Not Head Gasket - SO what is it !!!
Discussion
Okay, about 9 months ago, wifey's low mileage mk3 cavalier 1.8 8V (Carb) started losing water, which I could not find the leak, so I assumed Head gasket and bunged some barrs leaks in. Anyway, It's been using a bit every week and less on longer journeys.
Anyway last week it would not turn the starter motor. I though must be jammed when wifey phoned to tell me. Anyway, when I got home I found it started. Oh no ( says brother inlaw) that must be hydraulicing from Head gasket and the water has drained away. So next morning I start it up and its running on 2 cylinders for about 10 seconds. I decide to take it in to local back street place, who now say that they don't think the head gaskets gone, but it is running very rich. Could it be 3 faults ? Water Leak from water pump, carb blocked (or autochoke fecked) and starter motor playing up ?
Help ?
When I say low mileage I mean 62K on a 92 Car which I just recently serviced.
Anyway last week it would not turn the starter motor. I though must be jammed when wifey phoned to tell me. Anyway, when I got home I found it started. Oh no ( says brother inlaw) that must be hydraulicing from Head gasket and the water has drained away. So next morning I start it up and its running on 2 cylinders for about 10 seconds. I decide to take it in to local back street place, who now say that they don't think the head gaskets gone, but it is running very rich. Could it be 3 faults ? Water Leak from water pump, carb blocked (or autochoke fecked) and starter motor playing up ?
Help ?
When I say low mileage I mean 62K on a 92 Car which I just recently serviced.
If you take off the oil fill cap is there any evidence of a mayonnaisy, yellowish mess on its underside (mixture of oil and coolant)?
Does the coolant reservoir get pressured up and the fluid dirty, smells of oil/exhaust fumes?
If you take the plugs out, frequently if a head gaskets knackered you'll see that one plug is a markedly different colour from the other 3. Also colour of plugs will give you an idea if the garage is right when they say it's running rich - black sooty deposits instead of nice healthybrownish speckley effect.
Hard to diagnose without more info.
Nel
Does the coolant reservoir get pressured up and the fluid dirty, smells of oil/exhaust fumes?
If you take the plugs out, frequently if a head gaskets knackered you'll see that one plug is a markedly different colour from the other 3. Also colour of plugs will give you an idea if the garage is right when they say it's running rich - black sooty deposits instead of nice healthybrownish speckley effect.
Hard to diagnose without more info.
Nel
nel said:
If you take off the oil fill cap is there any evidence of a mayonnaisy, yellowish mess on its underside (mixture of oil and coolant)?
Does the coolant reservoir get pressured up and the fluid dirty, smells of oil/exhaust fumes?
If you take the plugs out, frequently if a head gaskets knackered you'll see that one plug is a markedly different colour from the other 3. Also colour of plugs will give you an idea if the garage is right when they say it's running rich - black sooty deposits instead of nice healthybrownish speckley effect.
Hard to diagnose without more info.
Nel
No Mayo.
No Fumes in Water. No pressure in Expansion Tank.
Started using a bit more water recently (15 short - 8 miles or less - journeys a week) - Having to fill up every 2 weeks.
All Plugs at recent service (3 weeks ago) were straw.
But When I started it up by the back door the kitchen smelt heavily of unburnt petrol and left a black deposit on drive.
Once Running on 4 cylinders, seems to go okay although the idle has never been exactly smooth when cold.
Doesn't sound like oil into water, water into oil, or water in cylinder because any of those should have showed up head gasket symptoms. So your head gasket & cylinder head are probably OK.
Water must be leaking out somewhere - never any drips underneath, no smell of coolant inside the car when heater is on?
Other than that, sounds like you have an fuelling/ignition problem. Maybe auto-choke jamming on, or a carb fault.
Best of luck
Nel
Water must be leaking out somewhere - never any drips underneath, no smell of coolant inside the car when heater is on?
Other than that, sounds like you have an fuelling/ignition problem. Maybe auto-choke jamming on, or a carb fault.
Best of luck
Nel
Starter: In my experience, Cav starter-motors can suffer from corrosion in the solenoid. This causes them to stop functioning (no clicking when the ignition-key is turned). The motor can easily be removed, the solenoid stripped and cleaned. First time it happened to me, I had a new starter fitted (car under warrenty), second time it happened, I stripped the solenoid myself and it was fine for a few years!
Water loss: Weeping core-plug? I had one in the inlet manifold start leaking. Not enough to find, but enough to lower the water level for months without me finding a trace. The plug finally failed big-time. Another easy fix (if it's that).
Running rough: Mine always ran really badly if it had been sitting unused for more than a day. Tried everything I could think of to solve it (leads, plugs, dizzy cap, rotor arm etc). Never did fix it before I sold it. She always "finally" got to running on all four cylinders within a minute or so, and after a short run, would run perfectly happily. The only time I had an idling problem was when the rubber in the anti-vibration mount for the carb perished and caused an air leak.
HTH
Sheepy
Water loss: Weeping core-plug? I had one in the inlet manifold start leaking. Not enough to find, but enough to lower the water level for months without me finding a trace. The plug finally failed big-time. Another easy fix (if it's that).
Running rough: Mine always ran really badly if it had been sitting unused for more than a day. Tried everything I could think of to solve it (leads, plugs, dizzy cap, rotor arm etc). Never did fix it before I sold it. She always "finally" got to running on all four cylinders within a minute or so, and after a short run, would run perfectly happily. The only time I had an idling problem was when the rubber in the anti-vibration mount for the carb perished and caused an air leak.
HTH
Sheepy
My mates got a Nova in for 'losing water' The car came with the engine in the boot.Checked it over,rebuilt it,stuck a new carb on( was missing) Started it up and ran fine,then started to steam.He found that between no1 and 2 plug area,the head had gone porous and with the engine hot,expanded the crack and the hot water pressure and 'bingo'
I've seen the porous head thing before on both pug 1.6 GTI and Vauxhaul XE. A mate had a pug which displayed the same symptoms as described, no apparent internal or external water leaks but lost water over a period of time. He eventually spotted coolant weeping out of the head. Some Vauxhall XE's have a problem between an oil gallery to the cams and the water jacket.
Got it back from Greg (The bloke that has a back street garage round the corner and is the brother of someone I used to know at school (in the 80's)) and it all seems fine now.
He's fitted new water pump (apparently cause of leaking) and cam belt )well you may as well if the old one's been there a while).
He's 'adjusted' the carb, done a compression check, run it until the fan comes on.
Took it on a little drive to buy some LRP and in the 20 miles it seems fine, no noticeable water loss, idles normally.
Only thing is : He's written on my bill, carb (a p i s s Burg ?) is worn and will need to be replaced at some point. Anyone got an SU to fit ?
He's fitted new water pump (apparently cause of leaking) and cam belt )well you may as well if the old one's been there a while).
He's 'adjusted' the carb, done a compression check, run it until the fan comes on.
Took it on a little drive to buy some LRP and in the 20 miles it seems fine, no noticeable water loss, idles normally.
Only thing is : He's written on my bill, carb (a p i s s Burg ?) is worn and will need to be replaced at some point. Anyone got an SU to fit ?
nel said:
U probably mean Piersburg. Why on earth would you want to dick around and fit an SU? Probably have to adapt the manifold, etc. Just get another carb from scrappie!
I assumed he meant Stromburg? I think there have been quite a few attempts to work round the SU patents but even now the trusty old SU is hard to beat in terms of ease of setup and mixture preparation.
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