Big trouble in little china?

[Biff]

Just like to pick your brains boys. Today I've noticed my header tank has Oil in the water. It was clean when I checked it but the car has been run up a few times while tinkering. There seems to be no water in the oil though & when we checked the oil cooler going into the rad but the water seems to be clear. We have ran a compression test but all seems fine.
Has anyone had this problem as I'm beginning to think I have a broken water jacket in my head gasket as this would account for the splutter at full throttle. Absolutely gutted, its a big job to get the head off & will definitely put an end to me getting it road worthy.
It just seems strange its in the header tank & pretty clear everywhere else.
Any help greatly appreciated from a very sad Welshman.

[Biff]

Road worthy before the first I mean. Lol

[M-R-P]

Is there any way it could have gotten in there while tinkering with the car?

How much oil is there, a little oil goes a long way when water is involved. (just ask BP lol)

[stephenevans99]

Normally when there's oil in the water, the water pump mixes it up and emulsifies it into that thick, creme coloured gunk that every Rover owner is so familiar with.

Get some pics up.....

[T5frankie]

new radiator

[Biff]

It's a §§§§ty brown chocolate milkshake colour, it reminds me of when my head gasket went on my Astra gte 16v. My mechanic mate reckons it could be the rad as the oil has gone up & oil normally is heavier than water. Lol
As Frankie says the oil gets cooled in the rad, there is no mayo on the filler cap & a spot at the top of the dipstick. I'm hoping it is the rad, much easier to fix & cheaper.
I'm afraid I couldn't take pics as my iPhone has decided it's power hungry like its owner & died. I've cleaned the header tank out today & it went the same after a while. I've put anti freeze in it & retired for the night.
I can get some tomorrow though.

[Biff]

No I'm afraid water couldn't have got in there, I've not messed with the water.

[T5frankie]

its either the radiator cos the oil cooler is on it or the head gasket, so if its keeping to normal temp and not boiling up it will be your radiator, ive had an 850r with the same problem, it was porbably sold to you like it

[T5frankie]

Normally when there's oil in the water, the water pump mixes it up and emulsifies it into that thick, creme coloured gunk that every Rover owner is so familiar with.

Get some pics up.....

ive had 6 rovers and never had a head gasket go

[stephenevans99]

You must've been blessed by the baby Jesus.

[Biff]

I had a rover & the head gasket didn't go, in fact it was the toughest car I've owned, 2.0tdi & ran on everything oil like. Lol even beat Saxo VTRs when I wound the actuator out. Good days!
I'm going to take the rad off tomorrow & get it pressure tested. I just got a "I told you so off my mechanic mate" hopefully we'll be laughing.
Thanks for your opinions boys, I don't feel as gutted now.
Fingers crossed!

[Biff]

It stays normal temp when being run. No white smoke etc.

[T5frankie]

I had a rover & the head gasket didn't go, in fact it was the toughest car I've owned, 2.0tdi & ran on everything oil like. Lol even beat Saxo VTRs when I wound the actuator out. Good days!
I'm going to take the rad off tomorrow & get it pressure tested. I just got a "I told you so off my mechanic mate" hopefully we'll be laughing.
Thanks for your opinions boys, I don't feel as gutted now.
Fingers crossed!

still a crappy job cleaning all that gunk out

[T5frankie]

You must've been blessed by the baby Jesus.

mostly t16's usually crappy rover electrics that went time after time

[Biff]

Crappy job but lot less hassle than removing the turbo exhaust, etc etc head skim, new gasket etc.
I'll flush it with a hose pipe & its having a new water pump when the belt gets done. Just hope the rad can be repaired or isn't £300 like I've seen some.

[Jamest5r]

Think Frankie's right again on this one mate, the rads and cooler that runs up the side have been known to hairline cracks in them and new rads are only about 100 quid :)

[Biff]

Sweet, if they're £100 I can get one this week. Really glad I joined this forum, thanks for the help.

[Jamest5r]

http://www.gsfcarparts.com/parts/cooling-heating/cooling-system/radiator

[MIKESC70T5]

That was a funny film with Kurt Russell wasn't it?

[Biff]

That's the film yeah. Lol Cheers for the link!

[jotter22]

That was a funny film with Kurt Russell wasn't it?

When i saw the thread title i thought that and even watched it yesterday!

Tony.

[Biff]

Good film as I remember it? Lol

[T5frankie]

I have a Rad in my garden

[Biff]

Thanks for the offer mate. Think I'll be buying new for peace of mind once I have mine tested. Thanks for the offer though.

[T5frankie]

Thanks for the offer mate. Think I'll be buying new for peace of mind once I have mine tested. Thanks for the offer though.

that ok, mine is from my old gold v70r lol

[Biff]

Lol, I'm hoping after the small fortune I've spent it starts repaying me with grins. I don't mind admitting it got me down today but things could be a lot worse. Think your right though, the lad must've cleaned the header out when I went to view it.

[T5frankie]

Lol, I'm hoping after the small fortune I've spent it starts repaying me with grins. I don't mind admitting it got me down today but things could be a lot worse. Think your right though, the lad must've cleaned the header out when I went to view it.

he probably thought that it was the head gasket

[Biff]

I know I thought that, crafty get. I've not left him feed back yet. On the ad he said it was awd, 130000 miles & bet he thought that gasket had gone. Thing is I could probably split it for what I originally paid & I'm not really bothered about the prop being missing other than the drag off the rear axle. I was after a ph1 t5 manual anyway. Lol

[WOODY T5]

my car was doing this mate turns out it was the cooler in the rad but i did think it was my head gasket

[Biff]

Cheers woody, you boys have put my mind at ease. I'm up bright & early to tackle it. So glad if its not my head gasket.

[partsforvolvos.com]

the best way to clean out all the gunk after you have changed the problem part is to fill the cooling system with a mix water and non bio washing powder and run it up to normal temp, then drain .- it detatches the gunk from all surfaces really well.

i am not making this up - it is an official volvo recommended warranty approved method .

you will have to do it 4-5 times though until you get rid of most of the sludge.

we used to call this the daz method !

if it was really really bad, then you did have to take off all the coolant hoses and scrub them out in said liquid , but it always saved the high cost of replacing all hoses.



i am going for a cause of either the oil cooler, or the radiator btw .

hope this helps.

[Biff]

Thanks. You have already received my custom & get the feeling I will again. I can see the logic in the hot flush with the Daz method, I'll give that a go! I've not sourced a rad with cooler as yet, I'm dropping the old rad off at a specialist today.