Neilg7777

iTrader: (9)

Right had a look under the bonnet of my vectra and hey look what i found


took it apart and hey



Now i am guessing the head gasket is on its way out, thing is it is still going strong so could it be just condensation (spelling) ??????

any bodywant to buy £40000 mayo for chips for life

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

Do you do a lot of short journeys? Short journeys can do that because of the condensation build up so it's not necessarily head gasket.

Which vectra is it if it's a single cam 8 valve?

Felix.

Is there any oil in the coolant

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

NO!! Not always HG:

As Paulo says, it could be condensation.

If its just been used on short journeys, moisture (by product of combustion) will accumlate in the crankcase and cause white/brown sludge where it condenses on the cam cover. If the engine rarely has sustained use at full operating temps on a regular basis, it just builds up, more and more.

For example: Drive a car 1 mile, Stop, leave it a day, drive another mile, stop leave it a day. And reapeat this for six months. Then remove the cam cover immediately after turning off. It'll be white and sludgy. Guaranteed.

My NSX was a bugger for this (hence six monthly oil changes).

Edited to add Vauxhall 8 valver = camshaft eater Worth checking the lobes whilst you have the cam cover off; they are notorious for wear- especially the RH side (on second glance the right-most cam lobe in the pic looks very rounded). If the engine is a bit lumpy or down on power, I bet you this is the problem.

The Zohan

Not necessarily the HG but there is a reasonable amount of may in there - when did you previously check it and was it clean(er)?

You do not necessarily get oil in the water as well as water in the oil so this is not always the best test of it. Sniff test at a garage will not pick up the leak if there isn't any oil in the water as they test the coolant only. Also remember a failed h/g is usually a symptom of another problem, overheating/blocked/silted up rad, knackered/sticking thermostat, etc.

To be on the safe side and as a cheap fix you can try this - i have successfully on a bad h/G blow on my old pug 406TD. It worked a treat and held for 6+ months (sold it) and is still on the road. http://www.k-seal.co.uk/k-seal.html.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

As said head gaskets can leak in many ways:

Combustion chamber to water jacket
Oil ways to water jacket
Oil ways to combustion chamber
Combustion chamber to combustion chamber.

It can leak/weep slightly, or it can leak alot.

A failure can be one or any combination of the leaks mentioned above. Obviously, if you think you have water getting into the oil, then you need to keep an eye on coolant levels. If you need to top it regularly, then chances are you have a leak...and if you have mayo in the oil, that leak will be probably be the head gasket.

"sniffer tests" will not show anything if a gasket is leaking between the water jacket and oilway. As this tests for leaks from the combustion chambers.

To confirm how much water is in teh oil, drain the oil into clear container and leave it for few hours. and see what settles at the bottom - if there is a lot of water, it will be obvious as it seprates out (water is heavier than oil, so water will sit at the bottom).

Neilg7777

iTrader: (9)

Hi thanks for the replys. I did have mayo on the dip stick and does lose water, I have cleaned it all of and topped the water up so will keep eye on it, Think i am going to px it in as Mot march and yes its a 1.6 8v
Thanks Neil

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Hows bad is that camshaft wear?