Hi I have a S reg 1.3 Mpi felicia.

Oil keeps getting into the Coolant expansion tank -- Not large amounts just a thin film on the surface of the water and enough to stick to the sides and cap, when wiped away it returns after the next drive.

I tend to drive the car reasonable hard (up to 5000rpm), but usually change at 4100rpm

There is no water getting into the oil, and its only lost a small amount of water (500ml) in the last 7000 miles.

Is there a serious problem?

is it best to change the head gasket before the water and oil make a big creamy mess in the cooling system ?

i would be prepared to tackle a head gasket change myself, as the 1.3 engine appears to be moddeled on lego !!

Am i correct in thinking the timing should be unaffected by removing the head (cam chain not cam belt)

Extra Info :

got it at 38,000 with no service history, so i did a full oil (15w - 40 semi synth) filters and plugs service, now at 45,000 about to do oil and filters again. There was a little bit of oil in the tank at 38,000 but its got worse.

Any advise would be welcome !

when the head goes on one it can go in quite a big way.

if you'v got the time, the tools and a bit of know how then go for it.

Thanks for the quick reply pinkskud

Looks like ill have to do the job myself.

If i do change it then Ill try and post a step by step guide ( with PICTURES :eek: !!!) for others on here.

the 1.3 is 'fisher price' basic, so hopefully it will help others give it a go

Im still curious to find out if its possible for a little oil to seep through the head gasket into the water without it needing changing !?

The haynes guide seems ok, although I admit I haven't needed to follow it yet. Removing the head will have no effect on the timing whatsoever as the cam is in the crankshaft (you pull the follower rods out from the rocker gear end before removing the head). Not an expert on these things but have been reading up a little

Starting to wonder if mine might be on it's way as I pushed the car hard last night (just over 4k RPM) as I had some guy in an Audi admiring my bottom, and a cloud of white smoke bellowed out of the exhaust. I laughed at the thought of possibly having a smoke screen at the time to get rid of tailgaters. Have to hope it was just belching out some stuff it doesn't at low revs and keep an eye out for head gasket problems.

Thanks for all the advice so far ... looks like i might actually do this next weekend, if i can find all the tools ( need a torque wrench ).

Well the first thing i will do is buy the haynes manual from ebay:(

Im not sure the cam is "in the crankshaft", but its definitely in the lower lump of metal that makes up the engine (bottom end)!

There is a good cheap(ish) local garage 150m from my house so if i end up standing on the driveway surrounded by bits of skoda engine, without a hope in hell of sticking them back together, i could always push it there.

Im tempted to get the head cleaned up while its off. as there is a thermostat clip still wizzing around the cooling system somewhere, from when my thermostat broke! lol

One more question: Do you need to replace the "head bolts" or redo the vavle clearences when you re attach the head of the engine ?

cheers

Steve

...Not sure steve but I think it would be best to replace the head bolts as I dont think they can be retorqued, then get the head compression tested/checked for damage/corrosion and skimmed if nessecary.

I would then get the coolant flushed and make sure theres no leaks from the rad, pump and pipework and also check that the coolant sensor is working as these are prone to failure.

Im not sure the cam is "in the crankshaft", but its definitely in the lower lump of metal that makes up the engine (bottom end)!

That's what I meant

One more question: Do you need to replace the "head bolts" or redo the vavle clearences when you re attach the head of the engine ?

The bolts are available from Jorily Skoda on ebay

Would have to do the valve clearances but as I discovered recently when you figure out what you're doing it's an easyish job.