Vauxhall Corsa 1.4 16V Sport - head gasket

[ndtaylor15]

I have a W Reg 2000 Corsa with 40k miles on the clock. Just been told by the garage that the head gasket has gone. Anyone know if this is a common problem with Corsa's? Can't believe that such a major part has gone after such a short number of miles. From a not very happy Corsa Owner!

[rdv]

not common to my knowledge but at 7 years old could be due to corrosion if the correct coolant has'nt been used. thats also a low mileage is it genuine

[ndtaylor15]

definitely genuine mileage - unless vauxhall have fixed the service history when i bought it. Also its always been serviced at Vauxhall garage so i would hope they had the correct coolant. Its a fab little run about otherwise. Any ideas on how much this could cost to repair?

[david1702198]

if it is the older 8 valve engine then yes it is a common problem, i had to repair mine on an astra. is there emulsified oil on the oil filler cap im guessing??

[rdv]

The title says 16v. Emulsion inside the oil filler cap is caused by cold running ie short journeys or failed thermostat, the stat problem is quite common. Some engines suffer emulsion probs more than others particularly where the cam cover is directly in the cold airflow

[ndtaylor15]

Yes its a 16V. No emulsion seen on the oil cap. Garage said they think the coolant has leaked into the cylinder but are quoting �800 to fix. Only reason I took it into the garage was because the engine was running very hot on the way home from work after being ok. No hot air was coming through the air vents either, no smoke or steam or noises. Hoped it could have been a temperature sensor - I should be so lucky. Only problem for past day was it 'chugged' abit on start up for the first mile then ran ok.

[david1702198]

the title does not say 16v. and emulsified engine oil is not caused by a failed thermostat. short journeys with condensation not evaporating in side engine maybe ill give you that. emulsified engine oil is caused by moisture in the lubrication of the engine which usually occurs inside the camshaft cover where the oil and moisture is mixed by the movement/rotation of the camshaft.. it has nothing to do with cold airlow whatsoever, well certainly not in my 10 years of repairing cras anyway.

[david1702198]

the only way moisture can be inside is either a failed head gasket or moisture not being evaporated quick enough in short journeys as rdv says. emulsified engine oil on most vauxhall engines (particularly the older 8 valve engines) is common.

[rdv]

sorry david, the title DOES say 16v. with your eyesight i wouldnt want you repairing my car. i stand by my statements regarding the formation of emulsion

[woodchopper]

Maybe a compression test would show up a leaking head gasket ?

[rdv]

occasionally a comp test will show it if its bad enough, a more accurate test is a gas detector in the radiator header tank

[ndtaylor15]

Hi, thanks for the replies. The test the garage did was to put a cylinder with blue liquid onto the cooling water cylinder. This liquid turned yellow - which apparently means that CO2 gases have gone into the water, which means the head gasket has gone. Fed up is an understatement, especially since I only had the car serviced and MOT'd 3 weeks ago. Vauxhall have been no help at all only saying well its 7 yrs old and these things happen. In my mere opinion I think its cr*p.

[david1702198]

well rdv i would stick to the day job because i dont think you know too much about cars.

[rdv]

well David thats your 3rd incorrect post on this question alone perhaps you should give up your day job and learn to read. A course in civility might also be helpful

[betterdays]

the gasket has just gone on my corsa although mine is an r reg 98, i still think �500 to fix it is a bit steep! from another unhappy corsa owner

[ndtaylor15]

Gonna close this now cos it seems to be a place for rdv and david1702198 to argue - which was not the intent of the posting but instead to see what people knew about Corsa's and failing head gaskets. Have got rid of the corsa and buying a new car instead - but not a Vauxhall I may add. Good luck to betterdays with their Corsa, the dealer I got my serviced at said �800 to fix, so even though its expensive �500 sounds better. I've since heard that once a head gasket goes it may have a tendency to go again later so beware.

[nkj]

I have just found out that I too have a head gasket gone mine is 1994 (M) 1.4 auto and only done 29654 miles genuine (was my late fathers car) my garage is going to renew head gasket, skim head, new timing belt, and service, you all know the stuff,
and the cost �350+vat
So all in all I am quite chuffed, thanks guys.
I think my problem is as one of you said, short, cold trips.

[Honey]

I have a corsa 1.4 petrol 2007 model and have just found out today that my head gasket is leaking as there was emulsion inside the oil filler cap and on the dip stick. I don't thrash my car (too much!) and feel that this is a little soon for this to be going wrong. Could anyone tell 1, if there is a work shop manual coz i cant find one for a 2007 model, and 2, if I need to take the engine out to change it or could it be done in situ? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you. Suzy