Hey all, please I need advice. I apologize for the long text and multiple problems.
I have a 1998 Felicia 1.3MPI with 115 000km.As I mentioned in the title, there are a few problems with the car.
(I bought the car from my friends grandpa, he was the first owner and did only 98 000km in 23 years)
About 2 years ago, the serpentine belt snapped, I didn´t know what happened so I continued the ride home (around 5-10 minutes) and, obviously, when I stopped the coolant tank was bubbling and steaming. I replaced the belt, started and checked the car and it seemed okay. No white smoke from exhaust, and I checked the oil periodically (seemed okay) and stayed without emulsion up until like 2 months ago when I did an oil change.
Now the problem is, I noticed some oil spots in the coolant tank and a noticeable discoloration of the coolant(it became a lot darker and cloudier). The coolant wasn´t changed for at least 2 years, might possibly be even longer.
The second issue is with a coolant temperature sensor. The car (when left cold overnight) started only on 3 cylinders, which resolved itself after a few seconds of running and bit of a throttle. I changed the coolant temp. sensor, which resolved the issue for a year, then the car started to occasionally stall and die when idling. I used a VCDS-Lite which shows a coolant temp. sensor fault code. I bought a cheap new one, and it didn´t resolve the issue. (Cleared the fault code, came on back after a while.)
I changed the fuel filter to be sure, it was the original one from the factory with black gasoline pouring out of it, so needed a change anyways.
So my questions are:
- I suppose it is possible that the overheat incident with the old coolant may have destroyed the head gasket. Is there anything I should do or check before I jump into changing the gasket? And, also, please let me know if my hypothesis of faulty head gasket is correct.
- Anything else I can do before/after buying a better coolant temp sensor?
- Should I clean/check more parts of the fuel system (regarding the dirty fuel filter)?
Thank you for your time and help in advance.
Adrian