z22xe running problems

[jimbo1977]

hi my 2.2 cdx Z22XE has been chilling in the garage through the very hot weather , took it to garage to sort out the slight blowing from the cat-manifold joint . nice and easy however , on checking the oil i found that it had gone milky so did oil and filter change straight away , did the gasket on the exhaust joint finding it didnt make any difference when done as .015 feeler guages still fit through the gap and i didnt have any type of paste so will need to redo . on driving back to bed , is running like theres oil in the plug wells ( they are bone dry been checking regularly ) and there also seems to be a sloshing sound !!! the only other thing i did that day was connected the after cat sensor as i noticed that was unplugged .. im leaning towards doing the head gasket ( which i want to do anyway at some point so i know its good ) as it seems to have been drinking coolant as well . i know it could be running like a sack because of false pressure readings at manifold due to leak ... ive also got new cam sensor and coolant valve ready to go on as i thought loss of coolant was the valve at the back . i will redo the exhaust with paste ! and switch out the cam sensor and water switch ( is it hbv valve or something ) . has anybody got any other ideas as what the issues could be ? im 60% sure its a head gasket job even tho only on 67000 miles it has been used for towing .

iyl do the minor possibles first then if need be crack on with the head gasket .

[dave the builder]

Sounds like the head gasket ,pressure test the cooling system and find out  .
if it is the head gasket then the other jobs can be done while it's apart for the head gasket 
otherwise you are just wasting time, oil, coolant and sealant 

[jimbo1977]

hi dave , thanks for the reply  unsure if i can do pressure test as header tank has got a small split in near the cap , again making me think its HG with hot gasses  entering the cooling system and its been doing the bubbling up at times when ive taken the cap off , possibly damaged the tank ? like i said i want to do the HG anyway so i know its good , kits already here for that ive just got to order new cam belt n water pump hopefully will get it finished just in time for MOT in october . im wondering if its had that K seal stuff put in at sometime  guess i will find out soon

thanks .... richard

[Doctor Gollum]

The tanks fail for the fun of it. Which won't be helping the coolant temp management.

Without being able to pressurise, the coolant will boil off.

[dave the builder]

Replace the header tank ,then do a pressure test
or even JB weld it to test the system while you source another tank
procrastination  - working tomorrow for a better today 

[jimbo1977]

hi just a update , time and weather were against me so i let my local garage do the HG , after having a final look myself after a run and taking the plugs out no 3 had water in , pretty conclusive ! also had water pump / CB and gubbings replaced . the only slight running issue now in a hairline crack on the top of the exhaust manifold . MOT due soon needs new arms , d & p all round and few other smalls , also been advised to scrub and repaint the sills . thanks for help and advice guys will post again soon