207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

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goatie
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207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by goatie »

hi folks
my daughter has a 207 1.4 16V 06 reg, with 60K on clock, I checked the coolant the other day and it was not showing in the expansion tank, so I topped it up, she went to drive work but car breakdown with water temp in red and dash display saying stop (only driven 5 miles from home)
I towed it home and found a leak from the bottom of the thermostat housing gasket
but on taking the oil filler cap off it is full of "mayo" and there is "mayo" in the rocker box breather pipe which goes to the air intake
so think it has a blown head gasket, are there any ways to prove it before I try to repair it (or get a garage to repair)
I've do a few single cam fords and fiats before, but never a twin cam, just a few more bits to setup I guess
has anyone done one of these? any tips please
it seems like it will need head skimming or a recon head, luckier daughter is on holiday for 3 weeks soon,
only had car a few months, it was ok when we got it, and she only does about 6-8 miles each way to work every day, I was hoping the "mayo" would be due to the short trips she does, but I think it must be a head gasket
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by myglaren »

It could very well be condensation causing the 'Mayo'. A few people at work get that regularly in winter due to short trips.
A good run to get the engine full up to temp gets shot of it.

A lot of garages have a 'sniffer' that will detect the presence of hydrocarbons in the coolant, confirming head gasket failure.

The loss of coolant could of course have caused overheating and gasket failure.

Welcome to the forums, sorry it is in such dire circumstances.
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by goatie »

thanks for quick reply,
from my first view there seems to be too much mayo for it to have happen due to the failure of the thermostat gasket (I would put up a photo of the gasket but can't see any attachment buttons)
my thoughts on the thermostat gasket is that is just blow that morning on her way back from town, she had been to town came home for a few hours, I then checked the oil/water levels (first time I've checked them for months, saw the expansion bottle empty, so topped it up, she then went to work and that is when the car stopped,
so I'm not sure if its a head gasket failure or hopefully the short trips have caused the build up of the mayo
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by Peter.N. »

Head gasket leakage does not of itself cause the engine to overheat, what does is excessive pressure in the cooling system blowing the coolant out of the overflow or filler cap. Having fixed the leak refill the system being careful to get all the air out and try it again, if its still blowing coolant out you have a leaking gasket.

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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by goatie »

I'm wondering if when I topped up the coolant (before she left) caused the blow out
the car had come back from a 5 mile run from town about 40 mins before, so was still warm when I topped it up, it took about 1/2 a lt of coolant maybe a bit more, to get it up into the level of the expansion tank, it stayed at the level so no big leak at that time, I did not bleed the system, maybe I trapped some air in there and it got pressurized and blow out the gasket ?
still thinking that there must be a leak from water to oil in the head gasket to produce the mayo in rocker boxes
ordered a new thermostat housing, just wondering do i fit it, and then check for head gasket failure or do i just do head gasket ?
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by Peter.N. »

Mayo, as mentioned is usually a result of short journeys on a cold engine, is there any trace of it on the dipstick? Head gasket failure is usually caused by the engine having been boiled so if this hasn't happened its possibly OK.

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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by goatie »

Peter you raised my heart a bit saying possibly OK
its my daughters car and she does journeys of about 8 miles each way, not much travel and she does not drive fast
oil on the dip stick looks ok
the rocker box breather pipe is cracked allow air from outside to be sucked into the air intake, that would reduce the air being sucked out of the rocker boxes
just got a Haynes manual to look at, so not sure what to do--- do I put on new thermostat housing "carefully top up" and see what happens or do I just go for a new head gasket/recon head etc, yes I know its a lot of money but if I take 1st option need to be sure its ok and she won't breakdown again
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by myglaren »

Personally I'd take it for a long gentle drive and get it thoroughly warmed through and see if the mayo decreases or increases. Being vigilant for overheating of course.
If it decreases I'd then give it some beans and see if this produced any negative results - if the gasket's gone then it is gone but if all is OK then you have saved a lot of work and expense.
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by goatie »

thanks, when the new thermostat housing arrives, I'll fit it and let the car warm up in the drive first (just in case) then try a drive, just need to work out where to go in the worst happens
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by CynicalMonkey »

Just curious to know what happened in the end with this.

My girlfriends car has (Or had) the exact symptoms (207 / 1.4 Sport / 58k miles).

We had a coolant leak and traced the leak to the thermostat. Replaced the housing, drained the system fully, refilled it and everything seemed ok for about a week.

Lost coolant again recently, topped up and again, it seemed fine. A week later, we got the temperature warning light occasionally after 10-15 minutes of driving but turning the car off and on seemed to solve the issue - We assumed it may be a dodgy thermostat or an airlock.

Checked the oil filler cap and there was a small amount of mayo - Also some in the breather pipe at the top of the airbox.

Have just taken it to the garage where they pressure tested the engine. The car passed when the engine was cold however, when warm, it was misfiring with coolant on 1 cylinder.

New headgasket, new seals all round, head skim, water pump, cambelt, replacement coil pack and new spark plugs all being done at the same time - All in cost of £790 which I thought was pretty reasonable considering the amount of time this will take.
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by CitroJim »

CynicalMonkey wrote:Checked the oil filler cap and there was a small amount of mayo - Also some in the breather pipe at the top of the airbox.
Same as in my daughter's 1.4 207... That one always does long journeys and still generates a little mayo..

It uses no coolant at all, which is more an can be said for it's oil... It uses plenty of that...
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by goatie »

still a little mayo in the cap, but its got the dreaded oil leak from the head gasket, (by the alternator)
it was ok when she was only doing short trips (8 miles) but she now has to go to Nottingham uni once a week, its easy to tell it has an oil leak
changing head gasket was something I would have done without think a few years ago, but age has caught up with me, so now have to think about spending £700-800 on repair or get sell car and put that money to newer car for her
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Re: 207 1.4 16V head gasket probelm i think

Post by CitroJim »

Sadly, they all leak from there :twisted: I have never yet seen a TU engine that doesn't Only a problem when it's really bad..

My youngest Daughter graduated from Nottingham Trent this year.. Lovely Uni in a very lovely city. I really rather love Nottingham...

Why do you drive to Uni when the public transport in Nottingham, especially the trams, is so good?
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