1.9 engine problems not starting now

[nickynewnew]

i was driving along the other day and had a sudden loss of power then the engine died.
i was waiting for someone to help me and i tried to start it and it fired back into life.
after driving it about a mile it did this again.
when i got it home there was no water in the coolant container.
i filled the water up and now it wont start at all!!!!!!!!

have i blown the head gasket / cracked the block

is there a way to replace the cylinder head gasket without removing the engine?????

[Ian Hulley]

i was driving along the other day and had a sudden loss of power then the engine died.
i was waiting for someone to help me and i tried to start it and it fired back into life.
after driving it about a mile it did this again.
when i got it home there was no water in the coolant container.
i filled the water up and now it wont start at all!!!!!!!!

have i blown the head gasket / cracked the block

is there a way to replace the cylinder head gasket without removing the engine?????

Which 'coolant container' ? The one behind the number plate or the real header tank in the engine bay ? Refill the system and bleed it correctly (instructions in the wiki) Was the red light flashing on the temperature guage ? What was the needle on ? Was the heater warm/cold ? Any sign of oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil ?

Ian

[nickynewnew]

the coolant bottle in the engine bay it has no signs of oil in this but have only just filled up i have checked under the oil filler cap but no white to indicate water
when the problem happend the tempreture outside was -11 im not sure about the gauges the missus was driving it to work because of the snow/ice

[Ian Hulley]

And the red light ? That should've been flashing. If you continue to drive with any of the red lights on you need to sell the van before you get seriously hurt, this is not a 5 year old Vauxhall, this is a 20-odd year old classic vehicle.

Ian

[nickynewnew]

yes she tells me now that it was flashing but didnt think anything of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!
ive just found the sensor on this bottle has been pushed completly out of its thread i think this may have been frozen i had put anti freeze in as recomended but it was really cold!!!!

[Ian Hulley]

Sounds like you need to refill and bleed it properly and see what happens. Could be an expensive lesson methinks. Like I said it's NOT a 5 year old Vauxhall, you just can't ignore the (very few) warning lights on these vans.

Ian.

[fall-apart-dave]

^WHS^

You may well have done some serious damage. Most likely I would have thought would be a cracked head, do you have a compression tester? Brace yourself for the worst, and then when it turns out to be not so bad you'll feel better.

[fall-apart-dave]

Do you have access to a compression tester..?

[Ian Hulley]

I have blown the head gasket or cracked the block

You don't have a 'block' you have a crankcase and 2 heads. Do you have a Haynes manual ?

[kevtherev]

don't have a head gasket really either, more of an O ring

[Ian Hulley]

don't have a head gasket really either, more of an O ring

May I suggest you buy a Haynes and pay to have the engine compression tested. It sounds from here (I don't know how far because you haven't bothered to fill your profile in ) like your wife has cooked the engine and at least knackered a head.

[fall-apart-dave]

don't have a head gasket really either, more of an O ring

May I suggest you buy a Haynes and pay to have the engine compression tested. It sounds from here (I don't know how far because you haven't bothered to fill your profile in ) like your wife has cooked the engine and at least knackered a head.

This.

*E D I T*

Also, as mentioned, you don't have a "block" you have four barrels bolted to a crankcase, two on either side, horizontally opposed. Atop each pair of barrels is one cylinder head. You need a Haynes manual if you are going to start tinkering, but if there is a headgasket then you are talking a couple of hours labour to change the head out, another hour or so to take the engine in and out, for a mechanic who is familiar with the job. Factor in another couple of hours if he is new to the job, and add to that the cost of a head or two if they are cracked. Either way, a compression test is required first and, if the compression is down on any of the cylinders, the head has to come off, there is no way around it matey.

The good news is with a Haynes manual, a good basic tool kit and a weekend with a steady mate or two to help there is no reason you cannot sort this yourself.

[Ian Hulley]

Sadly these times are wildly optimistic. The exhaust has to come off and that can involve all sorts of horrors involving snapped studs, the cooling system has to be split and drained, again all manner of unpleasantness can occur.

You'll want to replace the clutch while it's out.

Ian

[fall-apart-dave]

Sadly these times are wildly optimistic. The exhaust has to come off and that can involve all sorts of horrors involving snapped studs, the cooling system has to be split and drained, again all manner of unpleasantness can occur.

You'll want to replace the clutch while it's out.

Ian

Good point, despite me talking about head gaskets I was thinking air cooled times, never done a flat 4 water pumper before. Done plenty of type 1 and type 4 motors though, couple of A series and a chevy V8 though