Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[PaulW]

Symptoms are:

Loosing coolant (about 1litre every 1000 miles, but is increasing)
Feels down on power
Hesitant upto 4000rpm
Complete bugger to start when cold, and then is firing on 5 cylinders, possibly 4, for about 10 seconds and then runs fine.

Since owning the car:
New oil cooler fitted 12 months ago
The HBV was replaced 12 months ago with a new GM item.
I replaced the headertank about 8 months ago, aswell as a new pressure cap too. (both from VX)
Plugs, Leads and Coilpack replaced about February (GM item) - this did not solve missfire.
Since having the car, I've done a complete coolant flush, and the system is now the proper mix (coolant is a nice pink colour) the coolant does not change colour either, and remains pink.
Oil has been changed regularly, but it soon turns black (say after 2.5k miles)

Also, there is an oil leak from between the block and head on the passenger side (originally assumed it was the cam cover gaskets, so I've done them 4 times now, and replaced the cam cover with 2 others (1 second hand, 1 brand new)

Personally, I reckon its heads-off time... although banging in a 3.2 is more appealing (IF I can find one...)

[HNO3GOH]

Symptoms are:

Loosing coolant (about 1litre every 1000 miles, but is increasing)
Feels down on power
Hesitant upto 4000rpm
Complete bugger to start when cold, and then is firing on 5 cylinders, possibly 4, for about 10 seconds and then runs fine.

Since owning the car:
New oil cooler fitted 12 months ago
The HBV was replaced 12 months ago with a new GM item.
I replaced the headertank about 8 months ago, aswell as a new pressure cap too. (both from VX)
Plugs, Leads and Coilpack replaced about February (GM item) - this did not solve missfire.
Since having the car, I've done a complete coolant flush, and the system is now the proper mix (coolant is a nice pink colour) the coolant does not change colour either, and remains pink.
Oil has been changed regularly, but it soon turns black (say after 2.5k miles)

Also, there is an oil leak from between the block and head on the passenger side (originally assumed it was the cam cover gaskets, so I've done them 4 times now, and replaced the cam cover with 2 others (1 second hand, 1 brand new)

Personally, I reckon its heads-off time... although banging in a 3.2 is more appealing (IF I can find one...)

On ebay there is a pair of heads and cams for a 3.2. Would they fit on the 2.5 bottom end.

[markey mark]

i have a set of spotless 2.5 heads and full top end gasket set here paul heads have been shotblasted and cleaned faces checked all ok after £100 the lot !

[feeutfo]

Symptoms are:

Loosing coolant (about 1litre every 1000 miles, but is increasing)
Feels down on power
Hesitant upto 4000rpm
Complete bugger to start when cold, and then is firing on 5 cylinders, possibly 4, for about 10 seconds and then runs fine.

Since owning the car:
New oil cooler fitted 12 months ago
The HBV was replaced 12 months ago with a new GM item.
I replaced the headertank about 8 months ago, aswell as a new pressure cap too. (both from VX)
Plugs, Leads and Coilpack replaced about February (GM item) - this did not solve missfire.
Since having the car, I've done a complete coolant flush, and the system is now the proper mix (coolant is a nice pink colour) the coolant does not change colour either, and remains pink.
Oil has been changed regularly, but it soon turns black (say after 2.5k miles)

Also, there is an oil leak from between the block and head on the passenger side (originally assumed it was the cam cover gaskets, so I've done them 4 times now, and replaced the cam cover with 2 others (1 second hand, 1 brand new)

Personally, I reckon its heads-off time... although banging in a 3.2 is more appealing (IF I can find one...)

Bloody hell, youve been busy, sounds like you know more about the thing than i do but your post makes me think of a couple of things. Water could be from the v, (oil cooler cover plate or t stat housing), hbv, or the back of metal coolant pipe that runs round the left drivers side, rad to back of the oil cooler, right down at the back. Pig to get to. Easier to get at if you do need to take the heads off. Is it worth re torqueing the heads next time you do the gaskits?
Rough running, Oil in wells? You prob. Checked that. Multi rams/ vac system leak. Any fault codes?

