Buying a second hand AX 1.4 Diesel - What to look for?

Keith J · Post by **Keith J** » 10 Oct 2008, 17:03

Hello. I am going to look at a 2nd hand 5 door AX diesel tomorrow for a friend. I have read that the head gasket can be an issue on these. Anything else I should look out for other than the usual general stuff?

Post by **Peter.N.** » 10 Oct 2008, 23:22

Check the cooling system for pressure. Look around the water filler and see if there are any signs of water having been blown out. Remove the filler cap after the engine has been running for a few minutes, there should only be a little pressure, if it blows water out, the head gasket is probably leaking. First check if there is antifreeze in the system, you can do this by dipping your finger in the water (when cold) and tasting it, it should be quite sweet. If there is none there is a good chance that the gasket is leaking and has blown it all out and its just been refilled with plain water.

Keith J · Post by **Keith J** » 11 Oct 2008, 10:51

Thank you for the reply.

deian · Post by **deian** » 11 Oct 2008, 18:41

I was going to suggest the cooling/head gasket too. I had some back luck with a pug 106 1.4d (same engine).