1.6 Serious Water Leak (need Help/advice Asap)

[Guest shiftyshuffle]

Hi all.

 

Just got hold of a 1.6 G-plate GTi with 155,000 on the clock. Haven't picked it up yet as it's far away, but has a couple of engine problems which need sorting for it to be driveable..

 

Right, the car starts almost immediatley from cold, oil pressure is good on the gauge and rises with revs. However when water is poured into the reservior (engine running or not) right to the top, it gushes out in two streams about an inch apart side-by-side, from somewhere below the intake manifold close to the block. I couldn't see very far in below the manifold while i was looking at the car so don't know exactly where it's coming from - could it be a split hose/crack in the block/destroyed water pump from this location? There are no bubbles in the reservior when running.

 

Also when its driven in the space of time there is water in the reservior, it runs fine for 3mins then it gradually begins to run on 3 cylinders/misfires and loses power as the water streams out. It also won't idle without throttle assistance at this time. Don't know if this is to do with the leak though.. Warning light/stop light eventually illuminates though the engine dosent seem too hot..(deep breath)

 

One of the HT leads was very frayed so replaced that with one from a R5 GTturbo and seemed to run better.. Its unpredictable though, one minute it pulls well on 4 cylinders then misfires and won't idle..

 

Also the small breather tube on top of the oil filler has snapped off (= no breather) - would this affect running? Also mayo in oil filler though its been stood for a few weeks so i guess normal.

 

Could it be the core plug or coil causing this? Do you guys think it sounds electrical or to do with the water leak?

 

It has a great shell though so couldn't let it go and im sure it can be fixed for not too much, just hope it's not the gasket

 

Need help before i can drive it back and start tinkering!

 

Cheers, Rob

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The water pump is at the cambelt end of the engine so any leaks from the front if the bock won't be due to this imo.

 

Check the underside of the throttle body for the two water pipes that should be fitted to it, if they are left off then it'll leak from them. These are the only pipes anywhere underneath the inlet manifold. This obviously doesn't rule out the split pipes or cracked block though.

 

AFAIK there aren't any core plugs in the front of the block.

 

Just because its been stood doesn't mean there will be mayo in the pipes, may will only get there from running for short journeys at tis time of year or a dead head gasket & not from it not being used

 

The broken breather wouldn't effect its running very much at all so I doubt its causing any of the problems.

 

The bad running / misfiring could be the coil, ht leads, dizzy cap, moisture on any of the afore mentioned items or something totally seperate (head gasket).

 

Graham.

[jord294 92]

i would say intake manifold gasket

[kyepan 291]

there is also a small possibility it could be corrosion on the front of the block, ie a hole. some of the waterways pass very close to the surface. if the intake manifold has to come off off to do the gasket, if you do clean up the front of the block and check it for leaks.

 

alternativly, jack it up, fill it with water and get a little pocket mirror (or a toothbrush one from boots) and some decent light underneath to try and spot the source. it might be worth giving it a clean first.

 

but you need to get in there and find out where the leak is coming from

 

J

[Guest shiftyshuffle]

Thanks for the input guys

 

The water isn't trickling out and running down the block (ie. like a waterfall), its shooting out in jets like a hosepipe as though being forced out of a hose under slight pressure (like water through a punctured inner-tube) so i think it might be the throttle body hoses.

 

Are head gaskets easy/expensive to replace on the XU engine?

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

The water isn't trickling out and running down the block (ie. like a waterfall), its shooting out in jets like a hosepipe as though being forced out of a hose under slight pressure (like water through a punctured inner-tube) so i think it might be the throttle body hoses.

 

Are head gaskets easy/expensive to replace on the XU engine?

I agree that the throttle body hoses are the most likely cause from your fuurther description of the leak.

 

Head gaskets are particularly hard or expensive & on an engine thats done 155k there is a good risk one of the head bolts snapping when you start taking it apart which does make it something more of a ballache as you need to get the remains out & fit a helicoil to the block before you can rebuild it which is easier with the engine out of the car & with a decent engineering workshop.

 

Graham.

[Guest shiftyshuffle]

sweet maybe i can just get some waterproof tape on the pipe when i next see the car and hope it gets me back to brighton..

 

then ill replace the leads, coil, thermostat and spray some damp start on the dizzy etc and see what happens..

 

if it dosent run sweet then ill know if its a less common electrical problem or a gasket faliure!

 

cheers rob

[sussex_gti 0]

Good luck with the leak! Nice to see another one kinda local to me. If your intrested, im fitting an mi16 to my gti in 2 weeks, and will have a good 1.9 8v engine, gearbox and ecu for sale.....pm me if you wanna know more.

[welshpug 1,657]

amusingly enough I had what sounds to be the same leak, it was the pipe from the expansion tank to the throttle body.

 

I hunted around Newcastle under lyme for a motor factor that could sell me some pipe that fitted the tank, and I pushed in a section of the old pipe onto the takeoff and the new pipe over the top and a jubilee clip on top to secure it.

 

bled it up and drive 150 miles home to Cardiff

[Guest shiftyshuffle]

cheers thats awesome. gotta get under the car and check all those cheeky hoses.

 

that 1.9 sounds good, are they much different to the 1.6's? ive heard theyre a bit lazier, more like a modern engine from a larger car.. I like the screaming, high revving engines that spool up real quick - my old 205 XS was a good example of this effect, it sounded much more powerful than it was with a straight-thru backbox! always popped and spluttered on the overrun too .

 

Do the 1.9's feel much quicker than the 1.6's as standard? the 1.6 seems only a bit more pokey than the XS, though the difference is definitley there.

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

sweet maybe i can just get some waterproof tape on the pipe when i next see the car and hope it gets me back to brighton..

If it is a split pipe then you can remove the two which go to the throttle body & connect directly from the thermostat housing pipe to the expansion tank but if its just they aren't connected for some reason, a couple of jubilee clips might see it fixed. You'd need to take the throttle body off but thats just three 11mm nuts & disconnecting the throttle cable & switch plug to fit them easily.

 

The throttle body heating isn't needed in the UK (I don't have it plumbed in on my car & haven't had for a few years now) & with global warming its even less likely you'll need it.

 

Graham.

[Guest shiftyshuffle]

The throttle body is heated!? man i didn't realise these engines were so complicated..

 

I guess without heating the fuel/air mixture would be denser before entering the manifold thus increasing power?

[sussex_gti 0]

The engine would make perfect sense! But i would say that, i'm trying to sell it....The engine is alot more torquey, but as you say doesnt quite rev as well. although i think my ecu may have been played with, as the rev limiter has been raised slightly, and seems to rev really well.