(G) help plz

can some one help me me tempture gage hit max to day so went brought 2 bottles of coolent seems to done the trick but i checked under this little cap and looks a little dry can some one plz let me know what goes in there since i havet brought the haynes manual

regards martin

Thats where you put engine oil in there.

lol so obvious thnx 4 that mate appricate it when i took the cap off 2day some steam was comin from there so i will top that up tommorow i dont have to drain it do i just add fresh engine oil

I would suggest doing nothing until you buy a Haynes manual and read the basic maintainance section.

Can't agree more...

I'd also suggest reading the owners handbook first too and learning what the gauges mean...

Also, NOT a good idea to let the temperature hit max. With the correct coolant/ level it shouldn't go much above the half way point (when the fan kicks in). If you allow it to go up to the max you risk blowing the headgasket and warping the alloy cylinder head.

The youth of today...

hang on..coolant mixed with oil, but no mayo under the cap? and what was in the coolant system trying to keep the engine under control? must be one hell of a tough unit not to have totalled itself....yet

mind boggles.....

I no i cant understand either im one lucky man or my car is all brawn and no brain lol. So u all suggest that i read the manual before i apply some engine oil

haynes manual will be the best accessory you can buy for your car, next to a turbo lump and rear disc brakes

Or just take the thing to a garage and tell them: "I am a baboon".

Hi people took me car along the garage to get a new back box to be put on for the price of £55 and two new wiper blades back and front £5 each. i asked they would they kindley look at why my temp keeps hitting max and they told me the head gasket has gone said would cost round £320 for labour parts and a pressure test. Could i find it any cheeper than that or does it sound about right. So i drove it home really slowly poor baby.What i do to you i told me bro that head went and he said not worth payin since the head will keep goin every 10,000 miles is this ture shall i keep her or get rid of her open to suggestions.

regards Trowa

why would the gasket go every 10.000 miles?
why not do the head gasket yourself,not too hard to do though you probably will need to buy a torque wrench.
probably not going to get a garage to do it much cheaper but worth phoning around.

looks like someone else needs a manual too...........

Hi Trowa,

What they are trying to tell you is that you may have ongoing problems if the cylinder head gasket is replaced without the head being checked for flatness and skimmed if necessary.

Best at this point, I feel, to find an engine shop (i.e. not a garage that does any job, but instead an engine rebuilding specialist) and ask them about resurfacing the head/replacing the gasket. The resurfacing should be only 20 quid or so? They should also be able to supply the relevant gasket set at a good price. If you want to remove and replace the head yourself, be prepared to invest in some tools and a Haynes manual (and read it several times carefully before you undo anything!)

If I had your car, there's no way I'd pay 320 pounds to get the head gasket replaced! That's because I believe (rightly or wrongly) that I could do a more thorough job than the mechanics at a garage (I'd be doing anything else that looked like it needed doing as well, e.g. lapping the valves, adjusting clearances, replacing the thermostat, etc. etc.) and it would still cost me a fraction of that price! So, I can't offer any advice on whether that's a good price... I'm biased...

It's all about deciding whether you want to do your own work on cars, or not... it's best to get some first-hand help from someone you know that's good at these things. I'm not trying to de-value the advice given here on the forum, but I do think that some of the basics (e.g. how to deal with rusty bolts, hard-to-access bolts, or just any sort of difficult bolts) are probably best learned with someone to help at your side. There's just so much to learn, if (as I've picked up from the thread so far) your knowledge extends only to where the oil goes in... Also, it helps to have a second opinion when inspecting parts that you haven't seen before... and you need to be pretty meticulous about keeping things CLEAN.

Many people seem to think that everything under the bonnet is dirty and oily anyway, but when you assemble the parts of an engine, the internal parts must be clean and the sealing surfaces degreased and grit-free, with a minimum of gasket sealant applied to items like the thermostat gasket (for example). Every nut, bolt, and washer should be reinstalled with equal care and without force. I could go on for hours but it's all just a matter of common sense and careful workshop practice, best learned on the job!

It looks like a really, really tidy Uno (in the engine bay photo) and so it's well worth fixing properly.

Anyway, prove me wrong and take up the challenge - we'll be here to help with the specific questions...

-Alex