Howdy, I've just bought this car for my daughter to learn to drive in...cheapest to insure, etc. I didn't pay a lot so I was expecting problems & to be honest, I didn't spend much time looking over it. If I had I may have spotted this problem.
Firstly I noticed a slight weep on the bottom hose. Upon inspection I found that the rubber O ring was missing from the union & someone had used silicone to seal it. Took it off to find a gunky liquid inside, rad sealer or similar I assumed, which led me to think there may be an underlying problem.
New part fitted, filled up with water and ran until up to temp. The engine then developed what seemed like a misfire. Pick the revs up and it goes away. Also, when I opened the bleed valve on the pipe that goes to the heater, air continued to come out. It didn't stop, nor did it get warm at all. When I closed this I noticed the top & bottom hoses got quite firm.
I'm assuming the head gasket has gone? Or am I missing something? Just after confirmation really as I'm no mechanic but do have a decent knowledge of how things work, etc. for a DIY'er anyway.
If it is the HG, any tips on procedure? I'm guessing it's fairly easy?
Many thanks, Lee

Hi. Get a system pressure test done.

Or just fit a new thermostat for 15 quid..rebleed the system..and see what happens.

Very easy to work on..look in the GUIDES

Charlie . Oxford 2004 1.1 Active

Any white smoke coming out of the exhaust when the engine has heated up?

John.

murfman53 said:

Any white smoke coming out of the exhaust when the engine has heated up?

John.

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Zero mention of losing coolant....

Its obviously been messed around with.
But could just be bodges before a radiator replacement..

Charlie . Oxford

varesecrazy said:

Zero mention of losing coolant....

Its obviously been messed around with.
But could just be bodges before a radiator replacement..

Charlie . Oxford

Click to expand...

Traces of radiator sealant suggest it may have experienced a low coolant situation in the past, but it's impossible to know either way.

The OP talks about a misfire, but that could be caused by many other things than a failing HG.

I'd agree it's important not to just dive in and replace the HG until you're sure there's a problem with it. We're still at the diagnosis stage just now.

No coolant flowing to the heater.


Any smell coming from the bleed screw?


Hoses go firm? Do they go solid instantly?

koalar said:

No coolant flowing to the heater.


Any smell coming from the bleed screw?


Hoses go firm? Do they go solid instantly?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply, I did think it might be the stat so I have got one to replace, will do it at the weekend. But the 'misfire' makes me thing that one cylinder is losing compression. When you pick up the revs it's fine though. I'm guessing that if the HG has broken down it only allows a certain amount of gas through at a time, therefore, higher revs allows enough compression to ignite, etc.

koalar said:

No coolant flowing to the heater.


Any smell coming from the bleed screw?


Hoses go firm? Do they go solid instantly?

Click to expand...

Hoses took a short while to go solid. I switched it off at this point and put it back out on the drive. A dodgy stat will cause this too I guess, which will be replaced first anyway, but it's the misfire & air constantly coming from the bleed valve that makes me think HG

The only thing I could smell was my dinner, which is why I switched it off at this point and pushed it back out onto the drive

murfman53 said:

Any white smoke coming out of the exhaust when the engine has heated up?

John.

Click to expand...

I only ran it for a short time when warmed up. No smoke as such but there seemed quite a lot of condensation.
I will add, I haven't checked the water level since I ran it

varesecrazy said:

Zero mention of losing coolant....

Its obviously been messed around with.
But could just be bodges before a radiator replacement..

Charlie . Oxford

Click to expand...

That's what I was hoping, a bodged fix with the rad.

I haven't checked the coolant level yet after this little trial run...dinner was ready

First time I've come across one of these quick release hose fittings btw, I can't believe that it seals correctly

jrkitching said:

Traces of radiator sealant suggest it may have experienced a low coolant situation in the past, but it's impossible to know either way.

The OP talks about a misfire, but that could be caused by many other things than a failing HG.

I'd agree it's important not to just dive in and replace the HG until you're sure there's a problem with it. We're still at the diagnosis stage just now.

Click to expand...

I think it's the subject of a failed attempt to fix by a bodger. It has a new coil pack and leads, making me think that the previous owner thought this was the cause of the misfire.
As I mentioned though, this seems to go away when the revs pick up.
Hey Ho, I haven't got my hands dirty on a car for a few years now. It looks like this little beauty is going to change that.
It has got to be right though as it's for my daughter. I don't want her calling me to pick her up late at night when it's broken down

Take out the spark plugs..noting which cylinders

Hg will cause rust/tarnish..or a STEAMCLEANED LOOK..

Charlie

It does sound like head gasket, but...

Good opportunity while you are investigating to the check core plugs too.
There are 3 on the rear of the engine which can weep for ages, gradually losing coolant. Also a bigger one on one end of the engine. And others too, but never had them go yet. Use a Haynes manual or eLearn to check locations.

Also check the metal pipe below the exhaust manifold.

Especially on cars which have not had proper coolant changes, all of these tend to baffle the bodgers who normally give up after changing a coolant hose or two. Or even the radiator. When it still loses coolant they tend to move it on quickly.

With the cooling system in good order they are incredibly reliable little engines.
Best to check it all over properly now, especially if you need to change the head gasket, unless you want to do it twice.

ozzy1967 said:

But the 'misfire' makes me thing that one cylinder is losing compression.

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Have you done a compression test yet? I've seen compression testers on eBay for as little as a tenner.

jrkitching said:

Have you done a compression test yet? I've seen compression testers on eBay for as little as a tenner.

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I've got one somewhere I think. I'll dig it out and have a look. I've half a mind to just pull it all apart & rebuild anyway. At least I'll know everything is ok and parts seem pretty cheap

Quick update...Compression test confirmed a leak on No. 4 cylinder. I didn't bother testing further and decided to pull it all apart.
Not a bad job to do really. Most of my time was taken up trying to get just one bolt off the exhaust manifold. second one in from the left on the bottom. I had to take the metal pipe off to the water pump & oil filter to access in the end, oil filter was obviously coming off anyway.
Pics below, the gasket had blown between No. 3 & 4 cylinders and there are signs of water ingress looking at how clean the pistons were.
I've had the head checked and it doesn't seem to require skimming so I've started to chuck it all back together. Head is back on now & just a few things to connect back up. New water pump, thermostat & cam belt fitted also.
One other thing I noticed was how slack the cam belt was. I'm surprised it ran at all. Just how tight should they be? I've done others before so just put the same kind of tension on this one.
Fingers crossed

You can often shift rusty nuts/bolts by running some arc weld over the nut. The fierce heat shocks the threads loose.

Always disconnect alternator and battery (and ideally the ECU) before arc welding on the engine.

Dont forget to confirm the cylinder head joint face is fully flat. It might need light skim at a machine shop.

Any water in the head will compromise the head gasket so be sure its fully drained before fitting.

Blow out the head bolt threads before running the bolts in. (1) water and oil can get pushed under the gasket. (2) fluids in the bolt hole can hydraulic lock making the bolts go tight before they are properly pulled down.