Head gasket gone??

Skuxx

I was checking the oil and water in the 'ol ladies car ('06 1l corsa) about a month ago and noticed mayonaise under the oil filler cap. Obviously this is a sign of the head gasket being fucked! I had a look on the internet and noticed a few people saying that a possible cause could be lack of driving or short spins not allowing the oil to heat up leading to condensation in the oil and thus the mayonaise and that it might not be the head gasket. She drives the car about 50km a week max (only done 8000km in the 2 years she has it!!!) so I thought that the lack of driving could be the problem! I told her take it for a few good spins every week and allow it to heat up properly. I had a look again this morning and the mayo is back again. I presume the head gasket is gone??

What sort of price would she expect to pay to get it replaced? Is there much work involved? Or any other explation as to the mayo that might not be the head gasket gone.....

Thanks lads

doOh

any oil in cooling system ??

Nissan doctor

The build up on the oil cap is no nessisarilly a sign of the gasket gone. Othe signs would be the interior heating not working, loosing coolant, over heating etc.

Having said that it isn't uncommon for headgasket issues on the Opel x and z series engines. A cooling system pressure test and a 'sniff' test are the only wat to 100% if the gasket is gone.

DublinDilbert

alan1990 wrote: »

I was checking the oil and water in the 'ol ladies car ('06 1l corsa) about a month ago and noticed mayonaise under the oil filler cap. Obviously this is a sign of the head gasket being fucked! I had a look on the internet and noticed a few people saying that a possible cause could be lack of driving or short spins not allowing the oil to heat up leading to condensation in the oil and thus the mayonaise and that it might not be the head gasket. She drives the car about 50km a week max (only done 8000km in the 2 years she has it!!!) so I thought that the lack of driving could be the problem! I told her take it for a few good spins every week and allow it to heat up properly. I had a look again this morning and the mayo is back again. I presume the head gasket is gone??

What sort of price would she expect to pay to get it replaced? Is there much work involved? Or any other explation as to the mayo that might not be the head gasket gone.....

Thanks lads

Don't assume the head gasket is gone based on this alone. If your HG is gone, you'll typically have lots of other problems/symptoms.

LookBehindYou

Its not unusual to find mayo in the oil cap.
Reasons for this could be that **** oil is being used, or old oil, condensation from lack of use.
The best way to check is to see if the heater is working when warmed up.
Check the coolant level.

DublinDilbert

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Having said that it isn't uncommon for headgasket issues on the Opel x and z series engines. A cooling system pressure test and a 'sniff' test are the only wat to 100% if the gasket is gone.

I haven't found the "sniff" tests that accurate, but that's just in my limited experience. Leak down test would be one of the best way to pin point problems, although people here don't seem to use this. In the US they always do leak down tests.

Skuxx

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Reasons for this could be that **** oil is being used, or old oil, condensation from lack of use.

The car was serviced in September so the oil isn't old anyway, although it could be cheap sh1t stuff!!

Yeah the lack of use is a real possibility, doing max 50km a week would certainly fall into that category! She only really drives about 3 miles to work and back so the only never really heats up to evaporate the water from condensation!

Whats the sniff test??

DublinDilbert

It doesn't sound like the car is using any coolant, is it?

Nissan doctor

DublinDilbert wrote: »

I haven't found the "sniff" tests that accurate, but that's just in my limited experience. Leak down test would be one of the best way to pin point problems, although people here don't seem to use this. In the US they always do leak down tests.

I use leakdown tests, but they don't diagnose a head gasket problem specifically. They show loss of compression from the cylinders, could be from the headgasket, could also be from the valves, rings, head or block themselves. A leakdown test only measures a cylinders ability to hold compression, you then have to use other diagnostic methods, such as the sniff test to determan what is causing the leak.

DublinDilbert

Yea with a leak down test you have to find where the air is coming out.

Bubbles in the coolant is usually a good indicator of HG failure.

I think some people are too quick to diagnose a HG failure and wip the head off. Had a car with low compression on one cylinder and loosing coolant. Mechanic done sniff test also and said HG is defo gone.

Looked at it myself, found coolant leak from pipe at rear of engine, low compression seemed to be a sticky valve (apparently caused by not driving it hard enough). Drove it for 2.5 years after this with not one issue...

jimmyw

alan1990 wrote: »

The car was serviced in September so the oil isn't old anyway, although it could be cheap sh1t stuff!!

Yeah the lack of use is a real possibility, doing max 50km a week would certainly fall into that category! She only really drives about 3 miles to work and back so the only never really heats up to evaporate the water from condensation!

Whats the sniff test??

Its where you use a special plunger with a fluid and suck up some coolant, and if there is fumes in it the fluid turns a certain colour to indicate the presence of exhaust gases in the coolant.

Skuxx

Thanks for the replies! Anything more I can check myself or best hand it over to a garage??