2005 Fabia vRS PD130.

 

Completely standard, but car is used hard from leaving the drive as it's used as a first responder vehicle. Car has plenty of power.

 

I am assuming this is the head gasket that's gone, and will need the head off?

 

Symptoms as below.

• Coolant is pressurised, even when engine is stone cold.
• Coolant level has sometimes gone up after a drive, and gone well over the MAX marking.
• Coolant level has sometimes gone down after a drive, and required a top up.
• No sign of oil or contaminant in the coolant.
• Engine has not overheated, but warning light came on during drive

 

Car is under warranty for 3 months from garage purchased from. It's already been back to them, but as there is no contaminates in the coolant, they don't think it's the HG and seem completely disinterested. 

 

Would changing to PD150 head bolts one at a time solve the problem, or simply mask the issue for expensive bills later down the line?

 

Short of leaving the car with the garage for them to fault find over a few days, what can be done to prove the HG is at fault?

Edited 2 June, 201511 yr by softscoop

On an old Poxhaul I looked after for a while, I was in denial for weeks and weeks about a slowly worsening HG leak. What finally convinced me was when I took out the spark plugs one morning and found a small pool of coolant sitting on one of the piston crowns.  Sampling it with a bit of tissue on a stick, it looked like coolant, smelt like coolant, and even tasted like coolant. That was conclusive enough.

 

On a diesel, you'd have to go in via a narrower glow-plug hole, which probably makes it trickier.  I think your symptoms are conclusive enough, and TBH, there seems little to lose by trying the PD150 bolts.  You're very little worse off if it doesn't improve matters.

I got pd150 headbolts and got the same problem been 3 days now mind and haven't dumped its water or light come on but I haven't booted it when my head comes back im going to boot it if it over heats heads off same day if not I'll leave it a few weeks

Of course it's the HG, the garage is fobbing you off hoping to buy enough time for the warranty to expire. Get an independent expert to diagnose it then confront the garage.

This is what happens when you open the expansion bottle on the engine when stone cold.

 

 

Will see what the garage say when shown video.

Garage still disinterested.

 

What could categorically prove this to them beyond all doubt?

same as mine having my head back today and will be changing it next week so will update

Garage still disinterested.

 

What could categorically prove this to them beyond all doubt?

 

Report from independent engineer.

If they refuse to fix it then they will need to refund the money for the car.

You might have to go to small claims.

are you getting any discolour on the oil filler cap (like a white gunk) in this video he even says the coolant is fine but the white gunk shows its a HG failure.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcAZIFgmvbQ

Nope, no gunk in the cap.

I think the coolant system hasn't been bled properly......being pressurised even when cold is normal as its a pressurised system so will hold that.

 

the rest seem to me as the system hasn't been bled properly. 

na mine was fine for months until boost was turned up open my cap and its kind of frothy bubbles

I think the coolant system hasn't been bled properly......being pressurised even when cold is normal as its a pressurised system so will hold that.

 

the rest seem to me as the system hasn't been bled properly. 

 

My old vRS never was pressurised when cold, and my 1.9 TDI Octavia isn't either.

 

You can see the level rising in the video after releasing the cap. This is with the engine stone cold.

Edited 12 June, 201511 yr by softscoop

My old vRS never was pressurised when cold, and my 1.9 TDI Octavia isn't either.

 

You can see the level rising in the video after releasing the cap. This is with the engine stone cold.

 

what would cause a system to rise yet not have any oil in it???....air....it hasn't been bled properly. Do you know if its been changed recently??

Edited 12 June, 201511 yr by bigcats30

Combustion gases pressurise the coolant system when there's a headgasket leak. Cylinder-to-coolant jacket is a far more likely leak than any other type of HG failure (e.g. pressurised oilway to coolant jacket or - even less likely - unpressurised oilway to coolant jacket), because the pressures inside the combustion chamber are so high, especially on a diesel.

 

With a fire-ring leak, when the engine's running, combustion gases are forced into the coolant system, over-pressurising it. When the engine's turned off (liquid) coolant may leak back under pressure into the cylinders, pooling on the piston crown.  This is why my suggestion in post #2 would be so conclusive. Coolant has no right to be inside the cylinders, so if it is, there's a HG fault. Just not sure how easy it is to get glowplugs out on a vRS, nor how easy it would be to sample down those little holes...

Extended Cotton Bud ?

 

DB

Combustion gases pressurise the coolant system when there's a headgasket leak. Cylinder-to-coolant jacket is a far more likely leak than any other type of HG failure (e.g. pressurised oilway to coolant jacket or - even less likely - unpressurised oilway to coolant jacket), because the pressures inside the combustion chamber are so high, especially on a diesel.

 

With a fire-ring leak, when the engine's running, combustion gases are forced into the coolant system, over-pressurising it. When the engine's turned off (liquid) coolant may leak back under pressure into the cylinders, pooling on the piston crown.  This is why my suggestion in post #2 would be so conclusive. Coolant has no right to be inside the cylinders, so if it is, there's a HG fault. Just not sure how easy it is to get glowplugs out on a vRS, nor how easy it would be to sample down those little holes...

spot on!

Suggest you 'softscoop' DO NOT repair nor attempt repair whilst still under warranty, you could be blamed for the problem !!

Suggest go to an independant garage with your problem and ask them to do a coolant pressure test on the coolant system, which should see a coolant pressure drop over a period.

Get them to put into writing their findings, present report to garage that holds your warranty.

Good Luck..

Yep, it is booked into a local VAG specialist for diagnosis then that will be presented to the purchasing garage.

A sniffer test on the coolant will tell you if there's hydrocarbons (oil, fuel) in the coolant.

 

Could equally be airlocked or possibly a waterpump failure?

Possibly a cheaper ,and more effective method might be membership of a breakdown service. First sign of overheating- call them out for a diagnoses. Might be worth seeing if any local legal firm can give you free advice ( most do a half hour free session for some problems), on how to register your complaint in writing , with the sales place, and what extra warranty is expected on repair ( in case head is warped and a simple gasket change and over tightened bolts cures fault long enough for warranty to expire). Send it registered post .That way ,there's no dispute on the fact that problem was there BEFORE the warranty expired, as to my mind, this is what the seller is attempting to do .

looking back at post #2 , I had an old Poxhall with similar problems- difference was that I'd get a cloud of white smoke out of the exhaust= anti freeze being combusted. Cooling system was compressed.i'd suggest mine had been DIY ed to death ,as a head gasket change resulted in oil leak problems from a warped rocker cover.

Sounds like head gasket, we had one at work the other week very similar. When head was taken off scoring was quite bad and head was sent off to be skimmed and pressure tested. Garage probably knows this and doesnt want to foot the cost.

Well it was tested for CO2 today by a local VAG specialist, and it's present in the coolant.

 

Back to the supplying dealer.

 

Supplying dealer have accepted that it's faulty, and is booked in for them to fix it

Supplying dealer have accepted that it's faulty, and is booked in for them to fix it

Great stuff...RESULT..