s.

 

Mayo isn't always a sign of a blown head gasket, especially this time of year where it's not uncommon to get a little mayo just on the oil filler cap due to short journeys not heating the oil enough to evaporate moisture in the engine.

 

If you peer inside the oil filler hole with a torch and all you can see in the murky depths of cam world is potato salad, then yeah, that's bad!

 

If you're losing coolant with no external signs of leaking, that sounds suspiciously like......the Heater Matrix....

 

Check your plugs first though before getting too concerned. They are the only true indicator of what the engine is up to.

[pete_griff 0]

just got back from borrowing a plug lead removal tool and sure enough - the gasket has gone........... bollards! :bad-words:

 

water is getting into number 6 cylinder and possibly just beginning to get into number 1 - strange though that i'm not getting any other symptoms as yet - but it has definitely gone (probably as a result of the coolant flush i did the other day) - you can run the engine and disconnect cylinder 6 with little to no difference

 

i had suspected the heater matrix for a while, but there has been no sign of moisture in or around that area after several previous checks.

 

thanks again all though for your input - it's well appreciated

 

if nothing comes of an engine thats closer to hereford, i will probably get one off bigpantsbaby who very kindly made me a good offer last night

 

cheers again

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Bummer! Sounds like it's just starting to go.

 

Did you see water on the piston crown? Mind you, water or oil on the plug will extinguish the spark anyway.

 

Good luck with that. It's not too bad a job changing the gasket tbh.

[pete_griff 0]

to be honest as my engine has done nearly 150k and not had the chains/tensioners done and looses oil from just about every gasket! - i'm probably just going to get hold of a replacement engine and whack that in as it will hopefully only have to last for a year or so.

 

i've been umming and arring over what to do with regards to an engine upgrade next year and i'm leaning more and more towards an r32 conversion now - its financially more sound (when you have to pay things like £1200 for the schrick VGI and the 24v engines already come with them) and i can get the sort of power/economy/longevity/reliability etc that i want with the least cash compared to other ways that i've looked at so far - also seeing that R32 badge when you open the bonnet is 8) as you like! (and even after owning an impreza WR1 - i'm not a fan of turbo's anymore - more is definitely more!)

 

in the mean time does anyone have any little hints/tips for an engine swap - i have a hoist so was thinking of taking the bonnet off, leaving the box in-situ(ish) and hoisting the exisiting engine out over the top (and the reverse for refitment) that way i won't have to go ripping bumpers etc off.

 

anyone got any other suggestions?....

[pete_griff 0]

sorry kev and everyone else for slating forced induction by the way :lol:

[pete_griff 0]

after all the "should i, shouldn't i" and after speaking to a friend who knows lots about vw's and who has heard my car - i'm probably just going to replace my own head gasket and not bother with an engine swap after all.

 

yes my engine's done 145k without new chain/tensioners but...

i've got bugger all corrosion in my waterways (odd i know as the gasket's gone!) and my engine actually runs sweet as a nut when its going and even when its starting with very little tapping/noise anywhere. and there are cars out there with nearly 200k on the clock with original chains etc.

 

so i recon that's what i'll do - after all as i said it's only got to last about a year then i'll be looking at replacing it.

 

anyone else's opinion on the matter would be good to hear.

 

sorry to mess anyone around if i have - (like a woman) keep changing my mind :oops:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

LOL, no offense taken mate :lol: I'm currently rejuvinating my turbo phase as I got bored of them some years ago aswell.

 

Yeah just change the gasket and keep it running. Just don't look at the chain tensioner when it's all in peices, or you'll get upset!

 

Nothing wrong with an R32 conversion, it's a great engine! I mulled over that option myself many times but decided to stick with the 12V.

 

It's easier to remove the bumper and slam panel when hoiking the engine out mate. Doesn't take long at all to remove those :-)

[pete_griff 0]

cheers again for the advice :thumb right: