[Williamcorsa]

Hi guys, i'm having a slight issue with my project car. Its a 98 corsa b with x10xe engine as some of you may know from the projects section. Today i was out letting it tick over and noticed that within litterally 5-10 minutes the waterpump gets really hot. I felt the radiator hoses and they where still cold aswell as this i dipped my finger in the coolant bottle and it felt look warm. Is this a sign that the waterpump needs to be changed? The reason i ask this is because i think i may have a headgasket issue as i have a coolant leak but there isn't any obvious signs, theres slight emulsion on the oil cap but the car doesn't get any drives at all. there isn't any on the dipstick and no oil in the expansion tank?.

 

[taurus]

It may only be that the thermostat hadn't opened by the time you checked it. 5 - 10 minutes is a bit vague. From cold hold the thick pipe running from the water pump & thermostat to the radiator. It ought to remain cold due to the 'stat being closed. The water pump will get hot though. At some stage the pipe should noticeably warm up as the 'stat opens.

 

[Williamcorsa]

Sorry, it was started from cold and within 5-10 minutes the waterpump was really hot. I could only hold my finger on there for a second or two. I've also forgot to mention an oil leak there is on the drivers side of the engine i think this may be comming from the rocker cover gasket. I've heard a leaking timing cover gasket can cause a coolant leak if the waterpump gasket is leaking. Is there anyway i can tell if this is the case? Its just i don't think its a headgasket issue as there isn't any of the typical headgasket signs.

 

[gb33]

I've also forgot to mention an oil leak there is on the drivers side of the engine i think this may be comming from the rocker cover gasket. I've heard a leaking timing cover gasket can cause a coolant leak if the waterpump gasket is leaking. Is there anyway i can tell if this is the case? Its just i don't think its a headgasket issue as there isn't any of the typical headgasket signs.

If the timing cover gasket behind the water pump leaks, then you will lose coolant into your oil.

If the timing cover gasket leaks along the edges, then you get oil leaking out the exterior between the timing cover and the engine block.

If the water pump gasket leaks, then you get coolant leaking or dried coolant residue on the exterior timing cover around the WP depending on how bad it is

If the rocker cover leaks, then you get oil running down the side of the engine wherever the leak is.

Generally, the signs that you need to change the waterpump is:

• if you've got coolant leaking into your oil but you've work out that it isn't the HG;
• if its making any noise (squeak, grinding, rattling, etc);
• is weeping coolant out of the weep hole (bushing/seal is worn out) or from the water pump gasket;
• and/or you're having problems with the engine running hotter than normal (water turbine isn't spinning or is severely erroded).

Note that the thermostat is supposed to open at 92 degrees, so its not at all unusual for some parts of the engine to get slightly hotter than that -- easily hot enough to burn yourself or cook an egg.

 

[Williamcorsa]

Wow, thanks for that comment. What way can i ensure 100% that i'm not dealing with a headgasket issue? I know its diffidently the rocker cover thats leaking. also can i change the waterpump and gasket without removing the timing cover?

 

[gb33]

Wow, thanks for that comment. What way can i ensure 100% that i'm not dealing with a headgasket issue? I know its diffidently the rocker cover thats leaking. also can i change the waterpump and gasket without removing the timing cover?

You can get a compression test done at a garage, or buy a tester for £15-25 from Ebay and do it yourself. If all cylinders are relatively the same (both wet and dry test) then you can be 99.9% certain that the HG is fine. There's loads of videos on youtube showing how to do a compression test.

Regarding the water pump, yes you can replace it without doing anything to the timing cover. When the WP is off, visually inspect around the water passageways that go through the timing cover into the engine block to see if the timing cover gasket looks to be intact.

If the timing cover gasket seems fine around the water passageways, then you just bolt the new WP on and go from there. If the timing cover gasket is damaged, then you would want to remove the timing cover to replace the timing cover gasket before reinstalling the new WP.

