Could you please explain what is the purpose of the bolt pictured above? (Marked with green)

I have oil in the red circled area. I'm %90 sure it's coming from that bolt. I have a new cam cover sealing rubber. I've installed it using liquid  gasket too. I also have new cam cover nut seals too.

Can I remove that bolt? Is it holding something important inside? Or maybe is it a plug?

Few months back i was reading an article about plugs that a motor has as a safety feature, i think was for expansion of the water due ice-cold situations.

It's a coolant drain plug.

8 hours ago, Papez said:

It's a coolant drain plug.

Thanks, I thought it might be but wasn't sure.

 

@R_Blueyou should be removing this on coolant changes to empty the block of existing residue and perhaps picking out any crud there from draining the coolant and when cleaning and flush draining, I don't know about this engine but some engines can have a lot of silt and crud there, better out than in.

@D.FYLAKTOS ,  @Papez , @nta16 thanks for the info but that means bad news for me. I'm sure there is oil on the surface. (Red circled area)  I wipe it and it comes back. Is it possible to have a crack on the engine block? Should I worry?

The oil could be coming from elsewhere and that is just where you see it.  You could thoroughly clean around the area and then see if a fresh trail emerges or add dye to your oil and see that and perhaps other weeps and leaks.  On my engine it would probably be from the rocker cover gasket, only once did that not leak and I don't know how or why that was.

 

Others will have more and better suggestions than me.

 

I'll update this when I find more clues about the issue.

I think I've found the source but you won't believe it.

 

I started to clean oil contaminated areas to check for new leaks. I've also replaced oil pressure sensor washer, cleaned the area around it etc.

I started the engine to see if there was any leak around the oil pressure sensor. There was none. After I stopped the engine something peculiar drew my attention. That's what you see in the picture above. A small isolated bubble of oil on the head gasket surface. I checked and made sure it's not dripping from above. I wiped it and started the engine again and watched the area closely. Oil is coming from inside of the very head gasket itself. WTF? Is that even possible? The oil bubble starts as a small dot, and continues to spread on the area. It's just like there is a cavity inside the head gasket and somehow pressurized oil finds its way to this exit on the surface. Is that technically possible or am I imagining things?

Edited 28 July, 20223 yr by R_Blue

1 minute ago, R_Blue said:

I think I've found the source

I don't positively know this, but I think you may have found the very earliest stages of a blow in the head gasket.

Are we somewhere near to the (only) pressurised oil feed from block up to head in your photo? Marked red in the gasket pic here:

If so, try tightening the nearest two headbolts a little?

Edited 28 July, 20223 yr by Breezy_Pete
sp

48 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

I don't positively know this, but I think you may have found the very earliest stages of a blow in the head gasket.

Oh no!

HGF repair work was my first topic in the forum. I did it very carefully and adhering to every rule. I used new bolts, best quality head gasket, even my torque wrench was new. The head surface was professionally machined & cleaned.

The car had never overheated after that work. I made it 100% guaranteed to not to happen again.

Upgraded radiator (Felicia 1.6), top notch coolant diluted only with distilled water. To properly monitor the system I have replaced the temp gauge with a digital one which you can read exact temperature values. Also it has a warning feature. (For coolant overheating but that never happened).

I wasn't expecting a HGF in at least 60K Kms.

 

I also did a lot fine tuning the engine. Especially the ignition.

Now the car can maintain 110-120Km/h on highway. (With LPG)

There is no white/blue smoke. Oil on dipstick is very clean. No coolant loss. No oil in coolant.

 

I hope it's not HGF.

 

 

1 hour ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Are we somewhere near to the (only) pressurised oil feed from block up to head in your photo? Marked red in the gasket pic here:

You are right. Very close.

1 hour ago, Breezy_Pete said:

If so, try tightening the nearest two headbolts a little?

Good idea. I was going to check valve rocker clearances. When the valve cover is open, I'll try that but with only using a little force. I don't to break a bolt head now.

 

The oil bubble on the surface is spreading very slowly. I think there is a tiny cavity between the layers of the head gasket. The oil might be leaking with capillarity rather than direct internal pressure.

