Diesel - Head Gasket? Water Pump?

Diesel - Head Gasket? Water Pump?

Author
Discussion

Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Evening all, sorry I know this should really go in the Vauxhall section, but after a speedy response.

I've acquired a 1.7 Diesel Astra Van, It's T-Reg and I've paid pretty much scrap value for it, it's running and has an MOT, but its been sold as needing a water pump, the guy who bought it thinks it needs a head gasket and has therefore sold it to me, Cheap! smile

So, before I go ripping the head gasket off, these are the symptom's:

Engine runs, perfectly, all four cylinders, no smoke on idle, although a little oily smoke on a short drive (has been stood for a few weeks).

If I take the cap off the coolant it has a very slight oily residue, but also a pressure as if something is pressurising the whole system.

Your thoughts?

Triumph Man

8,670 posts

167 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
My old Passat pretty much presented those symptons. If it's pressurising the cooling system, it is pretty much down to the head gasket (Combustion gasses in cooling system etc). Sorry chap.

ETA: You could take it to a garage to get a sniff test done (they put a tube in expansion tank with a liquid in it, the liquid will react and turn green if it detects combustion gasses)

ETA (yet again): is the cooling system pressurised when cold?

Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 1st October 21:40


Edited by Triumph Man on Monday 1st October 21:40

Astra Dan

1,669 posts

183 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
For the amount of effort, it's really just worth whipping the head off, clean it all up, new gaskets and bolts, job done. Take about a day. DON'T get the head skimmed unless there's significant damage.
Then you have piece of mind.
Almost all head gaskets will fail eventually. They rot from inside out (if coolant is not renewed regularly), they rot from outside in just due to age. you could also slip a new belt on and then forget about it all for the next 4-5 years and just drive it. smile

Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
no, just being pressurised while running, not got it warm (daren't until it's fixed), I suspected head gasket as it smells like combustion gasses with the cap removed!

I'll whip the head off then and get the gasket swapped!

Thanks for confirming my suspicions!


Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Astra Dan said:
For the amount of effort, it's really just worth whipping the head off, clean it all up, new gaskets and bolts, job done. Take about a day. DON'T get the head skimmed unless there's significant damage.
Then you have piece of mind.
Almost all head gaskets will fail eventually. They rot from inside out (if coolant is not renewed regularly), they rot from outside in just due to age. you could also slip a new belt on and then forget about it all for the next 4-5 years and just drive it. smile
thats pretty much the plan, I'll give the whole thing a good clean while it's apart!

FSEngineer

110 posts

156 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
1.7 Diesel Astra, it's the oil cooler smile

it breaks down internally and lets oil into the coolant system. Fairly easy job to do, but don't forget to budget for new fluids. Oil coolers run about £100 from a dealership. HTH

Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
FSEngineer said:
1.7 Diesel Astra, it's the oil cooler smile

it breaks down internally and lets oil into the coolant system. Fairly easy job to do, but don't forget to budget for new fluids. Oil coolers run about £100 from a dealership. HTH
I also suspected this, but there is very little oil in the coolant and it's pressurising with gas?!

I found coolers on ebay for £30 but with the gasses pressurising the coolant surely it's the head gasket?!??


FSEngineer

110 posts

156 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Petrolhead_Rich said:
I also suspected this, but there is very little oil in the coolant and it's pressurising with gas?!

I found coolers on ebay for £30 but with the gasses pressurising the coolant surely it's the head gasket?!??
Hmm... sounds a bit odd, I'll talk to my mate at work tomorrow - he has a 1.7 diesel astra and has had the oil cooler go about 4 times now, so he should be able to shed a bit more light on the symptoms.

Surely with oil coolers being so cheap on the bay it might be worth just replacing it, chucking a bottle of radweld in and seeing what happens? smile

Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
It's this type of engine:



Do these have the heat exchanger oil coolers, or are these on the later engines only?



4key

10,752 posts

147 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Beat me to it with the oil cooler comment, isnt there a bypass you can do to see if the coolant system still pressurises?

Welshbeef

49,633 posts

197 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
What's the car worth if no issues?
What is the cost to get it fixed?

It may be uneconomical to fix.

Worth thinking about as these are ten a penny vehicles just my 2p

FSEngineer

110 posts

156 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Hmm... that appears to be the X17DTL (GM, 1.7TD) engine, as far as I know they have radiator type oil coolers and not heat exchanger ones like the Y17DT (Isuzu, 1.7DTI). My bad!

Is it losing a lot of oil?

BeirutTaxi

6,627 posts

213 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Astra Dan said:
DON'T get the head skimmed unless there's significant damage.
Why do you say that?


Gaskets are metal these days, and for a good metal to metal seal you need a smooth, flat and clean surface. Skimming the head gives the face such conditions. I recommend doing it for these reasons.

Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Welshbeef said:
What's the car worth if no issues?
What is the cost to get it fixed?

It may be uneconomical to fix.

Worth thinking about as these are ten a penny vehicles just my 2p
no issues, £5-600

I've paid £300

Head gasket will cost £40, oil £25, Coolant £10

so £375 for a fully functional, serviceable astra van, I'd say it's economical to fix?!



curlie467

7,650 posts

200 months

Tuesday 2nd October 2012
quotequote all
Petrolhead_Rich said:
no issues, £5-600

I've paid £300

Head gasket will cost £40, oil £25, Coolant £10

so £375 for a fully functional, serviceable astra van, I'd say it's economical to fix?!
I would get the head tested to be fair, nothing worse tha stripping it down, replacing the gasket to find you have a warped or cracked head. A garage did this to me once with a Bora I had bought, in and out of their garage under warranty, they were throwing money at it left right and centre until they finally replaced the gasket but didn't check the head! idiots then refused to do anything more and gave me my money back.

SebastienClement

1,950 posts

139 months

Wednesday 3rd October 2012
quotequote all
Hmmm...Astra Van....1.7 Diesel...Yorkshire... It's not registration "Txxx NHL" is it? If so it has a history of cooling problems!

Petrolhead_Rich

Original Poster:

4,659 posts

191 months

Wednesday 3rd October 2012
quotequote all
SebastienClement said:
Hmmm...Astra Van....1.7 Diesel...Yorkshire... It's not registration "Txxx NHL" is it? If so it has a history of cooling problems!
no, not NHL thankfully!! smile

Going to get the head off and have a look where it's blown, then I'll go from there as to skimming or not!

SebastienClement

1,950 posts

139 months

Wednesday 3rd October 2012
quotequote all
Petrolhead_Rich said:
no, not NHL thankfully!! smile

Going to get the head off and have a look where it's blown, then I'll go from there as to skimming or not!
Phew! Mind, I'm sure by now that van will have blown its HG too.