Head gasket/ cylinder head worst nightmare!

[lugz]

right so basically my car has kicked me in the teeth and my oil has started getting that white froth in that obv means there's water in the oil, likewise with the coolant. its only just happened but i have noticed the coolant levels dropping quite alot which maybe was an indicator of it ready to happen.

So i'm in desperate need of help with the following;
could it be anything else other than a cracked head?
how much are we looking at for a new one (with and without fitting)?

i'm going to bleed the water and oil, and freshen them up to see if it happens again. i think i'm going to blame it on the weather if it is cracked and the water has frozen and expanded therefore cracking the barrel.

anyone whos had similar problems or knows anything of interest or help can you please get back ASAP.
oh and one more thing, my MOT is due this week, will this fail on that or is it purely safety checks they're concerned in?

thanks in advance to any posts.

 

[barters3]

I cant really give you any answers but i have got a slightly similar situation.

My coolant warning light keeps coming on, which im going to put down to the sensing prongs in the header tank - i will clean or replace.

I removed the oil cap to have a look, there is a greeny yellow creamy substance. I have queried this before and had been told that it is just condensation, so i am not overly concerned. When removing the oil cap there was what can be described as a chugging of possitive presure being released. I cant remember if this has happened before. Im sure somebody maybe able to put my mind at rest.

Im not trying to pinch the thread, i felt it was on topic and may result in helping you out.
Regards

 

[neverfear]

Hello
I think you might have an early stage of a head gasket if at all , not a cracked cyl head , did the engine over heat badly as in gone beyond steaming , is the oil level over the full mark and all grey in colour,or just blotches at top of dipstick which could mean car does a lot of cold running around , did you do a pressure test on coolant system to check for a leak,did it freeze over , no coolant ?, Doing a head gasket not the end of the world, i`d say do few more checks first,
neverfear

 

[barters3]

well mine doesnt seem too bad in camparison to those symtoms, but i just want to clarify whether there should be possitive presure released when oil cap is removed.

 

[neverfear]

no there shouldn`t be a lot of pressure , small bit ok , sounds like back pressure , best thing is do a compression test that will sort all,also check breather pipe`s not blocked too

 

[barters3]

its not a big release of pressure when when the cap is opened. it is just a chugging of air released when the car is idling. it may well be normal. its just i have never noticed it before.
what is involved in a commpresion test? is it straight forward?

 

[neverfear]

i would say its prob ok , still no harm to do a compression test, it will show any wear in your engine that will give you that back pressure up the filler cap or dipstick , test is simple u just need a petrol compression tester ,loan or buy one they not dear,removing the plugs will be the biggest job .

 

[barters3]

thanks for the info, i will look into it

 

[a20 hvy]

my coolant level started to drop and it was not leaking from any were i did a compression test and cylinder 2,3 are down on compression so iv started to take the heade off hoping its not cracked is it a comon fault for them to crack ???

 

[neverfear]

No, its not common. Usually only after over-heating badly. If it was cracked it would be building pressure in the header tank. It is possible that you may have a head gasket going, What reading did you get from the 2 middle cylinders? Unlightly, the gasket is gone between the two cylinders but is possible. If your engine was using water you will see different colour on top of piston when you remove head. Did you find out why the cylinders were down in compression?

 

[a20 hvy]

nine and a half bar on the middle two cylinders and piston 1 is carboned up piston 234 are washed there is no splits in the gasket as i can see so the head could be warped as the exhaust manifold has a water stain on it nearest to cylinder 4 and the exhaust manifold is cracked so weather its been leaking through the head and the gasket ????

 

[lugz]

The engine did not overheat (as far as i know of because there was no steam, warning lights or engine problems) i just simply checked the oil and spotted it on the dipstick.
The oil is spot on in the middle of the level readings, no grey more of a creamy greenish froth at the top, and yes my journeys pretty much all consist of cold running.

And as for the pressure test how would i go about that? i read what you put about the petrol pump or something but didn't quite understand it, if you could elaborate on that it would be a major help

Hopefully its what that other fella said about the condensation because i remember my auntie being told the same in a similar condition.

Would replace the gasket or head whichever it may be myself but could anyone give me a price or a place were i could get one from?

Thanks ALOT neverfear, you've put my stress levels down abit ahah, you sure do know your stuff

 

[jcb]

can you post some pics of the gasket/head/pistons?
blown a few head gaskets in my time and they alwasy show some signs when opened up, unlikely to have warped the head enough to have inter cylinder flow without any sign at all.
usual GSF or Europarts have kits available.
It is not as big a job as you would imagine. did one in the street outside my flat once.

 

[lugz]

not to worry pretty sure it hasnt blown, oil has went clean now, must of just done a few too many cold journeys in a run. Thanks anyway

 

[Rochey92]

I know this was 8 years ago now but I’ve been looking for info on the internet for ages only to find none except this! I have a 2004 A3, my 2014 A3 has been chugging a lot in low gears and when I take my foot off the accelerator! 2 mechanics have seen it and said all was good, head gasket not going and changed oil! Brought it for a drive yesterday and the coolant light came on so I pulled over! Water wasn’t low, checked oil and the oil cap was almost completely white gooey stuff! Drove it about 20 miles home and checked it again and didn’t look half as bad! Not sure what to do as afraid I could be getting wrong advice from mechanics and wreck the car if I keep driving it! Any word of advice or experience would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Stuart B]

This time of year always had condensation in the engine, so it's quite normal to have some cream on the cap.

But a 2014 A3 is in another forum.