Motoring Discussion > Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure
Thread Author: Robin O'Reliant Replies: 10
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 13:04 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - Robin O'Reliant
I think the head gasket is on the way out on my Astra. The coolant recently needed topping and today I noticed (very slight) traces of mayonaise on the filler cap, which leads me to suspect the worst.

The car is a '97, 93k and otherwise runs fine. Viable repair on a banger, or should I start looking on Auto Trader?
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 13:10 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - RattleandSmoke
Is this an 8v engine?

Its not worth repairing really unless you can do it yourself, you can try some of that seal stuff if it is a short term fix but it can cause other problems like blocking cooling ports.

You can get a sniff test done at a garage where they will do a test to see if any combustion gases are in the coolent, its how I got my Corsa confirmed.

The mayo might just be due to short runs, ave you done a lot of short journeys lately?

The mayo on my Corsa was about 2 inches thick and you could put a bucket under the exhaust there was that much water coming out the back of it.

From what you say I wouldn't jump to a HG conclusion yet, give it a good run and see if the mayo disappears. My old Fiesta often had mayo, the head gasket was fine but the car was hardly used and that is what caused it.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sun 12 Feb 12 at 13:12
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 13:55 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - Zero

Keep it running till it goes bang. My guess is you will still be running it this time next year.

When the weather warms up, check for water leaks, specially the pump.
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 13:58 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - Robin O'Reliant
>>
>> Keep it running till it goes bang. My guess is you will still be running
>> it this time next year.
>>
That's cheery news anyway, at least it gives me time to pick something else up. Buying used cars is such a time consuming fag, a nightmare if you need something in a hurry.
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 14:48 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - Bigtee
The 8v engine is prone for over cooling the mayo is normal on this engine if you do short runs and particular this very cold weather.

The leak might be something else like a simple hose or a weeping core plug, a pressure test will show the leak the hydro carbons test will show if the head gasket has gone.

Still if hg a cheap repair.
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 15:50 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - spamcan61
Easiest check for HGF is to remove the coolant header tank cap, with the engine cold, and then start the engine and watch for bubbles in the header tank as the engine heats up; if there's none after 5 minutes I doubt if the head gasket has gone. Don't stick your eyeball directly over the 'ole in case it spits out hot coolant, like my Omega did when it had HGF.
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New Sun 12 Feb 12 17:37 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - corax
>> The coolant
>> recently needed topping and today I noticed (very slight) traces of mayonaise on the filler
>> cap, which leads me to suspect the worst.

Sometimes you'll get this on the oil filler cap at this time of year anyway, ditto inside the dipstick tube due to condensation.

Just keep an eye on it - it may be OK.

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New Sun 12 Feb 12 21:02 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - -
Agree with the others, just keep an eye on it and listen out for signs of a slight misfire from a cold start when an offending plug might be damp.

Is there an engine breather that might need a blow out with the air line?

Unless the car is poor condition i'd be inclined to fix it in the warmer weather if it gets worse, devil you know and all that.
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New Wed 22 Feb 12 20:05 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - Robin O'Reliant
Just to update, turned out to be a hairline crack on the aluminium thermostat housing. According to the local Vauxhall dealer this is not uncommon on Astras of that age.
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New Thu 23 Feb 12 07:41 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - Bigtee
There you go cheap easy repair and no head gasket in sight.

Did they pressure test it or could you see the crystals forming from the dried coolant?
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New Thu 23 Feb 12 13:37 
 Vauxhall Astra F - Suspected head gasket failure - jc2
On my Fiat,I found the connection on the back of the carburetor was blocked-when I cleaned it out and refitted the pipe,my mayo problem went away.
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