[PaulW]

Bloody hell, youve been busy, sounds like you know more about the thing than i do but your post makes me think of a couple of things. Water could be from the v, (oil cooler cover plate or t stat housing), hbv, or the back of metal coolant pipe that runs round the left drivers side, rad to back of the oil cooler, right down at the back. Pig to get to. Easier to get at if you do need to take the heads off. Is it worth re torqueing the heads next time you do the gaskits?
Rough running, Oil in wells? You prob. Checked that. Multi rams/ vac system leak. Any fault codes?

Checked all that the last time I did the cover gaskets, no leaks, all nice and dry.  Forgot to mention, also had a new thermostat done about January, including the coolant feed pipe in the top.  Coolant bridge had no leaks, all the hoses round the back last time I checked were fine, and the HBV has no signs of any leaks :-/

No oil in plug wells (all bone dry), breathers are cleaned everytime the oil is changed aswell!  To be honest, I doubt re-torquing the heads will do much, but I suppose it won't harm to try.   Checked through the service history, and there is no prior history to any head-off work.

Mark, I'm ok in regards to heads, if I can't find a 3.2 easy enough, I'll just sort the heads out which are on it.

[feeutfo]

that silver bugger with the smaller silver one coming off it, ithink smaller one goes to hbv?? anyway,having changed all else i suspected this on myn.

bloody hell that took ages, bed now night night.

[ians]

Was it not HBV after all then Chris?

[Kevin Wood]

Hmmm.  :-/

If it's losing water with no trace of a leak AND it misfires on startup AND problems with the ignition system have been eliminated I'd say it's pointing to a head gasket failure.

I would expect some signs of coolant over-pressurisation or contamination, TBH, but maybe it's not got bad enough yet. It might be worth getting the header tank sniffed for exhaust fumes and perhaps doing a compression test although neither is likely to be 100% conclusive unless it's got so bad that it'll barely run.

Oil leak from the head/block interface also could be head gasket, although unlikely, if the cam covers have been eliminated. Make sure the breathers are clear because I'd say some pressurisation of the crank case would be required to force oil out past the head gasket.

I wouldn't worry about the oil going black though.

Kevin

[trebor]

When mine went, i was topping up with water, had white wispy exhaust for a while, then it went big time!

Tried firing the car up the morning after, took a while for it to start, sounding very rough and firing like you say, 4 or 5 cylinders. loads of white exhaust smoke!

When took heads off, lots of water in the cylinder bores!  Also mayo on filler cap and bottom of the inlet manifold.

oil was brownish yuk!

[feeutfo]

Was it not HBV after all then Chris?

Yep, finished battling with it earlyer. What an  arse those new clips are, the old ones(on cdx) had big tabs on both ends.
My concern with the above pipe was with my pre face 99 cdx not current 3.2. Did oil cooler cover, t stat, hbv, and cdx still leaked. Put bars leaks in it in the end, that stopped it.(bars is fround upon on here koz it can clog your system/ matrix i hear)  but could not help wonder what else could be leaking and had seen mention of the above pipe on here. Corrosion at the joint/weld between large and small pipe iirc. Dont get(understand) the above symptoms, sounds like hg but no contamination to speak of. Could the pipe be spraying the dis area. And the oil be a seperate issue? Tend to agree with kevin tho tbh. Wabooger!

[Gaffers]

If it is the HBV losing coolant wouldent it drip onto the DIS pack which could be causing the hesitation and poor starting?

The oil loss could be from somewhere else.........  

Hope you sort it soon bud!  

[mv6copcar]

Hi mate, get the top end pressure tested. that would tell you if the head gasket is at fault....£80 tops at a local garage (maybe more as some plugs are hard to get to on the v6 range.)
hth