Brown Colour on oil filler cap

I just checked the oil in my mk1 clipper 1.8 to find the inside of the filler cap is a light browny colour, any ideas ? i also noticed its on the dip stick when i check that, the car is running fine and the heaters are working fine as well, any ideas ? think its been a while since it had an oil change

see pic below

Looks like it could be coolant to me  :dontknow:

Would be worth doing a compression check, as well as trying to work out if the engine is burning any oil or coolant, just to rule out head gasket failure.

that amount at this time of year is more than likely just condensation in the oil sump. but if your worried do a compression check.

do i need a special tool to do a compression check ?

yes.
a compression guage.

They're not too much,try here

kwik fit just told me the cyclinder head gasket has gone all they did was look at the water which was low and the oil on the dipstick.

How much am i looking at for repair to the gasket ?

i wouldn't trust anything that kwik fit say!!!!!

i'd be tempted to try another garage

if it was the head gasket how much would i be looking at to repair or do you have to replace ?

the thing is the car runs fine - temperature sits at around the middle, heaters blow nice warm air, car runs fine

take it somewhere with a clue. and never darken the door of kwik**it again.

Are you doing lots of short journeys ?

is it ok driving the car till i can get it to the garage ?

would a garage charge a fortune to repair ?

is there a proven method for 100% knowing if its the head gasket ?

Kwik Tit would not change the oil while i was there, should i change the oil myslef and see if it goes back to the funny light brown colour ?

just doing 10 miles to work and back monday to friday then in the garage for the weekend

If they open the engine up and find the head gasket needs replacing is there a high chance the head will need skimming or is the head cast iron/steel on the mk1 clippers ? (E Reg)

I wouldn't drive it if you can help it, just in case.

There's no one test, but a combination of tests you can do. You need to do a compression test as mentioned, and it would be worth checking the coolant for exhaust gasses too.

If the head is warped, it will definitely need skimming, though it's probably sensible to do so anyway once it's off.

Take it to a small, independent garage that you know has been around for a while, they'll be much more up front that kwik tits and more willing to help you out. Tell them what the problem is, and ask them to do both of the above, then take it from there.

what do you think ?300 from an independant garage for skimming and replacing gasket (including labour) or am i being generous ?

got to agree, first thing is to find a garage that you can trust,

if you can't find one of them it may (i say "may" because it is what i would do) be worth taking it to an independant garage (not quickpits) and just asking them to check it as you  want to do the work "YOURSELF".

they are less likley to try and pull a fast one if they don't think they are getting anything else from it.

and as for the cost…..well…..get lots of QUOTES, NOT estimates.
could be anything from ?300 to ?600.

i was quoted about ?700 for the corsa but they also would replace the cam belt and kit as well as the water pump. etc.

i done it myself with all original vauxhall parts for ?400.
and i replaced everything i touched, including the battery (wasn't included in the price from the garage.)

sounds good, got a good local garage who has done lots of head gaskets. Dont mind paying if it keeps the little mk1 clipper on the road.

can the head warp so bad it can not be skimmed and needs replacing ?

also can the garage quote the work without taking the cylinder head off ?

and finally

can a garage do the work in a day ? really need the car

gixxermenace said

 can the head warp so bad it can not be skimmed and needs replacing ?

i suppose it can, but if the car is running fine i wouldn't have thought its that bad, it could be a cracked head to causing the leakage, but even that can be fixed.

gixxermenace said

also can the garage quote the work without taking the cylinder head off ?

they can quote for the work that they are going to do, they usually say it will be between ?X if it al goes well, or ?x ifwe get loads of stuck bolts etc.

gixxermenace said

and finally

can a garage do the work in a day ? really need the car

a day shouldn't be that hard if they get ALL the bits berfore they start.

i think i would be able to do my own on my 1.8 8v carb in a day. thats by myself and i'm not a mechanic.

hope this helps

gixxermenace said

sounds good, got a good local garage who has done lots of head gaskets. Dont mind paying if it keeps the little mk1 clipper on the road.

can the head warp so bad it can not be skimmed and needs replacing ?

also can the garage quote the work without taking the cylinder head off ?

and finally

can a garage do the work in a day ? really need the car

Unless the engine has severly overheated I don't see how the head can get warped and would have thought you could get away with just fitting a new gasket but I think garages often urr on the side of caution and get them skimmed anyway. If they do then a thicker gasket ought to be fitted, otherwise the compression will be greater.

I think most garages will have the skimming done by a specialist as they have the machines to do it