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Old 24th January 2020, 14:30   #1
billh
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Default What's My Problem? Please advise

1.8T 109K miles , owned the car for over 10years. I think I know what I need to do, please confirm!
Negatives:
Coolant loss about 1/2 litre every 50 miles
A lot of steam from exhaust
Some mayo at the oil filler cap and in breather pipe to inlet manifold

Positives:
Engine runs fine, much as it always did
All four spark plugs look the same and ok.
Can't see any water in the cylinders or blown out of plug holes when engine turned over(cold)
IMG replaced about 1000miles ago and this week taper washers fitted to top manifold studs (as recommended here).
No external coolant leakage
No overheating
No sign of oil or smell of exhaust in expansion tank.

Thanks in advance for advice ( please don't say scrap it!)

Last edited by billh; 24th January 2020 at 14:38..
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Old 24th January 2020, 15:16   #2
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steam from exhaust will happen when exhaust is cold and in cold weather, mayo in the filler cap could be that the car is not being used enough each journey and you have condensation in the oil. A log run where the engine gets hot would clear this but
it could also be water in the oil and with you losing 1/2 litre of coolant every 50 miles I would be concerned about water getting into the oil and the dreaded HGF comes to mind.

good luck

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Old 24th January 2020, 15:27   #3
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That amount of water I'd say HGF, sadly as we all know the K series engine is very prone for it.
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Old 24th January 2020, 16:22   #4
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Get expert advice. See if one of the traders on here live close by, they might be able to help.

My 1.8t is on 208,700 miles.
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Old 24th January 2020, 16:24   #5
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simple test - take her for a good 10 mile thrash at motorway speed - leave her overnight - open the expansion tank and if you get a very audible escape of gas it points to exhaust gas in the coolant system and points to HGF - also smell the coolant in the tank - can you smell exhaust gases.
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Old 24th January 2020, 16:29   #6
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Also this test as per T-Cut

"Try a fast pressurisation test. With the engine stone cold, open the header and check/adjust the coolant level to the correct level . Replace cap. Start the engine and with your foot on the throttle, raise the turnover to around 3000rpm. Keep this going for around 30 seconds. Turn engine off. It will still be relatively cool, so remove the pressure cap and see if there's any pressure buildup. If coolant surges into the filler neck or actually overflows, you can be pretty sure the gasket's failed"
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Old 24th January 2020, 17:45   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkshire GOC View Post
Also this test as per T-Cut

"Try a fast pressurisation test. With the engine stone cold, open the header and check/adjust the coolant level to the correct level . Replace cap. Start the engine and with your foot on the throttle, raise the turnover to around 3000rpm. Keep this going for around 30 seconds. Turn engine off. It will still be relatively cool, so remove the pressure cap and see if there's any pressure buildup. If coolant surges into the filler neck or actually overflows, you can be pretty sure the gasket's failed"
OK, just done this test. Absolutely no pressure build up or surging or fumes or oil in the expansion tank. It looked exactly the same as before I started the engine.
Where to go from here?
I'm concerned that continued use and constant coolant topping up may contaminate the oil and damage the turbo. The oil level isn't rising noticeably on the dip stick.

Last edited by billh; 24th January 2020 at 17:52.. Reason: added "coolant" last para.
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Old 24th January 2020, 18:18   #8
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Suggest you do the test in my earlier post - a motorway thrash - if that does not generate any audible sound of exhaust gas escaping it points to your gasket being OK.
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Old 24th January 2020, 21:17   #9
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Failing all that then make a careful check on all the cooling system hose clips. Anti-freeze leaves traces as it evaporates.
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Old 25th January 2020, 11:42   #10
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My 1.8T recently dumped the coolant into the sump. It wasn't overheated or stressed, it simply happened. Prior to that, I'd been topping it up with a cupful of coolant every couple of weeks. I knew something was wrong, but it happened before I'd a chance to work on it.

The problem was the OEM elastomer head gasket. The 'rubber' seals around the oil channels had simply delaminated from the metal. The fire rings were perfect.



With this sort of failure, you don't get pressurisation in the cooling system. It's very insidious because there are few outward signs. Mayo under the oil filler cap is one as is steam being emitted from the open oil filler neck when the hot engine's running. Cold weather is best for this test.

I replaced the gasket with the latest elastomer type from DMGRS.

TC

Last edited by T-Cut; 25th January 2020 at 11:51.. Reason: Replaced with smaller image.
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