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[leomcd]

Hi,

My 2002 Omega has been off the road for a couple of weeks now. My mechanic has told me that the Head Gasket has gone and is quoting me £800 to fix which I can't afford yet so thinking of selling up for bargain price and getting something else. However, I have been advised to post the symptoms here and see if I can get a better idea of what is wrong... so here goes.

Firstly, if it is the HG then is £800 a reasonable figure? I know that HG failure can be misdiagnosed, and I told him this and asked if he was DEFINITELY sure. He still said yes.

Symptoms:

Misfiring on cold starts (back in Nov/Dec) but soon cleared up after 5 mins or so.

I was filling the coolant level up about once every 2 weeks back in November... and this started to get more and more frequent up until the point a few weeks ago where it would take 2 litres a day (by this point just water! no antifreeze).

Back in January, the misfiring got worse and worse and would occur when driving along with a warm engine. The only way to resolve was to pull over, turn off the ignition, and then start up again. Just revving it didn't seem to help.

I can't see any obvious mayo on filler cap or dipstick.

Have had to top up oil a couple of times since November.

Can't see any obvious oil in expansion tank.

Can't see any obvious leaks to explain all the missing water.

The expansion tank does smell of petrol though.


Would head gasket failure account for the misfiring as well as drinking the water?



So thats about it, sorry to be long winded but I am not too hot on mechanics!..... any ideas welcome!


Cheers,

Leo

[Proz]

When the head gasket went on my first mig you could see the bubbling ( dont know the technical term ) up in the header tank .... looked like boiling water even when cold it was bubbling so much  :-/

[ians]

£800 sounds a lot for a 4 pot.

Water leaks are often the HBV which is not easy to see and leaks depending on heater setting.  Its round the back of the engine, high up, drivers side. Try shining a torch in there and looking for signs of moisture/residue.   Try with the engine running and different heater settings (hot/cold, AC on/off).   You may find any leak evapourates off the exhaust so nothing visible under the car.

Misfire - have you tried pulling plug leads off/ removing coil pack (not sure is 2.2 is drive by wire?). Either way you are looking for oil in the plug wells which could be leading to breakdown of the plugs, leads, coil packs etc.

Just trying to eliminate the usual suspects before diagnosing expensive work.
Obviously a gas test on the exp tank and or compression test would be the next step.

[leomcd]

Ians,

Thanks for the advice.

I will get a friend of mine who is much better at tinkering etc. to help me this weekend and have a good look at the HBV to see if I can identify any leaks. If it is a dodgy HBV presumably thats a job I could ask my friend to help me with rather than go to a garage?

With regards the misfiring - I have been round all the electrical connectors I can see and given them a wipe and inserted back in properly, but no luck. Haven't got as as far as coil pack/plugs etc. Will do this weekend.

Compression test? how is that done? Is that a job for mechanic?

Thanks again,

Leo

[Proz]

As for the HBV when i looked from behind the drivers side road wheel and up towards the gearbox i could see it dribbling coolant down ... very common for these to go  

[leomcd]

Thanks Proz!  

[ians]

HBV wouldn't explain the misfire though, but a prolonged camcover oil leak could.  Both are very common.

[leomcd]

What would a camcover oil leak look like? and if it was that how do I fix it?

Cheers

Leo

[ians]

Here you go..
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1225024176

Remove the black Ecotec bit and the coil pack.  Then have a look in the holes - you should see the top of the spark plugs dry, no oil.   If they are bathed in oil, you have a leak which means you need to replace the seal per the guide.  Over time the oil will cause the plugs and possibly the coil pack to breakdown, potentially causing a misfire.

Change the plugs as a matter of course - in fact may be worth doing this anyway for the sake of a few quid.

[philhoward]

When the head gasket went on my first mig you could see the bubbling ( dont know the technical term ) up in the header tank .... looked like boiling water even when cold it was bubbling so much  :-/

Mine wasn't that bad but used 3-4 litres of water per 35 miles journey.  Did see the bubbles in the header tank quite clearly though - about the same rate they surface in a glass of (insert favourite carbonated beverage here) which increased when a few revs are applied.
Another quick test - when cold, loosen the cap to release the pressure, then re-tighten.  Start the engine.  If after 30 seconds you have a pressure build up (i.e. when you remove the cap again) then its 99% sure the HG...

[fudy]

dont know much about omegas but had the heads go on two of my cars and both times there was bubbles in the header tank!, if your still unsure you can get a chemical test kit from most auto stores or a garage will test for around a tenner..

[feeutfo]

any water or mayo in the oil? does it have a milky or thin look to it? Check the dip stick.

[tunnie]

sounds like HG failure to me, water is getting into the cylinders and causing the miss fire when cold.

£800 is too much, should be half that!

[leomcd]

I have had a good look at the car this morning with my mate who knows a lot more than me and he reckons it is the HG afterall. I went through all the things above re: HBV and coilpack/plugs and the water test.

Mayo has appeared on filler cap and dipstick, white smoke out of the exhaust, bubbling water in header tank, the empty header tank stinks of petrol.

Trying to get some more sensible quotes now!

Oh, and now the plastic moulding on the side of radiator has sprung a leak which wasn't there before..... any suggestions?

Thanks for all the advice and help from everyone - I was beginning to get really hacked off with this car but think I will fix rather than sell now.

Cheers,

Leo

[Proz]

It certainly does sound like the HG ... i had mine done for about £450 including the timing belt  but that was over a year ago but £800 is way to much .... shop around or maybe someone on here may help if near enough to you