2 hours ago, Tomjones1995 said:

I can't tell if your being serious or not? 

 

Yes serious, of course serious.

 

Your head gasket has failed and you're mucking about changing the expansion tank.

 

That's like having a leg torn off and insisting to the ambulance crew that you just need a sticking plaster for the scratch on your nose.

 

If this is about money then sell the car for spares or repair, is it getting better or worse?

 

Worse, and quickly, soon it'll be undriveable, by then you might need a new head casting.

Hi Everybody, just a quick update. I changed the expansion tank as instructed by a garage and then took it to another garage nearer home who did a sniff test and concluded I have a small head gasket leak. The mechanic suggested steel seal so I'm weighing up my options now really.

Thanks again to everybody for all the help and advice, as always much appreciated

2 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

The mechanic suggested steel seal so I'm weighing up my options now really.

 

Snake oil to the rescue!

 

It won't fix the head lift, you need the PD150 bolts to do that.

 

Seriously, if you think the specialist advice you're getting here is inferior to garage bodgery then you're on your own.

 

Denial is just denial with a capital D.

55 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

Hi Everybody, just a quick update. I changed the expansion tank as instructed by a garage and then took it to another garage nearer home who did a sniff test and concluded I have a small head gasket leak. The mechanic suggested steel seal so I'm weighing up my options now really.

Thanks again to everybody for all the help and advice, as always much appreciated

Looking on the bright side, at least you now know for sure (independently of us lunatics) what needs doing, and you have a shiny new expansion tank.

At best the steel seal might temporarily slow the rate of coolant loss, but I'd be surprised if it made enough difference to be worthwhile.

@sepulchrave @Wino Sorry if I've caused any offence but I didn't say I was going to use the steel seal, I was just letting you what id been told. I was leaning towards a new head gasket. I do appreciate the help and will be sure to tell the garage to use PD150 bolts when they change the head gasket or if I may just sell it on. Thanks for the advice

1 hour ago, Tomjones1995 said:

@sepulchrave @Wino Sorry if I've caused any offence but I didn't say I was going to use the steel seal, I was just letting you what id been told. I was leaning towards a new head gasket. I do appreciate the help and will be sure to tell the garage to use PD150 bolts when they change the head gasket or if I may just sell it on. Thanks for the advice

 

I'm not offended in the least and I'm sure Wino isn't either, frankly I don't care if you engine blows itself to smithereens as long as you're not hurt.

 

The issue is simple, you asked for help, we're helping you and you're completely ignoring us.

 

Please don't ask for help if you have no intention of following our best advice, you're being given this information completely FREE of charge.

 

If I had a pound for every VRS owner who came on here with head lift, I wouldn't have to bother going to work next week, it's literally HUNDREDS, it's a very well documented weakness of the PD130 engine, as the bolts age they stretch and blow past the head gasket under boost. If you don't believe me just do a search for head lift in the little box up in the right-hand corner and see just how many hits you get!

 

If you can't afford to get the job done then roll the dice and change the bolts one at a time, others have done this in the past with some success, it doesn't matter what order you do them in as long as you remove and replace them one at a time, make sure each one is fully torqued before moving onto the next.

 

Steel Seal won't make a blind bit of difference because you add it to the water and the water isn't leaking, it's the combustion gas, you could put fecking concrete in the cooling system and it wouldn't stop the gases leaking, if your mechanic weren't a complete MORON he'd know that, but he is and he doesn't.

 

OK?

Edited 5 October, 20187 yr by sepulchrave

11 hours ago, sepulchrave said:

 

I'm not offended in the least and I'm sure Wino isn't either, frankly I don't care if you engine blows itself to smithereens as long as you're not hurt.

 

The issue is simple, you asked for help, we're helping you and you're completely ignoring us.

 

Please don't ask for help if you have no intention of following our best advice, you're being given this information completely FREE of charge.

 

If I had a pound for every VRS owner who came on here with head lift, I wouldn't have to bother going to work next week, it's literally HUNDREDS, it's a very well documented weakness of the PD130 engine, as the bolts age they stretch and blow past the head gasket under boost. If you don't believe me just do a search for head lift in the little box up in the right-hand corner and see just how many hits you get!

 

If you can't afford to get the job done then roll the dice and change the bolts one at a time, others have done this in the past with some success, it doesn't matter what order you do them in as long as you remove and replace them one at a time, make sure each one is fully torqued before moving onto the next.

 

Steel Seal won't make a blind bit of difference because you add it to the water and the water isn't leaking, it's the combustion gas, you could put fecking concrete in the cooling system and it wouldn't stop the gases leaking, if your mechanic weren't a complete MORON he'd know that, but he is and he doesn't.

 

OK?

 

I'm not ignoring your advice @sepulchrave , when I go to every garage I tell them what I've been told by you guys but they don't listen to me, they do their own tests at my expense first. If I may ask, in my case do I just change to the pd150 bolts first or do I change the HG as well? Also are the bolts easier to get to than the HG itself in order to change them? sorry if that's a stupid question

 

Thanks

@Tomjones1995 - Also not offended; the new header tank suggestion was because it's lots quicker and cheaper than replacing the head gasket et al.

 

You will need a new head gasket as well as the bolts unless you replace the bolts one by one and hope that the problem is just head lift, and not an eroded head gasket.

1 minute ago, KenONeill said:

@Tomjones1995 - Also not offended; the new header tank suggestion was because it's lots quicker and cheaper than replacing the head gasket et al.

 

You will need a new head gasket as well as the bolts unless you replace the bolts one by one and hope that the problem is just head lift, and not an eroded head gasket.

