16v diagnosis please

[holeinmk1 0]

Hello, i've not had my corrado long and i've been noticing some rather worrying signs...

A week ago i visited family in Plymouth, beofre the journey i topped up oil, coolant etc and got everything back to where it should be fluid wise, i did'nt think much of it at the time but the oil was quite low(below the min mark) but as i topping it up anyway i did'nt worry. The coolant was low to and the warning light had come on previously that evening. There are wisps of white smoke from the exhaust when the engine is up to correct temperature.

 

Anyway, everything was topped up and the car completed the roughly 700 mile round journey without missing a beat. Today i checked the levels and the oil is back to below the min mark and the coolant warning light came on last evening. The car has covered 155,000 miles and i'm guessing the the internals are pretty tired by now, i'd put my money on a combination of tried valves and tired piston rings, all the gaskets on the car where done by the previous owner not that long ago and there are no obvious leaks anywhere on the car.

 

I'm aware that no one could give a bang on diagnosis without seeing the car but any input would much appreciated.

 

Should i be panicing? :eek:

 

Cheers, Tom

[davidwort 0]

white smoke isn't good (water) which could mean headgasket is on it's way out

a litre of oil in 700 miles is a bit much, but could be nothing more than worn valves guides and stem seals

I'd check all of the cooling system thoroughly for leaks, do you get any oil in the coolant or white emulsified oil in the sump?

check the radiator, hoses, hose clamps/fittings, and oil cooler (heat exchanger) for any signs of leaks.

[holeinmk1 0]

theres no obvious leaks anywhere, the sump etc are all as dry as a bone(on the outside) theres no mayo on the oil cap either and the oil is as it should be, nice and golden in colour. the coolant is clean to. i'd prefer it to be a leak somewhere but the engine bay is nice and clean with no leaks.

[holeinmk1 0]

Forgot to mention, i get flecks of black gunk come out of the exhaust(oil?) its especially noticable after 'spirited' driving and the gunk loves to stick to the rear bumper. could be nothing but thought i should mention it.

[davidwort 0]

I suppose it could be a water gallery leaking into a cylinder rather than an oil gallery leaking into a water one, but then that would pressurise the cooling system.

Definitely keep a close eye on fluid levels, are you sure the header tank cap is OK? they have a habit of venting off if the seal is damaged and as the overflow is underneath you might not see it, park on some cardboard overnight.

You might have to have the head off to know for sure though.

[holeinmk1 0]

Yeah i'm thinking the head may need rebuilding, i'm goingto start looking into costs. although i would like to ideally like to do piston rings big ends etc at the same time just for piece of mind. i may look into just replacing the engine with a lower mileage lump and then completely rebuild the original engine. 16v engines seem to be readily available quite cheap, its just taking a punt on a unknown unit i don't like. Cheers for your help david.

 

Tom :D