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Author Topic: Head gasket?  (Read 4960 times)

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Ruben CR

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Head gasket?
« on: 30 March 2013, 18:16:08 »
Hi guys!

I'm new here because I've bought a 2.5V6 Elite estate a couple of months ago.

When I got it there was a leaking noise from what I think is the exaust manifold.
Yesterday it all went south...  >:(

Display said: Check oil level.
I stopped, opened the oil cap and was received by a lovely "double cream" sludge on the cap.

Am I right to assume head gasket went bye-bye?

How much could something like this cost to repair?
I really didn't want to see her go, I'm really getting to like my golden boat...

Thanks
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CaptainZok

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #1 on: 30 March 2013, 18:22:40 »
Quote from: Ruben CR on 30 March 2013, 18:16:08
Hi guys!

I'm new here because I've bought a 2.5V6 Elite estate a couple of months ago.

When I got it there was a leaking noise from what I think is the exaust manifold.
Yesterday it all went south...  >:(

Display said: Check oil level.
I stopped, opened the oil cap and was received by a lovely "double cream" sludge on the cap.

Am I right to assume head gasket went bye-bye?

How much could something like this cost to repair?
I really didn't want to see her go, I'm really getting to like my golden boat...

Thanks
Normal if it does mainly short journeys, especially if it's been serviced with crappy oils.
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Ruben CR

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #2 on: 30 March 2013, 18:27:54 »
Hmmm

8 - 10 miles a day to go to work, so not a lot.

As for the oil I wouldn't know.

Head gasket looks to be right then, is it?
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CaptainZok

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #3 on: 30 March 2013, 18:29:57 »
Do you have any other symptoms or have you just had an oil level warning and seen the mayo when you went to top up the oil?
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Ruben CR

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #4 on: 30 March 2013, 18:34:21 »
No overheating, but I did top-up coolant a couple of weeks ago.

Some black drips in the exaust a couple of days ago.

What other symptoms should I look for?
It struggles to start some mornings
« Last Edit: 30 March 2013, 18:36:11 by Ruben CR »
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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #5 on: 30 March 2013, 18:38:05 »
You need to find where the leak is coming from.  It is unlikely to be the HG as they are pretty good on these cars  More likely to be one of the usual suspects (HBV, Oil cooler plate, cooler pipes, etc)
« Last Edit: 30 March 2013, 18:45:24 by Guffer »
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TheBoy

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #6 on: 30 March 2013, 18:41:12 »
Unlikey to be HG.

Sounds like a coolant leak and an oil leak
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Ruben CR

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #7 on: 30 March 2013, 18:42:26 »
Ok

How do I look for those?

I'm not all geared up to do "big surgery" on the thing  :-[
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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #8 on: 30 March 2013, 18:49:56 »
A failed head gasket is quite rare on the V6s, unlike what most cowboy garages would have you believe. All we seem to have at the moment are mayo in the oil filler which is common and a possible water leak. The heater bypass valve is the most common site for that, especially if the leak varies depending on the setting of the heater controls. If it leaks more or less depending whether your heater is set to hot or cold it's usually the HBV (a valve that causes hot coolant to bypass the heater matrix which lives at the back of the offside cylinder head). Poor starting could be down to many causes not just a head gasket failure. Drips from the exhaust are quite likely to be condensation. So I can't really say it is or it isn't but from what you've said so far there's a lot of things it could be before jumping on a HG change. Is there any mayo on the dipstick?
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RobG

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #9 on: 30 March 2013, 18:50:39 »
Send a PM to "Entwood" (Nigel). He`s local to you and may be able to cast his eye over it.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1316
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Ruben CR

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #10 on: 30 March 2013, 18:57:18 »
The heater stopped working a week ago. Keeps blowing the 30amp fuse, so I have no control over the setting. I got  a "new" control unit to see if it solves the problem.

When it did work, I never got hot air out of it, no matter the setting.

As for the dipstick, I'll check it in a couple of minutes.
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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #11 on: 30 March 2013, 19:21:50 »
blocked heater matrix can cause an over pressure at the pipe unions going though the firewall resulting in a slow leak.

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Ruben CR

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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #12 on: 30 March 2013, 20:21:10 »
Ok, check the dip stick. No mayo-creamy sludge there.

The coolant level was low again and brown instead of clear pink.

Does this change anything?
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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #13 on: 30 March 2013, 20:33:18 »
read my thread-good friday- :y
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Re: Head gasket?
« Reply #14 on: 30 March 2013, 20:35:41 »
Oil cooler has gone.  The heater matrix has probably been gunked up by it.

The oil sits at a higher pressure than the coolant so you get hot sludge in the coolant which boils it and it finds the easiest way out of the coolant system which could be the filler cap (it is made to open a bit once it over pressures) or it could find a weakness in the coolant system (such as the hbv or a pipe)

You need to change the oil cooler and flush the system like a man possessed.  Or find someone else to do it for you.
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