head gasket dilemna
Discussion
Hello, I've got a dilemna and I'd appreciate opinions from all and sundry to help me make my mind up. I have a 1999 volvo 1.9 TD estate, comign up to 160000 miles. The car is UK (RHD)I live in France. I bought it 2nd hand at 95000 miles.
until about a year (15000 miles) ago I was getting it serviced exclusively at Volvo garages. The last occasion, they pointed out that there was oil in the cooling system, and gave me a ridiculous price (E2000) for changing the head gasket. A second opinion at a "cheap" Renault garage produced the same opinion, along withthe warning that the engine could haemmorage at any moment. I looked myself andthere was quite a lot of oil in there - a thick layer on top and oily gunge all over the inside of the expansion tank and inside the cap. At this point I decided that the car wasn't worth it and decded to run it into the ground. 15000 miles and 1 year on no ferther problems. It recently got through its CT (French MOT) with no major issues, no sign of the engine losing oil or compression. The thing is that the timing belt should have been changed about 10000 miles ago so I really am walking the line now. I decided to do an oil change and flush the cooling system, about 300 miles ago. A few drops of oil have turned up in the fresh coolant, but they could have been left over in the radiator. At no time has there been any froth etc indicating any reciprocal contamination of the oil. I could save about E100 getting a head gasket change and the timing belt change at the same time -another, friendly garage quoted me E1400 for those two things including obligatory oil and coolant, also including E270 for two new tyres which are sorely needed now. This seems like a decent price.
The dilemna is, apart from the oil actually being present in the coolant, there is no sign of any trouble, and no sign of oil loss. I am concerned that oil in the ooolant system will be cooking the rubber tubing but there is no problem with that so far. moreover this hasn't changed for 15000 miles. Is is possible that back then when I was a little over-enthusiastic on the wide open Spanish roads nearby and tried to see if the V40 could break the sound barrier I might have caused a one-off pressurised spurt of oil through the head gasket that has now effectively re-sealed itself? And if so, could my changing the head gasket now by a cheap non-volvo garage not only be a waste of money but even possibly stirring up cans of worms?
Meanwhile I hardly dare use the car in case the timing belt goes...!
All advice gratefully received!
until about a year (15000 miles) ago I was getting it serviced exclusively at Volvo garages. The last occasion, they pointed out that there was oil in the cooling system, and gave me a ridiculous price (E2000) for changing the head gasket. A second opinion at a "cheap" Renault garage produced the same opinion, along withthe warning that the engine could haemmorage at any moment. I looked myself andthere was quite a lot of oil in there - a thick layer on top and oily gunge all over the inside of the expansion tank and inside the cap. At this point I decided that the car wasn't worth it and decded to run it into the ground. 15000 miles and 1 year on no ferther problems. It recently got through its CT (French MOT) with no major issues, no sign of the engine losing oil or compression. The thing is that the timing belt should have been changed about 10000 miles ago so I really am walking the line now. I decided to do an oil change and flush the cooling system, about 300 miles ago. A few drops of oil have turned up in the fresh coolant, but they could have been left over in the radiator. At no time has there been any froth etc indicating any reciprocal contamination of the oil. I could save about E100 getting a head gasket change and the timing belt change at the same time -another, friendly garage quoted me E1400 for those two things including obligatory oil and coolant, also including E270 for two new tyres which are sorely needed now. This seems like a decent price.
The dilemna is, apart from the oil actually being present in the coolant, there is no sign of any trouble, and no sign of oil loss. I am concerned that oil in the ooolant system will be cooking the rubber tubing but there is no problem with that so far. moreover this hasn't changed for 15000 miles. Is is possible that back then when I was a little over-enthusiastic on the wide open Spanish roads nearby and tried to see if the V40 could break the sound barrier I might have caused a one-off pressurised spurt of oil through the head gasket that has now effectively re-sealed itself? And if so, could my changing the head gasket now by a cheap non-volvo garage not only be a waste of money but even possibly stirring up cans of worms?
Meanwhile I hardly dare use the car in case the timing belt goes...!
All advice gratefully received!
Have you had the coolant flushed? I would flush it out a few times and make sure all the oil is gone from the pipes etc, and then re-fill with fresh coolant and see if the oil comes back.
On a car like that it may be worth just running it into the ground. It could easily last another 15000 miles, depending on how badly the HG has gone (if it has gone).
On a car like that it may be worth just running it into the ground. It could easily last another 15000 miles, depending on how badly the HG has gone (if it has gone).
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