Yellow gunge showing at top of oil filler/dipstick?

[davidtrainor]

Hi i have a 1998 saab 2.3 petrol turbo and i am wondering if this is a head gasket problem or the engine doing something else. is it an easy fix and could i do it myself. really worried.

[DrTre]

Sounds like water emulsification...could be HG, could be condensation from short journeys...gets worse in cold weather...

[zippy500]

Certainly sounds like a water leak. However, one question, do you use the car a lot or does it barely get warm.

I only ask as I had an MG Maestro a very long time ago and it never got hot because fo short journeys, so consequently had mayo build up after a while. This a common thing for the engine type which was very cool running as normal.


If the above statment does not apply, keep a careful daily check on oil and water levels so you can assess how bad it is.

[SWH]

Happens on the 850 in the winter, dipstick tube is in the cold(ish) air blast in front of the block and stays cold, so you get condensation inside it and the yellow gunk build up; usually goes in the summer - had me worried the first time I saw it.

Edited to add - if it's under the filler cap too, then could just be short trips causing it, so keep an eye on the coolant level etc (or obvious clouds of white smoke!).

Edited by SWH on Wednesday 14th April 12:17

[vz-r_dave]

Have you checked the water?

If that looks ok I would say that it is nothing more then condensation build up in the cold weather. How many miles has the car done?

[HereBeMonsters]

Water/condensation getting in at the top of the dipstick?

[davidtrainor]

just out of curiosity how much is it for a head gasket replacement and how hard would it be to do it myself (and how much for parts etc?).

[balders118]

Had similar issue with my car, luckily pretty sure its not the HG, but just condensation. If it is the HG most likely you will have steam in your exhaust, losing a lot of water, and have dirty water. I was quoted "at least £6-700, but its different for different cars. I have a fiat.

EDIT: got some info wrong..sorted

Edited by balders118 on Monday 19th April 13:56

[sherman]

I have this problem in the Rx8 every winter. It goes away again in the summer once the hooning season starts again.

[JonRB]

davidtrainor said:

just out of curiosity how much is it for a head gasket replacement and how hard would it be to do it myself (and how much for parts etc?).

The head gasket is a gasket between the engine block and the head (where the valves and camshaft are). So if you are needing to ask if you could DIY then the answer is by definition "no" - if your spannering skills were up to it you'd be able to answer the question yourself.
It's a job for an experienced mechanic as it is basically partially dismantling the engine. The part itself is trivially inexpensive compared to the labour. In the region of £20 for the parts but hours and hours of labour.

[The Riddler]

JonRB said:

davidtrainor said:

just out of curiosity how much is it for a head gasket replacement and how hard would it be to do it myself (and how much for parts etc?).

The head gasket is a gasket between the engine block and the head (where the valves and camshaft are). So if you are needing to ask if you could DIY then the answer is by definition "no" - if your spannering skills were up to it you'd be able to answer the question yourself.
It's a job for an experienced mechanic as it is basically partially dismantling the engine. The part itself is trivially inexpensive compared to the labour. In the region of £20 for the parts but hours and hours of labour.

I wouldnt go as low as £20 for parts, if the job is being done right.

As well as head gasket you may need

Inlet and Ex manifold gaskets (maybe down pipe gasket too, might be worth doing turbo oil seals while apart)
Manifold studs and nuts
Head bolts (Stretch with heat)
Thermostat housing gasket (could do thermo while stripped)
Coolant
Oil
Oil filter

Plus many more bits and pieces.

[JonRB]

The Riddler said:

I wouldnt go as low as £20 for parts, if the job is being done right.

As well as head gasket you may need

Inlet and Ex manifold gaskets (maybe down pipe gasket too, might be worth doing turbo oil seals while apart)
Manifold studs and nuts
Head bolts (Stretch with heat)
Thermostat housing gasket (could do thermo while stripped)
Coolant
Oil
Oil filter

Plus many more bits and pieces.

Sorry, yes, good point.

[Cock Womble 7]

The Riddler said:

Scary, expensive stuff

But you're assuming it is HGF. The OP hasn't given us enough information to determine this, like the amount of use the car gets (short journies only?) or any other symptoms (losing coolant?).

Might not be as bad as it seems.

[The Riddler]

Cock Womble 7 said:

The Riddler said:

Scary, expensive stuff

But you're assuming it is HGF. The OP hasn't given us enough information to determine this, like the amount of use the car gets (short journies only?) or any other symptoms (losing coolant?).

Might not be as bad as it seems.

But you're assuming he didnt ask for a rough costing..

Its possibly not as bad as it seems, 2 of the 3 cars in this house (the ones that only go to work or supermarket and back) have similar symptoms, but clean coolant, pressure test ok. After a long run the oil does seem 'cleaner'

[wobert]

The Riddler said:

JonRB said:

davidtrainor said:

just out of curiosity how much is it for a head gasket replacement and how hard would it be to do it myself (and how much for parts etc?).

The head gasket is a gasket between the engine block and the head (where the valves and camshaft are). So if you are needing to ask if you could DIY then the answer is by definition "no" - if your spannering skills were up to it you'd be able to answer the question yourself.
It's a job for an experienced mechanic as it is basically partially dismantling the engine. The part itself is trivially inexpensive compared to the labour. In the region of £20 for the parts but hours and hours of labour.

I wouldnt go as low as £20 for parts, if the job is being done right.

As well as head gasket you may need

Inlet and Ex manifold gaskets (maybe down pipe gasket too, might be worth doing turbo oil seals while apart)
Manifold studs and nuts
Head bolts (Stretch with heat)
Thermostat housing gasket (could do thermo while stripped)
Coolant
Oil
Oil filter

Plus many more bits and pieces.

Head bolts (Stretch with heat)?

The cylinder head bolts are tightened using a combination of initial torque plus angle to get the bolts to yield (stretch in layman's terms).

Yielding the bolts takes the bolt material beyond it's elastic limit in the plastic range - by doing so you can achieve a more precise loading in the bolt, which for a cylinder head bolt (or main bearing bolt) is important, as you want as little variation in loading between each bolt as possible. Torque plus angle will typically give you +/-5-10% on the bolt load.

Torque tightening alone is not a precise method of tightening bolts, as the bolt loading can vary by upto +/-25%, this can be due to the following:

Thread form variations
Material differences (between bolt & what it's being screwed into).
Thread Lubrication
Poor tool calibration variations
Over-tightening

HTH

Robert

[The Riddler]

Ahhh, well thanks for that.

I knew they stretched, but assumed it was due to heat. Learn something new everyday, and sunday is no exception.

[davidtrainor]

The coolant level went from max to min after a thousand miles if that helps? water not dirty and oil not tainted.

[Charmless man]

If it's using/losing water then it's either on the floor or getting into the oil via the head gasket.

[Futuramic]

davidtrainor said:

The coolant level went from max to min after a thousand miles if that helps? water not dirty and oil not tainted.

It shouldn't do that.

I suspected the head gasket had gone on one of my old cars and got a garage to do a contamination test. They use a special liquid that shows the presence of exhaust in the coolant with the engine running.

Unfortunately gasket failure can be a symptom of something much more serious like a warped head. With an elderly turbo engine the gasket will take a hell of a beating owing to the comparitively higher pressures inside the cylinders. If it is gone I'd suggest looking for a new car.

[dome]

If it's a 9-5 then it could be a known problem, have a search on one of the saab sites. the oil strainer and sump may need a clean, theres also a pipe somewhere that can go allowing moisture into the oil.