UKH

Looks like the girlfriends car has a slowly developing head gasket leak, coolant loss and some mayo in both coolant and on oil filler. 

Has anyone got any experience, positive or otherwise, with products that claim to fix head gaskets simply by adding said fluid to the coolant? 

The car is a 2010 Corsa 1.2, very low miles but potentially driven lots of short journeys.

Thanks,

Gethin.

I've tried once.  Went for the most expensive product in Halfords to give the best chance of success.  It did not end well.  The problem got noticeably worse.  Ended up trading in the vehicle for another one.

How far gone was your engine when you tried the repair?

I used Steel Seal on a 1.4l Corsa, it seemed to do the trick; was certainly worth trying at £40 (?) which is a bit cheaper than the many £00s to get a head gasket properly changed. But, because it was part of a chain of problems I decided to get rid of the car - We Buy any Car obliged (low hassle, reasonable price and no guilt at not providing information if they - as supposed professionals - can't be bothered to ask).

Interestingly, according to the DVLA (I've just looked), it hasn't been taxed since then (a year ago).

I think it was pretty bad so probably beyond what the treatments are designed for.

I've used Wondarweld before, and I'm fairly sure it was responsible for a slew of engine problems that started quite shortly after I used it. I read about it and it's ilk fairly extensively beforehand, and whilst it can work effectively, it seems it can also clog your engine up quite thoroughly if you're unlucky.

I'd use it (as I did) on a car that I'm quite happy to take to the scrap heap if it didn't work, but if not one that I would consider repairing properly if it didn't work.

Well thanks for the replies.

On a positive note, it seems like the Corsa 1.2 engine of this model is prone to generating a bit of mayo in the filler cap if used for lots of short journeys in cold climates due to condensation build up.

This doesn't however explain the residue in the coolant header tank but gives me some hope that it's not the head gasket, because having seen the palaver of taking the head off this engine with it being a chain driven cam and having an engine mount passing through the middle of the chain line, I really don't think this is one I'd attempt myself and the a garage would charge not far off the value of the car I fear.

I'm going to head out and get a few test done to investigate.

I used a repair fluid on an MG ZR/Rover 25 (engines are prone to head gasket failure). It did work temporarily, think it gave me another month or so before it went fully. Never got a chance to look at the gasket unfortunately as it went to scrap yard.

Years ago I " helped" a friend change a head gasket. We spent the best part of a weekend on it, convinced ourselves the head wasn't warped and so didn't need skimming, got into a pickle with the cam belt timing etc etc. The gasket blew again about two weeks later. Moral of the story: engines don't take kindly to amateurs pulling them apart. 

It might not be the head gasket? It could be the water pumps rubber seal / timing cover which perish and allows water to enter the sump .

It's very common on this engine  l believe , will need checking by a mechanic but still a biggish job

Years ago I tried to replace the head gasket of my old Mini on the back lawn.  I had no idea.  A tiny girl in a micro blue bikini gave up sunbathing, climbed over the fence and did the whole job.  No further trouble.

I've found that they can provide you with a bit of time to get the job done properly at your convenience.

However I would not regard any of them as a permanent solution and if the gasket totally fails before you replace it they seem to cause a whole load of grief.

Bite the bullet & get the head off. It’s a great apprenticeship into the mysteries of the ICE

I had the same symptoms with my Toyota last summer. A local mechanic confirmed that it was definitely the head gasket but they weren't prepared to change as they didn't have the resources for such a big job. 

I did a lot of phoning around and the quotes for replacement gasket varied from £1100 to £2000. Assuming the engine wasn't buggered as well. 

The cheapest quote was (amazingly) a Toyota main dealer. Not cheap but they have to basically dismantle the head so it's quite a big job. They sent me photos of the engine strewn across the floor! 

So all sorted now. I didn't feel comfortable selling it with a known problem and letting some poor sod have an immediate big bill. 

Good luck!

The problem with these fluid fixes (and part of the reason I sold after using) is that they may work as per all the hype - but how much confidence do you have that it's not going to go again (or go even worse).

Enough to do a day trip climbing? Enough to do a 200m each way trip? Enough to rely on the car being there for an occasion when you MUST have it available?

Once you start thinking like that you realise how much you rely on your car - you may of course be in a fortunate situation where it doesn't matter - e.g. if it wasn't worth much and was the 2nd car in a family then go for it - very little to lose.

The head on an old Mini was pretty easy to take off: no timing belt or anything else to worry about.

Don’t rush into any head gasket repair until you are fairly confident that you actually have a problem with it. Getting it confirmed by a reliable mechanic is the most cost effective action you can take with this type of fault. 

Checking for combustion gases in the coolant bottle is an early part of any HG diagnosis along with checking for any increase ( usually excessive) in the cooling system operating pressure ( using a pressure gauge not by removing radiator cap with engine running!!!!).
 

Head gasket failures are less common these days but not impossible. 
 

The Mechanic 

Thanks for the info. I was thinking about this option. The only issue I have is finding a reliable garage as we've recently moved to Leeds and don't know who's good.