So what would happen if I change just the bolts and the head is eroded? it wouldn't make it any worse would it? Thanks

12 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

So what would happen if I change just the bolts and the head is eroded? it wouldn't make it any worse would it? Thanks

It won't make it any worse as such, but it will land you with a bill for a second set of new head bolts when the gasket goes properly!

Just now, KenONeill said:

It won't make it any worse as such, but it will land you with a bill for a second set of new head bolts when the gasket goes properly!

Oh right okay, it'd be a big risk in just doing the bolts alone then I would say. Best just do the lot in one go to save hassle in the long run. Is there anything else I should change while the head is off or just the bolts and hg? thanks again

29 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

Oh right okay, it'd be a big risk in just doing the bolts alone then I would say. Best just do the lot in one go to save hassle in the long run. Is there anything else I should change while the head is off or just the bolts and hg? thanks again

With a 1.9TD (any) I'd also do the cambelt. Replace both the tensioner  and separate water pump unless this was done under 15_000 miles ago when the belt is being done anyway because the parts are less than the labour for a cambelt replacement.

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

With a 1.9TD (any) I'd also do the cambelt. Replace both the tensioner  and separate water pump unless this was done under 15_000 miles ago when the belt is being done anyway because the parts are less than the labour for a cambelt replacement.

Okay I'l do them as well then, thanks @KenONeill

There's just a couple more questions I have regarding HG due to the enormity and complexity of the job. Is changing a HG on a PD engine any different or more complicated than on a standard common-rail engine? I can't find a VW specialist garage nearby and I've searched the forum all afternoon for info, some say that the pd150 bolts can be torqued up more and there's a risk of snapping and then there's the skimming of the head, that has to be done right. Any tips on this? I don't wanna mess it up that's all

 

Thanks

No, you don't torque the bolts more, you use the standard PD150 tightening standard specified by VW.

Stripping and skimming the head should be entrusted to a specialist machine shop.

Okay, so I've been quoted £1076 for new head gasket, head skimming, waterpump, cambelt and the bolts plus labour. So before I go ahead with this I'd like to know if there's anything else that could go wrong with this car that you guys might know about? I'm not going to pay to have the head taken off, new gasket etc if there's another big bill coming down the road. I know about the turbo's but anything else that I need to know about?

 

Thanks

@Tomjones1995 :-

 

1. I can't think of any other common faults.
2. The price quoted is a worst case; the head may not need skimmed if it's been lifting, but there's no way to know that either way until it's off.

6 hours ago, KenONeill said:

@Tomjones1995 :-

 

1. I can't think of any other common faults.
2. The price quoted is a worst case; the head may not need skimmed if it's been lifting, but there's no way to know that either way until it's off.

That's good to know Ken thanks, I don't think a head slimming will add much to the price though will it? I mean its got to be at least £850?

41 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

That's good to know Ken thanks, I don't think a head slimming will add much to the price though will it? I mean its got to be at least £850?

 

The head needs completely stripping to a bare casting to be be skimmed, then reassembling correctly with new injector retaining bolts, which is why you'd use a specialist machine shop, that's not cheap.

7 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

 

The head needs completely stripping to a bare casting to be be skimmed, then reassembling correctly with new injector retaining bolts, which is why you'd use a specialist machine shop, that's not cheap.

In your opinion @sepulchrave is £1076 for the job mentioned above a decent price? 10hrs labour they quoted. Is it really worth it giving the mileage 130k? in your opinion knowing so much about fabia vrs' and blt engines. I know its my decision at the end of the day but just looking for somebody else opinion

 

Thanks

27 minutes ago, Tomjones1995 said:

In your opinion @sepulchrave is £1076 for the job mentioned above a decent price? 10hrs labour they quoted. Is it really worth it giving the mileage 130k? in your opinion knowing so much about fabia vrs' and blt engines. I know its my decision at the end of the day but just looking for somebody else opinion

 

Thanks

 

You state earlier in this epic thread that you've been topping up the coolant for ~3 months, therefore the chances of the head gasket just 'healing up' if you change the bolts are slight, however since I've had to repeat myself so many times now one more time can't really hurt, you can change ONLY the bolts and see if it improves the situation enough for you to live with. I would try this first because the cost of the bolts is low and the job itself is easy and quick to do and the rate of coolant loss will improve.

 

Otherwise you'll have to do the whole lot or just sell the car 'as is' with the fresh bolts fitted.

3 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

 

You state earlier in this epic thread that you've been topping up the coolant for ~3 months, therefore the chances of the head gasket just 'healing up' if you change the bolts are slight, however since I've had to repeat myself so many times now one more time can't really hurt, you can change ONLY the bolts and see if it improves the situation enough for you to live with. I would try this first because the cost of the bolts is low and the job itself is easy and quick to do and the rate of coolant loss will improve.

 

Otherwise you'll have to do the whole lot or just sell the car 'as is' with the fresh bolts fitted.

I'm sorry you've had to keep repeating yourself, thanks again for the advice

Hi everybody, just a quick update after all the help I've had. It has just had a new 3 hole head gasket fitted (previously 2 hole) with PD150 bolts. No power loss as some vrs owners have documented but it does idle a bit rough and the turbo has a strange whine so I don't know if they're related or not to the HG. After all this time I'm just glad the cylinder head is okay.

 

Thanks again,

Tom

One quick question though. If there is still pressure in the cooling system in the morning after at least 13hrs of no use, does this mean there is still combustion gasses in the coolant?

5 hours ago, Tomjones1995 said:

One quick question though. If there is still pressure in the cooling system in the morning after at least 13hrs of no use, does this mean there is still combustion gasses in the coolant?

 

Are you sure it's pressure and not a slight vacuum. Can you tell the difference.