Oil Temp - Worried!!

[Chris J]

Hey, not really sure what to do.

When my car went to have the bonnet catch replaced and they did the safety check they said there wasnt much oil in the engine and the head gasket could have gone. But they put 30 litres in and everything was ok for a while

Just driven to a friends house and on the way there, if i put my foot down at all hard the oil temp gauge would just rise ridiculously, then as soon as i took my foot of the gas it would fall just as sharply. And then sometimes it would rise even if i was in neutral and stay really high.

Also I got the warning lights (the STOP and the oil one with stop written in it).

Im really not sure whats wrong, just checked the dip stick and its in line with the minimum bit.

What do you reckon is wrong with it? Will i be able to drive home?
and any ideas on how much fixing it would cost.

could it have anything to do with the induction kit i have fitted?

any help appreciated

 

[-Leigh-]

Um...

Oil temp gauge in a Dynamique? 30 litres of oil? Err...

 

[Chris J]

lol 3* litres


and im talking about the next to the petrol gauge?

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

30 litres of oil ? hope that's a typo.

OIL light means lack of oil usually ? Seconded with the dipstick on min...

Thoughts .. anyone ?

 

[Chris J]

the dial at the top on the right is the one that randomly goes reall high




in the manual it said that the light meant the engine temp was to high and that i should stop and leave the car on idle for a few minutes until it dropped

 

[-Leigh-]

the dial at the top on the right is the one that randomly goes reall high




in the manual it said that the light meant the engine temp was to high and that i should stop and leave the car on idle for a few minutes until it dropped

That's water temp gauge mate.

 

[172bagss2]

That's Water Temp mate!

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

That's water temp .. not oil temp sir !!

Check the coolant levels.... (and don't take the radiator cap off if it's as hot as i think it is lol)

 

[Chris J]

ohhhh lol, sorry

i knew it was the temp of something haha
ill check the coolant level


any idea what could be causing it?

 

[-Leigh-]

ohhhh lol, sorry

i knew it was the temp of something haha
ill check the coolant level


any idea what could be causing it?

Most probably lack of coolant. Maybe a leak, or it just hasn't been topped up in years.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

I'd guess lack of coolant (split hose / radiator ) or dead water pump.

 

[Chris J]

cheers mate, ive had a right mare describing the problem loll

hopefull that'll sort things out

but the oil thing also worried me, if he topped it up just a couple of weeks ago, i dont get how the oil has gone down so quickly to the min? do you reckon that could be to do with the coolant?

 

[caister]

sounds like a blown headgasket to me.

 

[Chris J]

:-( thats what renault said when they saw the oil levels etc

a mechanic is coming to check it out tomorrow

 

[OllyTB]

If the water temp rises when you put your foot down it is likely to be head gasket, as you put the engine under load the cylinder pressures increase and force hot combustion gas into the coolant increasing it in temperature. If it rises when in neutral then i'm assuming you're stationary, you have no airflow ver the radiator reduce the coolant temp and so it rises, as for the oil level dropping, if you let the engine cool down and take the coolant cap off and find it has a creamy substanc eon it, that'll be where your oil has gone. Since oil pressure is higher than coolant, when the gasket goes across an oil/water gallary it migrates into the water and creates a thick goo in the coolant system.
That would explain the oil consumption and behaviour of the temp gauge! I bet my left bollock on i tbeing head gasket.
How many miles has the car done? this could be caused by either a primary failure of the gasket or as mentioned earlier as a result of a dead pump etc that's allowed the engine to over heat in the first place.
Sorry to be the barer of bad news but i hope this helps!

You should always check your oil and coolant weekly as a minimum and more if you do high miles!

 

[Chris J]

just went past 63,000 miles

how much is a new headgasket going to cost on a 1.2 around?

 

[ben_r1]

Parts are cheap but labour is gonna cost you i'd imagine.

 

[OllyTB]

depends on the damage, if the head needs skimming it'll be alot more, plus you need to flush the coolant system. Best get the mikanic to have a look at it the gasket and bolts aren't the expensive bits it's as mentioned above, the labour and potential head damage.

 

[gtruk]

head skim only 40 quid more....so not really a problem

 

[Beef-Mc]

Check to see if you haven't got a leak o the thermohousing, mine went there and the boy that came out to check the car just went straight for the headgasket. 3 months later and a bit of sillicone and I'm happy again.

 

[Chris J]

^^^ Yep, mechanic said exactly that. He is coming round on sat to change the thermohousing etc.

Gna keep checking/filling up the coolant til then and it should be ok apparently


cheers for all the help guys. So happy im not gna have to fork out loaads just yet

 

[caister]

What did he say about the oil though?