 

[Williamcorsa]

Thanks for the comments guys, i've ordered a compression tester and will post back with the results. From what i understand to do a wet test you feed a small amount of oil into the combustion chamber and crack the engine over?

 

[taurus]

Thanks for the comments guys, i've ordered a compression tester and will post back with the results. From what i understand to do a wet test you feed a small amount of oil into the combustion chamber and crack the engine over?

Yes - dry test first, then wet, and compare the results.

 

[Williamcorsa]

Hi guys my compression tester came today and to be frank its a pile of shit lol. I done a dry then wet test results are as follows.

Cylinder 1= 25 psi dry and 225 psi wet
cylinder 2= 50 psi dry and 165 psi wet
cylinder 3= 75 psi dry and 125 psi wet

I don't think this compression test is good at all due to the fact is looks and feels very cheap and cost £9.50 posted lol. I also done this on my friends car x12xe with very similar results bearing in mind his car has 65k on it and is running 100% fine.

Once everything was back together i started the car and it was smoking quite a lot which i expected due to the oil in the combustion chambers however after around 15 minutes or so the EML came on and the car started misfiring, is this normal? Also i think all the burned oil may have clogged the EGR valve? would this cause it?

Cheers for any input guys.

 

[taurus]

£9.50! You tend to get what you pay for, so I'd suspect it's pants.

I'd try cleaning the plugs first of all - could simply be oiled up.

 

[Williamcorsa]

First thing i tried mate.

 

[taurus]

OK - well I wouldn't expect the oil to clog the EGR valve, but no harm trying to clean it. A stuck EGR will cause a misfire - can you read the fault code(s)?

 

[small9918]

Get a gunson compression tester from halfords, cost me about 20 quid the last time I bought one and never had a problem with it. First one I smashed by dropping it. Still worked fine I just like my tools looking nice a shiny so I bought a new one.

 

[Williamcorsa]

I can't read them no taurus, however if i knew which one i needed to buy i would xD, would you be able to recommend one on ebay that would work?

Cheers

 

[Williamcorsa]

Will this work on my car?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-...iagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item4171aa031c

 

[taurus]

Will this work on my car?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-...iagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item4171aa031c

I've not used that kit - it ought to but I can't give any personal experience of it. The guy I buy from is http://op-com.weebly.com/

He is not the cheapest - but he does give good aftersales support. Sometimes people find it tricky to configure and he offers a remote installation service. If I remember right he also helped someone on here who uses a Mac - which you won't get off an ebay seller.

 

[Walksall]

Even with this, what sounds to be a cheap and nasty compression tester, I get the impression that you have used too much oil for the wet test.
You only need about a desert-spoonful BUT what you need to ensure is that you get it around the EDGES of the piston and not flood the whole of the piston area with oil.
The idea is that the oil forms a temporary seal, rather increases the compression ratio.

Regards.

 

[Williamcorsa]

If thats the case then i've used quite alot lol, what damage would this have done?

 

[HighlyJetted]

Using a compression tester to check for head gasket failure is a bit vague.

To test for head gasket failure you use a chemical block test kit like this:-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Block-tes...iagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2a27fba9b0

How ever cheap your compression tester is, if you get the same results if you repeat the test that says that the gauge must be working ok.

Compression can be down for many reasons, not just head gasket failure, thus why it is not an accurate test for head gasket failure. For some example causes of low compression - valve(s) could be damaged, hydraulic tappets could have failed, you could have a hole in the piston, and yes the head gasket could have failed.

Using your finger as a temp tester for the water pump is a bit vague too, but if your main coolant hoses stay cold while the engine is properly up to temperature, then the causes can only be:-

The thermostat is stuck closed - take it out and test it in a pan of hot water over your cooker.
There is not enough coolant in the actual system stopping the coolant from circulating.
There is a blockage in the system like the radiator is full of rust/scum
The blades have rotten off the water pump, or the drive belt is missing.

Hope this helps.

p.s. too much oil could break a rod, or smash a piston, but I doubt it, if it did, you would know about it with a bang! It also hurts catalytic converters and lambda sensors.