rad gunge

19th November 2011, 23:46

hi i was hoping someone could help me with my radiator gunge.
i took the cap off today as i could see water dripping from around the back of the engine. still not figured that one out yet as the water wasnt warm. but when i took the rad cap off there was light brown cream floating in the top of the pipe. i checked my oil and it seems fine like theres no water in there. the car is running fine and doesnt feel like theres a problem with it.
could it be head gasket?

19th November 2011, 23:49

Yes....could possibly be the headgasket buddy.

Have you taken the oil fill cap off and checked there for gunge aswell or just checked the dipstick?

19th November 2011, 23:53

Have you recently had any work done to it?

If not then check for blocked pipes and as said above, check the oil cap too.
There are various checks you can do to check for possible head gasket failure.

20th November 2011, 23:03

yeah i checked the dipstick and oil cap and there both clean and the oil looks good. the car is running like a dream and im not loosing water. the gunk looks like whitey pale goo and the smell from the goo is more like old radiator smell no smell of oil at all. im confused.

20th November 2011, 23:11

It could be either:
a - headgasket failure (the more likely by the sounds of it, i had the same problem two months ago. gunk in the rad, none in the oil)
b - radiator problems (when was your cooling system last cleaned and re-filled? its possible that its just coolant thats getting dirty over time, picking up rust from the rad)

20th November 2011, 23:22

Oh, forgot to say, sometimes this can be caused by making short journeys often.

So might be nothing to worry about.

20th November 2011, 23:39

i bought the car last week and stupidly didnt check the rad, just the engine and oil. i would think the car has done very short journeys and has been standing for a while to. the milage is 104 thousand, and to be honest im not even sure if i can see any coolant in the gunge so it looks like its not been changed in a long time. mabey a few flushes might clean it then check the water again.
is there any other checks i can do apart from taking it for a compression test. also if it is head gasket would you have any ideas on how much a repair would cost. is it worth it or should i look to off load it and make a loss :-(

21st November 2011, 00:09

okay looking online there quoting anything around 500 quid for a head gasket repair. gutted if it is that much only paid 500 for the car. i will be scrapping it then if the rad doesnt clear. :-(

21st November 2011, 13:49

if it is headgasket failure buy a lower milage engine and drop that in, i got a 1.1 engine with only 8,000 miles, dropped fresj filters and oil for £350, right bargin. best to shop around or ask people on this site, theres lots of people on here that will do work for a decent price.

22nd November 2011, 01:40

i cnat justify spending more than i payed for the car, i think il run it till it dies or part ex it as soon as pos. shame as its a fun car apart from the steering

22nd November 2011, 01:55

plus today with the rain we had i have found a massive pool of water in the rear drivers footwell. this car gets worse and worse.

22nd November 2011, 10:08

If oil is getting into the cooling system then you are most likely looking at a head gasket on its way out. My old 106 did this and would put the old glob of oil into the cooling system every now and again, never had any problems with it though and it did get a pasting! All depends what you want from the car really, if its a stop gap car just flush it and keep driving it.
You could do the head gasket yourself for under £150 I reckon if the heads good and flat, bear in mind you'll need a torque wrench and dial gauge though so factor those in but I'd recommend a reface on the head.

22nd November 2011, 13:20

well come to the joys of owning a saxo haha ive had new engines in 2 saxos now (both 1.1) i get pools of water some times aswell its just a seal issue not much, try keeping it in for summer and hire it out as a swimming pool thats my plan to earn the money back what ive spent haha any on a serious note it isnt that much to get seals done but the engine is your main issue at the moment, run it for a bit and see what happens, short journeys can cause this like has been said above.

22nd November 2011, 14:43

If its the head gasket (looks likely) then you can either scrap it (and make between 50 and 120 quid from it), or if you fancy a project, do it yourself... the Haynes manual should give you a guide on how to do it,(can someone verify) you will most likely need to get the head skimmed too. im not sure of the cost of this(can someone verify), but a gasket kit is not that much, and you can also service the car and change all the engine gaskets while your doing this do bring new life into the saxo!
i had a garage do my head gasket, (i bought warranty with the garage when i bought the car) so it was free!

)

22nd November 2011, 17:22

thanks for all the messages guys. i took the car to a garage today and they said the pressure was okay and the saxos can leak oil in to the water with out pressure on the head being affected. he gave the same advise, flush the radiator and take it from there. its not loosing oil or water and is not overheating so il just keep an eye on it. can anyone tell me is the water coming in the footwell from the sunroof or the door i had the car on a camber the night it happened and the roof looked dry inside?

22nd November 2011, 17:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by krisdiamond91

thanks for all the messages guys. i took the car to a garage today and they said the pressure was okay and the saxos can leak oil in to the water with out pressure on the head being affected. he gave the same advise, flush the radiator and take it from there. its not loosing oil or water and is not overheating so il just keep an eye on it. can anyone tell me is the water coming in the footwell from the sunroof or the door i had the car on a camber the night it happened and the roof looked dry inside?

go grab a hose, and stick it near all the seals to see where it is coming from

22nd November 2011, 19:18

il get a mate in work to do it tomorrow while i sit in the car.

22nd November 2011, 19:27

awesome