is it a cracked head or head gasket gone?

[tom94]

hi all brought a 206 1.4 2001 last week, the bloke we brought it off said that the coolant keeps running low not everyday, it might be ok for a few days then itl all be gone.

however today the car just started driving really roughly and when i went to start it again it wouldnt start and water kept pissing out of the mannifold, clear water not oil or grime.

any ideas what is wrong with it? it was only m.o.t'd 3 weeks ago surely they would have picked up on this?

can it be repaired? please help im desperate.

thanks

[The Nur]

Why did you buy it in such a state? I'm sorry to say it mate but that sounds pretty serious to me.

[tom94]

because when i brought it there seemed to be nothing wrong that suggested this, otherwise i wouldnt have.
just need advice on how to fix it if it can be or not

[Drive Blind]

the seller admitted it was losing coolant,

that means walk away.

[Crafty_]

MOT will not cover running problems unless car fails emissions. Its a safety test.

Where exactly is the water escaping from ?

Regardless sounds like the head needs to come off.

[rowey200]

tom94 said:

the bloke we brought it off said that the coolant keeps running low not everyday, it might be ok for a few days then itl all be gone.

I would not have gone anywhere near it unless the loss of coolant could have been traced to something simple, coolant pipe etc. Sorry to say it but with the rough running taken into account I'd say it's pretty serious, head gasket most likely.

Crucially your probs not going to get much positive help here as we can't see / hear the car. Get it to someone who knows what there are doing and get them to diagnose, good luck!

[xreyuk]

It's bought.

[Krikkit]

Water out of a manifold = serious knackerage. Which manifold is it coming from?

Head off on one of those engines is a doddle, so it won't cost much to sort if it's a HG failure... Cracked head/block however.

[N Dentressangle]

xreyuk said:

It's bought.

Fair point, but I reckon the OP needs to sign up to the Basic Vehicle Maintenance class at his local FE college before he moves on to Adult Literacy, though.

[Mave]

Which manifold was water coming out of? And which bit of the manifold? Does it have a crack in it, is there some connection / fitting, or is it coming out of a gasket?

[StoatInACoat]

These engines can eat head-gaskets if not looked after properly or if they get hot. Only way you'll determine whether the head is buggered is to take it apart and have a look which will have to be done anyway. Don't let it overheat and don't drive it. On the bright side it's an easy engine to work on (relatively) and access is good.

Can you post a picture and stick an arrow where it's leaking? Sounds a strange place to me.

[Mave]

xreyuk said:

It's bought.

Pistonheads. If you've got a problem, if no-one else can help, if you're worried that you can't afford to fix your car, don't worry; someone will be along in a moment to correct your spelling, so that's one less thing to worry about :-(

[Raize]

Water. Kept pissing out of. The manifold. Dear god.

I don't even... how... water pissing out of the manifold... what...

[Buff Mchugelarge]

Mave said:

xreyuk said:

It's bought.

Pistonheads. If you've got a problem, if no-one else can help, if you're worried that you can't afford to fix your car, don't worry; someone will be along in a moment to correct your spelling, so that's one less thing to worry about :-(

It sounds like HGF to me, not an overly expensive job on those little engines,
Worst case scenario is a new engine/ head which again won't be too expensive thanks to the abundance of them.

[Athlon]

The inlet manifold on some of the engines fitted to that car are wet so it may be as simple as an inlet manifold gasket.

Take it to someone who knows the engines rather than ask a forum full of doommongers!

[jonah35]

Its bought

[GTI Scott]

Does the 94 in your name refer to your year of birth? I'd chalk this down as a learning experience, never buy a car that is losing coolant.

As to your problem, it's far more likely that it's just a head gasket. Cracked heads are uncommon.
Have a bash at it yourself and save some money, it's a fairly simple car to work on.

Also:
BOUGHT past participle, past tense of buy (Verb)
Verb
Obtain in exchange for payment: "find some money to buy a house"; "he bought me a new dress".
Pay someone to give up an ownership, interest, or share.

brought past participle, past tense of bring (Verb)
Verb
Come to a place with (someone or something): "she brought Luke home"; "Liz brought her a glass of water".
Cause (someone or something) to come to a place: "what brings you here?"; "a felony case brought before a jury".

[Mave]

jonah35 said:

Its bought

It's "it's", not "its". :-)

[MangledMetal]

If its an early 1.4 206, correct me if I'm
Wrong, but didn't they have a water jacket, or a water pipe in the inlet manifold or something from memory?
Maybe that's leaking into the Inlet tract?

[leafspring]

Pug 206 1.4 from 1999 2008

No they didn't have water jackets on the manifolds sorry...

It's either a head gasket (cheap 'n' easy) OR visit a breakers and get a decent head (not so cheap but still easy)

If it is the block (unlikely) its fked terminal