i changed the thermostat a while back hoping that with a service would stop the gunk build up as the fabia hadnt been serviced right by previous owners...went out today and had a look...i guess thats it now..still to decide what next move will be,the current engine will needa timing chain kit as it rattles like fook and now headgasket might be cheaper picking up another engine and replacing myself.

Isnt that just condensation build up within the oil system ? It doesn't always mean the head gasket has gone why don't you buy the coolest tester that takes a sample from the coolant and says if it has gone or not ?

I am no mechanic so all that paragraph may be wrong but it is what I think lol

i had been concerned about the HG before,i have since changed the thermostat,new oil/filter gave the coolent system a good flush as it was a mess.for a while there was no gunk and i thought problem solved,however the gunk has returned along with the fabia runing poor (more on start up),it has also lost alittle water.its only being used at the moment to get to work,10 mile there and 10 mile back.it isnt overheating and there isnt white smoke ****ing out it

why don't you buy the coolest tester that takes a sample from the coolant and says if it has gone or not ?

Do you have a link to one of these as it could help me text wife's Fabia to see if that might be the problem.

If they are cheap enough, I might get one but I don't know what to look for.

Thanks.

Apparently such tests are not always conclusive, as the coolant system is pressurised, it might only travel in one direction through a damaged head gasket (depending on the type of damage).

What type of coolant did you fill the system with, or has it been filled with in the past - as using the blue stuff could potentially cause the oily gunk in the coolant.

Having said that, it's known that two types of headgasket were originally fitted. The revised one is a temac one, identified by a marking on the visible part of the headgasket. But apparently many (all?) of those factory fitted weren't torqued up enough, leading to cross contamination between coolant and oil.

Any other engine you pick up might have the same issues. If it's just a timing chain, and potentially HG, and you have the ability to replace an engine - those jobs shouldn't cause you any problems.

Edited 7 July, 201213 yr by anewman