hello there recently my car is having a few minor problems :(

first i noticed that all my water keeps leaking some were but i dont know were cant see no cracks or anything.the other thing is that my water is a rusty brown colour what does this mean?

i also checked my oil yesturday an it was bright brownish on the dip stick.are they linked?

cheers

im trying to get my car in garage for friday:(

if the oil was white coloured and the water keeps on disapearing out of the expansion tank i would put my money on a blown headgasket :/

so you think my heads going or gone? ill take a pic later on. :( can i still drive it?

if the oils a milky colour and the water is going out of the tank and theres no sign of leakeks then i would say the headgaskets gone , i wouldnt drive it unless you had to some times white smoke can come out of the back when the head gasket has gone also if the water in the tank if getting pressurised then this can indicate a blown head gasket. :(

Mine and my sisters car display mayonnaise syndrome

But it doesn' mix with the coolant and water level seems ok and so does the dipstick.

no sign of white smoke so far but i do believe my oil is goin milky. its just iv got to drive a good 60 miles this weekend, u think it will make it? would adding more oil do anything?

its just iv got to drive a good 60 miles this weekend, u think it will make it? would adding more oil do anything?

Probably not advisable, if the journey *needs* to be made it's probably better to make alternative arrangements or try get the car sorted. A garage should be able to do it in a day if it is the headgasket, but only problem is those labour costs £££

On the 1.3 not such a difficult job to try yourself with a long weekend or two if you really struggle, gasket a tenner, bolts about £25, 10mm 1/2" drive hex key approx £6. From what I have read on here it is probably also worth replacing the manifold gaskets. Would get a garage to confirm it is the headgasket though before getting those head bolts off.

Probably not advisable, if the journey *needs* to be made it's probably better to make alternative arrangements or try get the car sorted.

my car hopefully goin in the garage tomoz or friday.if it is the head not much i can do cant reli afford to get it fixed. but it needs to make it this weekend so fingers crossed lol

If they head gasket needs a change then the head needs skimming I think.

i think my HG will prob need doing soon.

Mine mayo's on short journeys

'Mayo' on short journeys is perfectly normal as the engine doesn't get warm enough to get rid of the condensation that is formed when they cool down.

If you get mayo on short journeys, warm it up, do an oil and filter change and clean off any visible mayo remaining.

Also clean the breather pipes and either clean or replace the breather filter.

HTH

Mayo under the cap isn't a sure sign that the gasket needs changing... i get it from time to time on mine... so i just clean it off and make sure i give it a good run and it just burns off the moisture in the engine.

But from Jaymz comments i'd definately say its your head gasket mate... you would probably make the 60 mile journey if you take it really nice and steady.

Brown water is a sure sign that the coolant has very little antifreeze in it and has been like that for a while, so things are starting to corrode. That may include a core plug somewhere, which would account for the water loss. Several of the core plugs are not visible, so you won't easily find the leak by eye, and the water will be evaporating as it leaks out so there won't be any tell-tale trickles.

Dunno about 'bright brown' oil though - I mean, that sounds mostly like new oil in good nick, frankly!

here are some pics they off my phone(so sorry if they not clear)

http://file045b.bebo.com/15/large/2008/03/19/19/14642256a7193730570l.jpg

do these help?

thats definatley milkey i would put my money on a headgasket like i said earlyer :(

Judging by the picture of your dipstick .. i am 99.9% that your head gasket has a medium leak.

Mine had a small leak which caused a little baileys coloured mayo on the dipstick, but you have much more than I did.

A leak can occur either way too, mine started with blobs of oil getting into the water then the water reached the oil.

Oil like that wont protect your engine on a 60mile drive. id sort it first ... give it a go yourself .. the 1.3 is nice and simple

How much water are you losing? If its not massive amounts then your probably be ok on your 60 mile journey, just don't thrash, and take a bottle of water and some oil. Is it using much oil as well?

Hope you get it sorted

short journeys can also cause milky stuff on the oil cap but that one is proper fooked

do youguys think it to far ahead to get it fixed cheap?

i couldnt do all that stuff altho my dad is mechanic.

I would suggest you do a compression test on the cylinders.

Maybe your Dad has a compression tester, this often helps

pinpoint blown head gaskets.

Hope this helps

ok i have another question, is it worth fixing if it costs a lots?

Hmm brings back memories of making ice cream in a Triumph acclaim!!

I am thinking of any other possibilities but considering the colour cannot think of any. I don't think the quality of your coolant will have helped matters mind

seriously though so long as you get head skimmed it should be a fairly straightforward job to change the gasket and a kit is fairly reasonable with all the things you need.

The major cost in HG change is labour. If you can persuade your dad to help it's definitely worth doing. Otherwise all you can do is call around for quotes or risk having a shot at it yourself.

dunno if id trust myself to do it. ill ask my dad see what he thinks. i just want to know would my pookems be worth saving? thats if head has buggered up on me. yhanks for all your help guys though:D

If you are aiming to get someone else to do the job you have to remember that it is an easy job for them compared to OHC units as no timing belt to worry about. I put a new unleaded head on an MGBT a few years back and it was pretty straightforward.

If you want to do it yourself just make sure you have everything you need before hand and don't mix the pushrods up! a piece of numbered card 1-8 is best with each pushrod inserted underneath will help keep them in order.

Looking at your car it seems in pretty good nick to me so i would say go ahead and do it.

Another way of looking at it is if you reckon the car is basically sound and a bill for say £200 came your way it is worth doing as what other car can you get for £200, unless of course you are planning on not getting a cheap runaround!!