25 minutes ago, R_Blue said:

To properly monitor the system I have replaced the temp gauge with a digital one which you can read exact temperature values. Also it has a warning feature. (For coolant overheating but that never happened).

 

I would like to see a picture of it, i interested for things like this.

3 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

I would like to see a picture of it, i interested for things like this.

Did you forget this?

Actually inspired by your work.

6 hours ago, R_Blue said:

When the valve cover is open, I'll try that but with only using a little force. I don't to break a bolt head now.

Just torque to what you did before.  With two I think I would do them in sequence, I am not sure it makes any difference but for sake of placebo alone.  You should really back off first to confirm but you can't with this.

 

6 hours ago, R_Blue said:

I think there is a tiny cavity between the layers of the head gasket. The oil might be leaking with capillarity rather than direct internal pressure.

I think you saw when I put about my experience with such a gasket.  I didn't like the look of the coverage of these gaskets and there rather imprecise cut out both others had found that to be fine so  that may give more credence to your theory.

 

Good luck, I find HG and HGF failure so annoying, the HG is such an ancient and agricultural bit of engineering, like so many things on even the most modern of cars, it's from the 19th century or before, whatever's very cheap and very profitable is never progressed from.

 

   

On 29/07/2022 at 02:37, nta16 said:

I think you saw when I put about my experience with such a gasket.  I didn't like the look of the coverage of these gaskets and there rather imprecise cut out both others had found that to be fine so  that may give more credence to your theory.

Looks like "tailored to fit" wins over "one size for all".

On 29/07/2022 at 02:37, nta16 said:

it's from the 19th century or before, whatever's very cheap and very profitable is never progressed from.

Thinking about HGs made from asbestos right now... ☠️

To me it is strange that the head does not fully cover the gasket and block but I am not an engineer or mechanic.

 

On 01/08/2022 at 12:42, nta16 said:

To me it is strange that the head does not fully cover the gasket and block but I am not an engineer or mechanic.

Instead of stocking and selling model specific head gaskets, makers and/or sellers prefer one size fits all style head gaskets. Same gasket fits, Fav., Fel. and Fabia Mk.1 MPI.

Fabia MK.1 1.4 MPI, the last iteration of the original Škoda engine has a slightly different block. (Reinforced?)

 

19 minutes ago, R_Blue said:

Instead of stocking and selling model specific head gaskets, makers and/or sellers prefer one size fits all style head gaskets. Same gasket fits, Fav., Fel. and Fabia Mk.1 MPI.

Fabia MK.1 1.4 MPI, the last iteration of the original Škoda engine has a slightly different block. (Reinforced?)

 

 

All these engines had same head and deck shape. The difference happened when they switched from cast-iron (130) to aluminium head (135/6) - different bolt pattern and channel layout resulted in different shape of the head, but the block required only minimal changes in areas around the head bolts. Water/pushrod passages don't need as tight sealing and exact shape and cylinder liners and oil passages fit perfectly.

4 hours ago, R_Blue said:

a slightly different block. (Reinforced?)

 

 

I have heard that in Skoda from year 2000- more aluminium and more metal-recycle materials are involved.

Tha same with plastics, hard in touch but durable in older cars, prettier but softer and scratch sensitive in new ones.

I can understand the idea of being cheaper with gaskets, the car and parts manufacturers have always worked to fractions (decimal places) of a penny.  It's just the head shape and with the exposed gasket and no claiming force (or whatever the correct technical term is) to that exposed edge to me seems odd.

 

Do I take it there no hole under where I've circled and the oil has wicked from elsewhere as the gasket might have delaminated?

 

Guys this is how the hg fits 

2 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

Guys this is how the hg fits 

Fair enough.

From Aunt Google -

 

fair enough

phrase of fair

INFORMAL

used to admit that something is reasonable or acceptable. [acceptable but not over happy about it] 😐 

"‘I can't come because I'm working late.’ ‘Fair enough.’"

 

On 03/08/2022 at 17:31, nta16 said:

fair enough

phrase of fair

INFORMAL

used to admit that something is reasonable or acceptable. [acceptable but not over happy about it] 😐 

"‘I can't come because I'm working late.’ ‘Fair enough.’"

 

yeah i know what it means, i have C2 + 2years exp in the UK😅