Suspicion of blown head gasket,please advise.

[bigspudz]

Ive only had the car just under 2 weeks so ive been casting my eagle eye over the motor constantly for signs of problems.Have noticed that im loosing coolant,but no leaks to be found.There is absolutely no sign of mayo/gunk on either oil filler cap or dipstick,however looking in the expansion tank there is maybe just a small sign of oil prescence.A film of small brown patches can be seen floating on top of water level.Exhaust seems to be giving out white smoke that i at first thought was just fumes/condensation,but upon further inspection it does smell very rich and i couldnt keep my nose by it for too long coz of the smell.This is obviously a sign of the head gasket gone but im baffled as there is nothing to be seen in the oil.

Is there anything else this could possibly be,before i take it in for a head gasket job?
Advice would be really appreciated as im only a novice at this game!

[Gambit]

take it to a garage (doesnt have to be a VW specialist or anything) and get a compression test done on it -  that will tell you if the head gasket has definitly gone

could be something as simple as your oil cooler is knackered

but take it to a garage first for a compression test

[bigspudz]

Thanks Gambit.
Does a knackered oil cooler give the same symptoms as a blown head gasket then?I always thought i would be getting the typical mayo on oil filler and dipstick if it was the gasket.

[Gambit]

if there is a split in the oil cooler. (that silver box that oil filter screws onto) then oil will get into the waterways. but water will not get into the oilways as the oil is at a higher pressure than the water

hence why you find oil in the expansion bottle and no water/mayo in the oil!

[AudiA8Quattro]

Compression test won't always show a blown gasket, depends how it has gone.

[richandhazel]

Compression test won't always show a blown gasket, depends how it has gone.

It does depend on how the gasket has blown. It could be that it has blown between a waterway and the cylinder, in which case the oil system will not be effected at all. If you take the car to a garage they can do a check on the coolant to see if there are signs of combustion............some kind of 'litmus' type check.

Well worth checking the oil cooler as Gambit says..........a lot cheaper and easier and I'd hate for to you to go to the trouble of doing the head gasket only to find it is merely the cooler.

[bigspudz]

If the oil cooler was leaking would i physically see oil leaking from it?
Would be handy if it was just this!

[richandhazel]

No, it would be internal. Its a water cooled oil cooler using the coolant to cool the oil. If the exchanger inside has split then the oil and water can mix...........often overlooked and assumed to be head gasket.

[bigspudz]

So i would obviously have to take it to a trusted garage who wont stitch me up for a head gasket when its just the oil cooler.There is no way i can make a check myself is there just for peace of mind?