help!!

[frman]

Hey fellow PH'ers looking for some help here i have come into ownership of a golf gti but after running it for more than 10 minutes it boils its water which is brown in colour. i am guessing its the head gasket just looking for some conformation of my suspicsions and a rough idea of the cost to repair it and if anyone knows a mechanic round milton keynes who could do it for me?

[spikeyhead]

It does sound like a head gasket issue.

Some ways of checking. Is there mayo on the dipstick and or in the header tank? (not sure if there's a header tank feeding the radiator or not on these, if not look in the rad.

Take the header tank cap off to depressurize things and put it back on again. Turn the engine over for half a minute. If it pressurises the header tank then you know its very likely to be the headgasket.

I'm off to see a mechanic in Leighton Buzzard soon, I'll get him to give an estimate. What Mk of GTI is it? Do you want the camblet changing at the same time, which I would recommend unless its been changed very recently.

[frman]

hey mate thanks for the reply. will do the pressure check later. i only just serviced it coz its been off the road for a few months so hard to see any mayo in the oil. the cam belt was only done 6k ago as it is a engine with full service history. its a mk3 on a 94 L plate i really feel the engine is too good to bin.

[spikeyhead]

k, now I've got the model year then I'll get a quote and how many hours to do the job from him tomorrow.

[Flying Toilet]

Unique Car Services in Stony Stratford are bloody good and cheap.

[spikeyhead]

Had a chat with the mechanic, labour £240 plus parts, gasket set and cambelt won't be too much extra.

Its not worth not changing the cambelt, it has to be completely removed to get the head off and its always preferable to put a fresh one on.

[frman]

Hey thanks for everyones help. I took the car to unique car services in stony and they have checked it over and worked out that the cylinder head is fine its just the last owner felt it unessacery to put any coolant or antifreeze in the car! and the misfire was just a dodgy ht lead. but again thanks for your help everyone.