zak 0 Posted March 30, 2015 My car has been stood for some time and now has a couple of problems i need advice on. The car starts okay but is a bit lumpy, i've put this down to it needing a bit of a run to clear it out. My main problem is the coolant has pressurised and mixed in with the oil. The oil looks like the following video Before looking at the oil the heater matrix has given way (which was also changed by myself a few years ago) and the coolant came out the expansion tank too. Before i took the car off the road i had changed the headgasket and it was running fine. The symptoms look much like a head gasket failure but could it be anything else? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted March 30, 2015 I'd say head gasket or oil cooler. But with the coolant pressurising, I'd say head gasket is more probable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted March 30, 2015 Head gasket does seem likely. Have you had a compression check done? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted March 30, 2015 Oil cooler I reckon. No reason for the head gasket to fail, knowing the care you take to do a job, unless there was a fault with the gasket itself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 30, 2015 When my head gasket went it was lumpy at first due to water in a cylinder, garage advised me a compression test might not always show a head gasket failure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted March 30, 2015 I don't mind getting the head off but thought i'd look at other options first. I had an oil cooler failure on my previous 330d but the oil entered the cooling system rather than the other way round. I assume this is because oil pressure is a higher than coolant pressure. If this is the case with the vr6 then its unlikely to be the oil cooler. But regardless its worth a look. Are there any other likely suspects? ...I can't think of anything Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted March 30, 2015 I hadn't though about doing a compression test, I'll do one in the next few days as that would help me conclude the issue. If it does come to doing the headgasket, what's the best options for the gasket and bolts? If ECP is suitable that would be great as i can pick them up locally Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dox 22 Posted March 30, 2015 Testing the cooler Remove the cooler, block one of the coolant ports and fit air attachment to the other port (the pic shows both fitted with bicycle tyre valves), dunk the cooler into a bucket of water and use a tyre inflator to check for leaks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted March 30, 2015 excellent improvisation, i will most definately try that out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted March 30, 2015 Is the VR6 oil cooler functionally the same? It looks quite a lot different to the one pictured (which I'm sure is what's used on the 4 cylinder Corrado's) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Bowen 1 Posted March 30, 2015 That looks like a VR one to me (in pic above) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted March 30, 2015 Ah sorry my mistake. I was getting confused with the oil filter housing, not realising the cooler is separate. As usual, ignore me :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean_Jaymo 0 Posted March 30, 2015 A bad cooler is not likely to pressurise the coolant system. Oil in the coolant can be the cooler but oil seeping into the coolant won't pressurise the coolant. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VAG-hag 0 Posted March 30, 2015 Testing the cooler Remove the cooler, block one of the coolant ports and fit air attachment to the other port (the pic shows both fitted with bicycle tyre valves), dunk the cooler into a bucket of water and use a tyre inflator to check for leaks. Love that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dox 22 Posted March 30, 2015 The pic and method is stolen from another place, the idea is not mine and I take no credit for it. I think its more likely HG failure, but that is a method to diy test the heat exchanger (its proper name) and discount it from any ongoing issue Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted April 17, 2015 Hi Just a quick update, i did a compression test dry with the engine cold and got the following results. I dont who whats considered normal when col but why is cylinder 4 so high? I can understand when a reading can be lower due to worn rings/bores 1 180 psi 2 170 psi 3 170 psi 4 235 psi 5 170 psi 6 170 psi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted April 17, 2015 Hi Just a quick update, i did a compression test dry with the engine cold and got the following results. I dont who whats considered normal when col but why is cylinder 4 so high? I can understand when a reading can be lower due to worn rings/bores 1 180 psi 2 170 psi 3 170 psi 4 235 psi 5 170 psi 6 170 psi You can't really do a compression test accurately with the engine cold... Did you also have the injectors unplugged and throttle held open as per the manual? It's very unlikely for a VR to pop a headgasket so I'd look at the oil cooler in the first instance! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted April 17, 2015 actually i redid it with the throttle open which i forgot to do first time around and now i get. I pulled the fuel pump relay 1 180 psi 2 165 psi 3 170 psi 4 175 psi 5 170 psi 6 170 psi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VW_OwneR_85 1 Posted April 18, 2015 had oil cooler failure on my old audi 1.8t and tested the cooler exactly the same way, it was only a pin hole so small that coolant couldnt pass into the engine but oil under pressure could only go one way and thats into the cooling system ,the symptoms were {wait for it !! lol} coolant tank full of oil! your need some of this stuff either way http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/forte-cooling-system-bio-degreaser-treatment-new-/171746562186?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27fce4908a Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted April 19, 2015 I have removed the upper and lower inlet manifolds to get access. I removed the spark plugs, then turned the engine over by hand a few times. When i did this water spurted out of the plug hole for cylinder 4. Any Ideas on what this indicates? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dox 22 Posted April 19, 2015 I have removed the upper and lower inlet manifolds to get access. I removed the spark plugs, then turned the engine over by hand a few times. When i did this water spurted out of the plug hole for cylinder 4. Any Ideas on what this indicates? HG is breached into that cylinder. I was trying to compression test on of mine and got a shower Tripped all the power off to the house lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted April 19, 2015 my hedging got a nice water :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dox 22 Posted April 19, 2015 The only other thing it could be is a cracked head or block assuming coolant has not run in via the plug hole? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted April 19, 2015 It's definitely not gone through the plug hole, I'm removing the head to investigate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zak 0 Posted April 20, 2015 I removed the head and couldn't find any signs of head gasket failure, the gasket looked intact. Overall the head was full of oily Mayo. Cylinder 4 was full of water. I feel like I could waste time investigating without resolving the problem. I'm not sure that a head gasket will fix it. I don't think it's the oil cooler as if it was then there would be oil in the coolant system rather than the other way round. I've had an oil cooler fail in a 330d so have experienced this first hand. Oil pressure is higher than water pressure so oil ends up in the coolant system when an oil cooler fails Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
