Skoda Head Gasket and timing belt

mayotom

Has anybody any idea how much it would cost to replace a head gasket and timing belt in an Octavia...

There is a whitish scum in the oil, I have been told that this would be caused by a blown Head Gasket is this true?

SouperComputer

the white scum CAN be an indicator of a failure, but it is also quite common on cars that do not get fully up to working temperature. The moisture in the oil emulisifes and forms that goop that you see.

Do you drive a lot of short runs?
Is the engine lacking power?
Is it running hotter that usual?
Can you hear any bubbling noises when you stop the engine?
Is there any sign of increaced oil consumption?
Can you see any oil in the coolant?

mayotom

SouperComputer wrote:

the white scum CAN be an indicator of a failure, but it is also quite common on cars that do not get fully up to working temperature. The moisture in the oil emulisifes and forms that goop that you see.

Do you drive a lot of short runs?
Is the engine lacking power?
Is it running hotter that usual?
Can you hear any bubbling noises when you stop the engine?
Is there any sign of increaced oil consumption?
Can you see any oil in the coolant?

Yes I would have a lot of short runs of 10 to 20 minutes
it doesn't seem to have lost any power.
temperature reaches the half way mark after about 5 minutes and stays there.
When the engine is running and I take the oil cap off I can hear bubbling and it spits drops of water.
Yes it does seem to be using more oil.
And no to oil in the coolant but there appears to be some moisture in the oil tank.


What would you think the problem is???

SouperComputer

its hard to say. The bubbling you hear when you take off the oil cap is fine while the engine is running. Water should not be coming from that hole though!

If you stop the engine and hear a gurgling\bubbling sound from under the bonnet it could be a problem.

Is there any signs of steam from the exhaust when the engine is warmed up? A little when the engine is cold is normal as the condensation in the exhaust system evaporates.

Clean the oil filler cap and take the car on a drive for say 30-40 mins. Inspect the cap after that. Wouldnt do any harm to give it a bit of welly just to ensure the engine is getting worked well.

How much more oil is it using?

mayotom

SouperComputer wrote:

its hard to say. The bubbling you hear when you take off the oil cap is fine while the engine is running. Water should not be coming from that hole though!

If you stop the engine and hear a gurgling\bubbling sound from under the bonnet it could be a problem.

Is there any signs of steam from the exhaust when the engine is warmed up? A little when the engine is cold is normal as the condensation in the exhaust system evaporates.

Clean the oil filler cap and take the car on a drive for say 30-40 mins. Inspect the cap after that. Wouldnt do any harm to give it a bit of welly just to ensure the engine is getting worked well.

How much more oil is it using?

well it was filled up about 5000 miles ago. and is down about 10mm or less. on the dipstick. would that be normal?

SouperComputer

mayotom wrote:

well it was filled up about 5000 miles ago. and is down about 10mm or less. on the dipstick. would that be normal?

I woudnt think so, it seems a bit on the heavy side. The polo\ibiza VAG units can be heavy on oil, butr I dont know about the passat\a4\octavia powerplants. I have a 8v 1.6 passat (96K Miles) and it's oil consumption is negligable.

What year, engine size and mileage is your car?

mayotom

SouperComputer wrote:

I woudnt think so, it seems a bit on the heavy side. The polo\ibiza VAG units can be heavy on oil. I have a 8v 1.6 passat (96K Miles) and it's oil consumption is negligable.

What year, engine size and mileage is your car?

Skoda Octavia 1999 1.6 Pet 130,000 miles.
Just checked the oil again. its back up.
must have been on a bit of a hill last time I checked.
Been looking through other thread's on similar subjects
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054878992
This seems very similar to my situation.

Thanks for the advice

SouperComputer

id say its fine. As long as it's not drinking coolant as well.

Happy motoring!

mayotom

SouperComputer wrote:

id say its fine. As long as it's not drinking coolant as well.

Happy motoring!

No coolant is perfect