Smoking after ticking over for a while

Rather than waste a lot of time and money, if you have the experience (You did a discovery you said) with 120,000miles on it a head service won't hurt, a head gasket set is about £40.
Then you will want the head skimming slightly, maybe another £30-50.

Check the valve seats, and fit new valve seals, change the cambelt and have a look at the waterpump (might be a leak here if it is not maintaining any residual pressure)

kirkynut wrote: What colour is the smoke?

If it were the head gasket and you were burning that much water, I'd expect to see the mayonnaise in the oil by now though.

Kirkynut

I have had cars before when the gasket has'nt failed between and into a oil way, but has leaked water into the cylinders, it only takes a small amount to make white smoke, and the engine will burn that no problems at all with no drop in engine performance.

A compression test would probally show nothing if its only a small leak which it probally is as the runing of the engine appears in this case to be good and therefore the compressions will be up.

Like I said im my earlier post, the only way to be 100% sure is to do a CYLINDER LEAKAGE TEST, that will confirm where the gasket has gone to, or confirm if the head gasket has gone at all!
If you cant do it or havent got the stuff take it to someone who can/has.

Id do it for you mate but i think the trip to the Isle Of Man would cost more the paying somone local to you to fix it.


Steve.

247sniper wrote:

kirkynut wrote: What colour is the smoke?

If it were the head gasket and you were burning that much water, I'd expect to see the mayonnaise in the oil by now though.

Kirkynut

I have had cars before when the gasket has'nt failed between and into a oil way, but has leaked water into the cylinders, it only takes a small amount to make white smoke, and the engine will burn that no problems at all with no drop in engine performance.

A compression test would probally show nothing if its only a small leak which it probally is as the runing of the engine appears in this case to be good and therefore the compressions will be up.

Like I said im my earlier post, the only way to be 100% sure is to do a CYLINDER LEAKAGE TEST, that will confirm where the gasket has gone to, or confirm if the head gasket has gone at all!
If you cant do it or havent got the stuff take it to someone who can/has.

Id do it for you mate but i think the trip to the Isle Of Man would cost more the paying somone local to you to fix it.


Steve.

If there is enough water getting into the cylinders to burn water when it's running, water will still get into the cylinders when it's not running, thus will drain past the rings to the sump over a night and over several nights be enough to create mayonnaise.

I've blown 4 head gaskets with all types of symptoms over the years.

A cylinder leakage test is as good as the seal of the valves.

We are all guessing and none of us can diagnose it on the interweb, hence why I suggest taking it to a good local garage for all the possible tests to be done, pressure or leakage tests on the coolant system to see if it pushes coolant into the cylinders, cylinder leakage test, chemical test of the coolant and compression test maybe.

If it's made clear you only want a diagnosis and you'll fix it yourself, you'll get an honest opinion. Not a guess like we are all doing.

Or if you're happy to do do, you could get a new headset, skim, cam belt, stretch bolts and coolant and water pump for less than £150 and as has been said, just change it anyway and you'll know for sure and that it's all done.

Get the head checked for cracks or porousness whilst it's off.

Kirkynut