Head Gasket ?

[X-PAC]

Just wanting a bit of advice. Bassically My head gasket went,it was drinking water, white vapour blowing out the back and creamy oil. Now i was gonna get around to doing it next week but i desperatly needed to use my car this week. Now i used it and clocked up 100 miles. while i was doing this i was thinking the engine could seize due to the creamy oil and no lubrication.

Yesterday while driving home the car got worse it felt like it lost a lot of power and was making a ticking sound , then a lot of smoke started comming of the back, it was deffinatly smoke that looked blueish.

Today i was very scared just incase i had done a lot of damage meaning more money spent, so i decided to draiin the oil and to my worse fears it was all creamy quite thick cream aswell, about 5 Litres came out, now my car is meant to hold 3.5 litres of oil max. Inside the rocker cover there is still a lot of cream, i put fresh oil in,left old filter on as im gonna have to flush the engine again once new head gaskets on, to clean the cream out.
Started it and blue smoke is still comming out, engine making tapping sound, blue smoke out of the back, engine is running a lot rougher than yesterday.
Now i know the creamy oil has caused this but is it repairable? Or is the engine seized?

Now im thinking that maybe the piston rings have gone, but what else could it be? How much work is it to replace the piston rings? Can i do it without lifting the engine?

[yamar1]

yes piston rings can be changed with the engine in. whilst the heads off take the bolts out of the conrods in the bottom end and the piston will push up from the bottom and out of the block. if its as bad as you say can you not get a replacement engine? hinesight you knew it was gone it shouldnt have been driven. cost you a lot more money now than it would have if you had fixed it sraight away. but iv seen it many times before people still drive with a blown head gasket. crazy!!, just out of curiosity what car is it, not rover by any chance coz there renowned for it.

[X-PAC]

lol nah its a vauxhall astra mk4 1.6 8valve, very reliable engine, its my fault at the end of the day. Its cheaper to buy piston rings and head gasket kit+ skimming, than to buy a new engine. Plus i would need an engine crane. But im just thinking could other damage of occured? Such as the crankshaft being scracthed, the shells,bearing caps getting broken?

[cactikid]

possible noise was from noisy tappets as that goo will not get into cam followers and tappets will be very noisy,u r going to have one hell of a mess to clean up.i would check plugs and see what one is ~~~~ed as water can split the insulator and ur car is then running on three cylinders.if there is mileage up maybe rings needed,check cylinder head when it is off for abnormal errosion which can lead to scrapping it.i presume u will be replacing tb kit and water pump and stat?

[X-PAC]

cleaning it will be the easy part, the head is not the problem now i can do that in a hour or two, the problem is that it is definatly burning oil now. Which im thinking is the pisto rings but just needing confirmation.

[yamar1]

hopefully when you take it apart there might not be any damage, like the last post says the tappets are proberbly blocked up, a couple of flushes and oil changes should revive it. a very popular and usually reliable engine so if the worst happens you will have no bother finding an one! the rings are easy to change with the head and the sump off might pay to change them anyway whilst the head is off

[X-PAC]

Thats what i was thinking as the engine hasnt seized as it still starts, but the blue smoke is almost always caused by oil burning,so what is the reason for this? is it most likely gonna be the piston rings? or could it be something less expensive such as valve stem seals? thanks
Anyone know where i can get a cheap engine? astra X16SZR,

[yamar1]

personaly id go for the replacement engine, breakeres yard, try ebay, you shoulnt have to much trouble finding one. good luck.

[smirnoff_rules]

have a look at the shells on the bigends/crank shells . if there standard change them m8 theres only about 20 quid for a set and rings r about the same

[X-PAC]

A replacement engine is not the best option for me as i dont have an engine crane or anyone that would help me for free, plus there not reliable whos to say it might not go in 6 months. At least i know that i have looked after mine and reconditioning my original one will better in the long run.
If i change the shells i dont have to have the crankshaft machined do i?

[smirnoff_rules]

A replacement engine is not the best option for me as i dont have an engine crane or anyone that would help me for free, plus there not reliable whos to say it might not go in 6 months. At least i know that i have looked after mine and reconditioning my original one will better in the long run.
If i change the shells i dont have to have the crankshaft machined do i?

no m8 .. on the back of the shells it will say there size ie +10 and so on .. unless the cranks shagged ..

if the cars running on 3 cylinders because it putting water into one cylinder its washed all the oil out of the rings on that cylinder ,,

the tapping is most likey because the water in the oil is trapping in a hydraulic tappet..

just change the headgasket first there only under a tenner . lv never had a piston knacker up because of a headgasket after 25 years in the trade m8

[X-PAC]

lol you dont drive cars like i do, It was running rough after the head went and i knew it had a loss of power as one of the cylinders wasnt firing properly due to the water in the cylinder, but since yesterday i has been a lot worse and the smoke is now constant, ill try the head gasket for starters though. 10 + 40 for skimming.

[cactikid]

are the headbolts to be renewed as a lot of cars with torque and angle setting they stretch.

[X-PAC]

Yes mate they are going to be renewed, they stretch because of the heat, and all head bolts are always torqued to the manufacturers specifications. As for the waterpump it is only advisory to change it, but as it takes me under 30mins to change it on this car theres no point.

[cactikid]

usually headgaskets go because of low water like leaking waterpumps and deffo replace stats they always give trouble.

[X-PAC]

head went because i left expansion tank cap off and drove 200 miles.

[yamar1]

Ooops!:embarassed: bet you dont do that again!

[cactikid]

and fix that faulty temp guage lol

[gpsgps]

Hi, I'm very curious, did you solve your problem ? I'm asking because I think first of all pistons and cylinders should be checked, it's difficult to believe they're not affected. Water is not compressible, so I'm afraid only piston rings won't help too much.

[zozz123]

Try geting some flusing oil run it for about five mins, then put new oil in, also check to see
if any oil in water me mate, were are you if not far away i come and look, been doing cars for 40 years think i am ok, any way best of luck , if i was you i would think of rebuilding
but if you have cook the engine. the rings will have gone soft and now will be u/s
also check the cyclinders to see if mark up if so replacement engine needed goodluck
also have the head tested to see if its cracked or just have good look

[X-PAC]

thanks for all the help, finally managed to get around to doing the head gasket, the cylinders were fine no damage. But now more problems, i cant get it to start and run properly. The timing is ok i have changed the oil and the spark leads are the right way round.
It will start if i give it gas but it runs very very rough and dies. Now i checked the top of the engine and the camshaft is dry no oil is getting up there. I think the running rough is because the hydraulic lifters need oil in them to run properly but there not getting any.
Someone has told me that i have put the head gasket on the wrong way but i am 100% sure i put it on the right way. im going to strip it and check anyways though. But what else could it be?

[X-PAC]

also the oil light is on when i get it running

[carter147]

it sounds like your head gasket has been leting water into one ov the cylinders for sum time hence the smoke . but has got worse since you drove it.prob runing on 3 clyinders hence the noisy tappets check head gasket when you strip car . if its just gasket you will have break in gasket between piston and water port .

[zozz123]

best to take it apart and check it all and check oil pump in the sump compress air clean
all and clean all check book then putting back together good luck

[X-PAC]

lol carter read update, car should be running fine but it isnt there is no oil getting in to the head to lubricate lifters etc. i have taken the head of and the gasket was on the right way. ANy tests i can do to diagnose why its not getting oil up there? Head is of again , anything i should check?