Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 10:08:50 +0100 From: "Andy Hookins" <andrew.hookinsnopsamamnopsamodata.co.uk> Subject: Head gasket failure? - oil and water leaking externally
I have noticed a few spots of oil on the driveway recently and investigation points firmly to the head gasket. Ever since I have owned the car it has 'sweated' a little oil at either end of the 'front' (i.e. exhaust manifold side) of the engine at the head gasket, presumably from oil feed/return channels. This seems to be a 'normal' pathological trait of these engines. Last September one of the radiator hoses failed just as I parked up so I don't think the engine over-heated _but_ since then the oil sweating has dried up at the output (i.e. gearbox) end of the engine, but has worsened at the timing chain end. Oil has run down onto the oil filter fitting and front engine mount (which I have cleaned 'cos I don't want the rubber to perish and the mount to fail). I can also clearly see antifreeze weeping from the head gasket seam just under the exhaust manifold. It's only a slight weep - Resevoir level has gone from max to min once since end of Oct '02 and is currently ~ 1/2 inch below the max level. A million questions follow ;-) Is it likely that the head warped when the radiator hose blew? Can I leave it until it gets worse or is this one of those jobs that is best delt with ASAP? This could be an 'opportunity' to fit a ported head ;-)))) I have vague recollections that this can be done cheaply using the head from an NA 2.3 engine which has bigger ports. I have the 2litre B204 engine. What are my options here? TIA AndyH '94 9000 CDE
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