Head gasket blown or not?!

smnb08
smnb08 Posts: 488 Forumite
in Motoring
So I bought a car for my daughter and asked her father to come check it over before we tax and insure it.

He straight away said the car is no good as the head gasket is blown he said that oil in the water coolant means the head gasket must of broken....I go ranting and raving at the garage I bought the car from who rightly ask for a mechanic to come over and confirm that’s what it is.

So a fully qualified mechanic who own his own garage came over tonight....he did all these checks and said the head gasket has NOT blown...that it needs a new coolant fan and relay.

I spoke to my daughters father and told him ild booked it in with this mechanic to do the bits that need doing and he basically told me I’m going to look very stupid when he does the repairs and the cars still broken coz the head gasket HAS gone!

Can anyone else tell me if you can have oil in the water without the head gasket being broken, and being caused by something else.
sealed pot challenge member #920
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Comments

  • Scrapit
    Scrapit Posts: 2,304 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Post
    Oil and water are seperate in a car engine. When they come together something is amiss. It's not the fan. Ever. That said why does the father think there is oil in the water? Is there mayo on the filler cap? How is the oil? Emulsified? How trustworthy is the mechanic? What's the model? Some cars pop gaskets for fun. Rover, I'm looking at you.
  • sevenhills
    sevenhills Posts: 5,875 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    smnb08 wrote: »
    He straight away said the car is no good as the head gasket is blown he said that oil in the water coolant means the head gasket must of broken....I go ranting and raving at the garage I bought the car from who rightly ask for a mechanic to come over and confirm that’s what it is.

    So a fully qualified mechanic who own his own garage came over tonight....he did all these checks and said the head gasket has NOT blown...that it needs a new coolant fan and relay.


    You would trust the mechanic, unless you have a reason not to? Is this mechanic from the same garage that you bought the car from?


    Have you checked the oil, what colour is the oil on the dipstick?
  • EdGasketTheSecond
    EdGasketTheSecond Posts: 2,558 Forumite
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    If you bought from a garage, why not get them to fix the fan and relay if that is a problem?
    Head gasket symptoms are:


    1) gloopy looking coolant (oil in it),

    2) cream on the dipstick;

    3) to a lesser extent, cream under the oil filler cap although that could just be condensation - check after a longer run.

    4) Bubbles in the coolant tank with the engine running/revved up. Don't confuse this with boiling if the fan is faulty. Check for bubbles before the engine has warmed up.


    5) White smoke from exhaust all the time, not just after starting.


    6) Losing coolant with no obvious leak
  • smnb08
    smnb08 Posts: 488 Forumite
    The oil is plain to see on the cap of the coolant, there is very little oil in the car.
    It’s a Peugeot 206.
    My daughters father believes the head gasket has blown because when he had a car and the head gasket went his water filled with oil.

    The mechanic is the son of a friend, very reliable and trustworthy and was also recommended to me by my best friend....he’s going to get everything done as cheaply as possible for me.

    I believe and trust the mechanic but my ex just keeps saying that the head gasket being blown is the ONLY cause of oil going into the coolant.

    I’m not saying it is the fan that is causing it, but it showed tha fan and relay are gone on the diagnostics machine.
    sealed pot challenge member #920
  • smnb08
    smnb08 Posts: 488 Forumite
    EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »
    If you bought from a garage, why not get them to fix the fan and relay if that is a problem

    Oh if only it were that simple....they are ignoring my calls. I would love them to get it fixed!
    sealed pot challenge member #920
  • smnb08
    smnb08 Posts: 488 Forumite
    sevenhills wrote: »
    You would trust the mechanic, unless you have a reason not to? Is this mechanic from the same garage that you bought the car from?


    Have you checked the oil, what colour is the oil on the dipstick?

    I don’t know how to check the oil, I’m a woman LOL
    sealed pot challenge member #920
  • EdGasketTheSecond
    EdGasketTheSecond Posts: 2,558 Forumite
    First Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper First Post
    Well get some oil put in to at least mid-way on the dipstick between low and high mark or you will wreck the engine.


    BTW the head gasket symptoms don't all have to be there, any of them on their own can indicate a blown head gasket.



    How does your mechanic account for oil in the coolant then? The only time I have heard of this when it hasn't been a head gasket is when the water pump impellor ground through the casing and water and oil mixed BUT that is extremely rare.
  • smnb08
    smnb08 Posts: 488 Forumite
    EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »
    How does your mechanic account for oil in the coolant then? The only time I have heard of this when it hasn't been a head gasket is when the water pump impellor ground through the casing and water and oil mixed BUT that is extremely rare.

    Well he said it’s deffo not the head gasket but doesn’t know why there’s oil in the coolant....he said for all he knows some dippy person could of put oil in it thinking that’s where it goes. He didn’t seem at all concerned about the oil in the water and said once he’s done the other bits to it he will do a coolant flush.
    sealed pot challenge member #920
  • Aylesbury_Duck
    Aylesbury_Duck Posts: 13,967 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    smnb08 wrote: »
    I don’t know how to check the oil, I’m a woman LOL
    Learn how to. Then teach your daughter. It’s 2019
  • bertiewhite
    bertiewhite Posts: 1,904 Forumite
    First Post
    smnb08 wrote: »
    Oh if only it were that simple....they are ignoring my calls. I would love them to get it fixed!

    Go see them in person then?
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