MK3 2.0 GTI 8V - Engine Symptoms....?!?!

[Bagel2003]

Hi all,

I'm looking to p/x my 1996 Golf soon and drove 117 miles to a trader to look at a car last week - when we got back in the car to come home the temperature warning light was flashing, so we filled it up once we'd got to a garage and got home no problem. Yesterday I moved the car and the idle was really lumpy, but after a trip round the block it seemed ok.

The car's had a new radiator two weeks ago too - checking the engine I "think" I can see a small bit of water seepage from the cylinder head gasket.

Do you think this is a cylinder head gasket? If so, how long do they go for typically as I'm hoping to get the new car at the weekend....

Thanks,

Sean

 

[Wayne]

If it is only weeping it should last, try not to use it too much as the use it has the more chance it has of letting go alltogether

[Len]

You only get steam from blown headgaskets and thats usually into the piston bores!

[spunkymonkey]

Could just be one of the plastic housings, these are fitted to the head. I replaced both of mine due to slight weeping.

[Bagel2003]

Thanks guys - touch wood it's been ok since the funny idle yesterday. It's just odd that the temperature warning light should come on when we left the car dealers. I can only assume that it was the car's first big jaunt since it's had it's new radiator, but surely the coolant shouldn't disappear to that extent....? When we filled the expansion tank it wasn't registering a level and we had to fill it to the maximum line.

I've had oil seepage from the rocker cover and tried to fit the gasket but gave up - ok, it's not the attitude but it's not going to affect the sales price.

Have to go to Manchester on Weds/Thurs, so might borrow the wife's car and she can have the Golf for local stuff - another thing I'm not entirely happy with but if she has the misfortune to break down then she's more local than I'll be.