Favorit head gasket failure?

[westie606]

Hi! My first time here.

I've always fancied a Favorit and recently bought an LXi estate, which was in a bit of a state but nothing that can't be fixed

The only real problem is that the seller told me the head gasket blew and he'd had the head skimmed and replaced the head gasket

The car starts and runs fine, there's no oil in the water or vice versa and it doesn't appear to be losing coolant.

I did a compression test and all cylinders are about 150psi, the car's only done 66k.

Problems, temperature gauge only just moves out of the

cool tho the engine heats up and the heater is hot sometimes and warm others.

My real concern is the steam (?) Coming from the exhaust followed by water droplets, this seems constant.

I'm going to replace the thermostat and the fan switch

Can anyone offer any advice?

Thanks in advance, Dave

[RicardoM]

If it's steam and condensation when it's cold outside, that's OK.

Only if the exhaust gases keep looking like thicker steam in warm weather, and have a peculiar sweetish smell I'd be concerned.

One other tip is to check the spark plugs. If one or more have white-yellowish, chalky, ash deposits then you need further tests.

 

By the way, 150 psi for its mileage is rather low. Do a wet compression test too.

[westie606]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

You're dead right with the thicker steam, smell and in warm weather.

I think the head needs to come off, there's a local engineering firm

that can test it.

The seller told me he had the head skimmed after the car overheated.

I was puzzled looking at the engine (which is very clean), if the head had been off

Then the original bolts were used.

As I'm new to the Skoda following how easy or difficult is it

to source a replacement head?

Thanks.

[RicardoM]

Could you post clear photos of all spark plugs? If you don't know how, send them by email to me (see my signature).

Let's not jump directly to wrong conclusions. Although I have a strange feeling about the real motive behind selling a car with a brand new head gasket, I would prefer gathering more evidence instead. The only reason I am not 100% sure it is a head or HG failure is your word the coolant level didn't drop. Keep a very close eye on it. Mark the level.

 

If you want to read about similar HG jobs, I recommend the following topics.

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/379717-felicia-13-cylinder-head-corrosion-around-coolant-ways/?view=findpost&p=4450656

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/375404-felicia-n-reg-13-glxi-aftermarket-superior-head-gasket/

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/383080-felicia-13-mpi-oil-in-coolant-tank-white-gue-in-oil-cap/?view=findpost&p=4480898

Edited 1 July, 2016 by RicardoM

[felicia16v]

The early spi favs did always seem to make a lot of steam from the tail pipe so unless the coolant level does drop it is probably OK and maybe just needs a new thermostat.

The engine running cold will create more steam too as it is richer all the time so I suspect that is your problem. Also the coolant temp sender for the ecu is in the back of the inlet manifold and the wires break to them. The manifolds clog up with silt and the sensor then reports a cooler temp than what the engine actually is too.

[westie606]

Thank you for the advice. I've got it in my head to remove the cylinder head, just for peace of mind so I've started collecting the necessary bits and pieces.

I was wondering would it be best to fit a Skoda head gasket as opposed to a pattern part?

Will occupy myself welding sills and suspension turrets while waiting for further guidance.

[RicardoM]

I would buy an original HG. But I think it is more important to "read" carefully the old HG first and see if there is any evidence of bad HG installation, bad skimming (if any!), head cracks, poor quality HG, etc. I don't want to be right on this, but after removing the head you might find the real reason behind selling the car...

 

In case you have somebody handy to take clear photos during the HG job, please show us your findings.

[westie606]

Hi,

Thanks for advice. It'll be next weekend before I remove the head (finish welding first) but I'll take photos and upload them.

The curious thing with this car is the previous owner said he'd driven to and showed photos of the car at an Eastern European car meet in London. A round trip of some 300 miles also the car was mot'd on 27.5.16

Don't get me wrong, I half knew what I was getting but I didn't see see car until I'd bought it, everything was done via internet so this car does appear to have a few secrets.

I'm no expert but I can't see how it passed an Mot, given the welding I'm doing so you're probably right about the cylinder head .

[RicardoM]

I'm no expert but I can't see how it passed an Mot, given the welding I'm doing so you're probably right about the cylinder head .

Every country (without exception!) has its share of people ready to 'bend' the law for money. This has nothing to do with the history, heritage, education level, democratic institutions, civilization, and medium income from that country.

 

I appreciate the fact that despite surprises you are determined to repair the car yourself. I don't know exactly if you have the luxury to have access to a well equipped garage, but I know three forum members (two from the UK and one from Finland) that did the HG job more or less in front of their house, having basic tools and in cold weather. All three of them did a great job. I hope this helps.

[westie606]

Hi, not been here for a while but thought I'd give sn update on my progress with my Favorit's head problem.

I had the head skimmed and there was no corrosion as I've seen in some posts on the subject but the inlet manifold was full of sludge.

Anyway, it's an ok job as long as you don't try to rush it.

My observations were that the previous owner had left lots of things loose (alternator, hose clips, thermostat, fan switch) and one or two brackets were missing.

Here's the crunch, with the job completed, the car still has some steam coming from the exhaust and there is definitely coolant in the oil filler cap.

I haven't really ran it much so will have to determine the rate the car loses water ( I suspect more now it has a stat fitted and operates at the correct pressure).

I think I'd be right in saying it's the cylinder liner seals, which really means I'm looking for a replacement bottom end / engine if anyone has one please give me a call 07970435344.

I'd be interested in any opinions or advice.

Ricardo, work your magic!

Thanks, Dave

[RicardoM]

There are a few things I need to know before reaching a valid conclusion. We need evidence before scrapping the engine.

• How many miles have you covered after the HG job? Long trips? Short trips? Average speed.
• How is the engine pulling? Does it misfire? Rough idle? Petrol consumption?
• Try to estimate the coolant loss per 100 miles. Be as accurate as possible.
• Any bubbling inside the coolant reservoir when starting the engine and revving it?
• Has the oil level raised on the dipstick?
• Have you measured the compression after the HG job?

About the loss of coolant around cylinder liners seal: it's very rare but possible. Most often that happens if the liners' position is disturbed during the HG job. As you said it yourself, a HG job is not too difficult but it requires precision, attention to details, and cleanliness. For instance, many times the straightness of the engine block surface that meets the head is not measured. The protrusion of the liners is not measured. The threads inside the block are not chased and cleaned. And so on.

 

After you will answer my questions I will let you know if you need to do a coolant system pressure test and how.

[westie606]

Thank you so much for the reply, that's given me a lot to think about.

I'll sort the grating sound coming from the rear brakes and invest in some new tyres then I can collect the information you mention.

Once I can work out how to send photos I'll post them. I can understand from reading other posts and projects how these little cars can become more than a hobby.

They certainly command a 'cool' status today on a par with my Mk2 Polo any day!

[westie606]

Final word in this post. Have just completed 200 miles with the car. No coolant loss, still condensation (?) coming out of exhaust but nothing excessive. Some water in oil filler cap but again nothing worrying.

Just noticed tonight a slight weep from heater matrix so will keep an eye on that.

Car is great fun to drive and very economical to run.

So thanks again for all the advice.

[RicardoM]

If the outside temperature is above ~ 5 C, the condensation should diminish a lot after a minute from cold start and should disappear almost completely after the engine is warmed up.

Edited 13 October, 2016 by RicardoM