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Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: julie on 23 November 2008, 11:42

Title: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 11:42
hi was driving my mk2 16v up a hill last night doing about 60mph and got a strange noise coming from engine maybe pinking but stopped if i took my foot of accelerator so i pulled over as i know this aint good,and it would not start again. managed to start it if u jump start it but then it doesnt sound to good u have to keep your foot on accelerator to keep it running and it splutters about abit like when timing is out that sort of noise just not running right at all,any ideas of whats happened? checked the cam belt and it seems to be lined up ok.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: danny_p on 23 November 2008, 11:46
compression check

possible gasket between cylinders
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 11:48
yeah hopefully will be doing a compression check today if can get hold of one and it stops raining!  :sad:
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 13:25
2 have compression 2 dont!
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: danny_p on 23 November 2008, 13:42
headgasket has poped between the 2 that don't have compression ,   bet cyl 3 is one of them     

whip the head off and have it checked and skimed,    more often than not need it if have gone between cyls 
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 14:19
yeah its gone between 1 and 2. do you know of any reasons of why it has done this?
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: danny_p on 23 November 2008, 15:34
normaly age related.  gasket detriates over time with repeated heat cycles and corroision or a serious overheat.  is most likely.       incorrect timeing and fuel grade mixtrue  can also do it given enough time
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 18:08
The gasket had been on car for about 2 years and about 7000 miles? We have checked the head over and it seems ok, there are no cracks between cylinders and it seems level, used a straight edge across head and there are no dips or high spots. The thing I did notice is that no: 1 cylinder is very clean with no carbon on the valves or in the chamber but the other 3 have about the same amount of carbon deposits built up in them? Dose this mean something like number 1 has got alot hotter for some reason and burnt the carbon off? I have taken some pics I could pm if you are not sure what im on about?
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: sidecarphil on 23 November 2008, 18:35
maybe summet silly like the bolt's wern't tightened propperly or bit of carbon under it
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: danny_p on 23 November 2008, 19:00
steam cleaned !!   thats what happens when water gets in there as well

by the sound of it the gasket din't sit down right or wasnrt done right first time round,  get a good quality gasket new bolts  and get the head and block really clean.   
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: Conker on 23 November 2008, 19:14
If its on its second gasket I would get the head cheacked out to see if it needs a skim - won't be expensive. A straight edge isn't accurate enough to show if theres a problem or not.


My guess as to why its gone in two years is that a cheap gasket was used last time.

Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: DarnPB on 23 November 2008, 19:34
As above. If the surface is not perfectly flat, then with the constant pressures within the cylinders and the varying temperatures, it will not take very long at all to find a weak spot in a cheaper head gasket. :sad:  Original VW is called for here. :wink:

Nice diagnoses BTW if you did it yourself! :smiley:
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 19:34
the reason gasket was done 2 years ago as i put a ported and polished head on,i think the gasket was a cheap one as it came of ebay for £30 for a full set. where would you recommend to buy gasket set from? how much should they cost? how can i tell if the head has been previously skimmed? how many times can it be skimmed before it becomes usless?
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: DarnPB on 23 November 2008, 19:42
I would get the gasket set from VW. For a little more money than Halfords or GSF, you then know you have the right one at a good quality.
As for knowing how much has been taken off your head, I would take the head into VW and ask them to measure it for you. The chances are it has never been skimmed, but you will not need much removed to make it flat. Its purely a re-surface. But then again, you don't know if a previous owner has had it skimmed for extra compression.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: sidecarphil on 23 November 2008, 19:43
get a VW one mate :)

think there was a desusion on this a week or so ago :)

as per the skim there is a minimum head thickness (deck hight) i think but i don't know what it is for the 16v
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 22:17
this might be a silly question but how do i find where my nearest vw parts place is? or do they have a number/web site? thanks
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: DarnPB on 23 November 2008, 22:48
Yellow pages under Cars and car dealers. VW will have a big ad in there. Or try looking under motor factors.
Or the internet, punch in www.vw.co.uk (www.volkswagon.co.uk) and there will have a list of VW dealers near you.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 23 November 2008, 23:17
thanks
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: DarnPB on 23 November 2008, 23:30
http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/find-a-retailer?pc=Essex&x=30&y=4
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: mattkh on 24 November 2008, 11:37
I have taken some pics
Hi
Please put up the pictures. Ta.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 24 November 2008, 16:22
phoned vw today and they said a head gasket set would be £155.37 + vat  :huh:   head should be going to be checked/skimmed tommorow how much do u think this will cost? not sure how to put pics on here?
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: danny_p on 24 November 2008, 17:14
chould allways try vee w services in bristol.   they'll do mail order  and all the stuff i' ve had from there has been throughly tested
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: DarnPB on 24 November 2008, 18:00
155.37 :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: FFS, what is it made of..? Gold? Wow!
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: Khare on 24 November 2008, 18:08
155.37 :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: FFS, what is it made of..? Gold? Wow!
was gonna say! fook me, 155 for a headgasket for a normal car. if it had a dozen turbos 10 superchargers and ultrii high diamond internals then maybe but for a normal one....go to gsf, they cost very little.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: sidecarphil on 24 November 2008, 18:10
head gasket set would be £155.37 + vat  :huh:

JESUS !!!!

My composite one for my 350 bhp RS Turbo only cost £50 and that had 2 bar off boost to deal with

Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: danny_p on 24 November 2008, 19:31
meh   i pay £21.50 for oem abf gasket
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: DarnPB on 24 November 2008, 19:40
At those prices, I would buy just the head gasket from VW, and get the rest as individual items from GSF. Some of the gaskets and seals you get in the head gasket set you will not use anyway, so just buy what you need.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: Conker on 24 November 2008, 20:30
phoned vw today and they said a head gasket set would be £155.37 + vat  :huh:   head should be going to be checked/skimmed tommorow how much do u think this will cost? not sure how to put pics on here?

Thats prob for the whole gasket kit. I bought a 16v head gasket from VW for between £30 adn £40, then bought cheaper ECP or GSF gaskets for things like the intake manifold, exhaust manifold etc. I bought the rocker cover gasket set from VW though as thats quite important, which was probably another £20 at least.

I think the total for ALL the gaskets for me came to about £100.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: rubjonny on 25 November 2008, 09:45
yeah 'set' being the operative word.  set of head bolts prob best from VW as well, some people seem to report the GSF ones are made of cheese.  I've never had a problem with them myself but then I've only ever bought 8v ones.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: mattkh on 25 November 2008, 10:18
not sure how to put pics on here?
Hi
Put the pictures on a website eg photobucket and then put the links up on your thread.
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 04 December 2008, 16:57
right car is all back together now the head was slightly out been using it for a couple of days just to work and back but just checked the oil and there was abit of creamy stuff on the dipstick? whats happened now?
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: sidecarphil on 04 December 2008, 19:12
did you change the oil whist doing the head ???

if so hopefully just some sludge working loose

if not WHY NOT  :grin: :grin:

change it and re-check
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: julie on 04 December 2008, 19:54
yes the oil did get changed sorry should of put that.  :smiley:
Title: Re: engine problem?
Post by: sidecarphil on 04 December 2008, 21:04
no bother  :cool: :cool:

i would change it again :)

i work for landrover and after changing 1.8 k-series head gasket's we some times have to change the oil 2-3 times to remove the sludge

that saying though it is usual to remove the sump plug and fill the header tank of the water system to see it coming out of the sump plug hole as fast is you pour it in  :huh: :huh: :huh: