Suspected head gasket failure 1.4RT

Hi I am a new to this forum.

I have a Mk1 (1993) Clio 1.4RT that is exhibiting symptoms of a failed head gasket i.e. coolant loss and emulsion in the rocker cover/oil filler cap. I had it in to the garage yesterday & they have tested for a head gasket failure (gases in coolant & compression test). They concluded that there wasn't a problem with the gasket (to my amazement!!!).

Is anyone aware of other problems with these engines (e.g. cracked block etc) that may cause such symptoms or alternatively can standard test procedures for head gasket failures not be relied upon to give the correct diagnosis? Are there any other tests that can be done to check head gasket integrity?

Any advice or guidance will be gratefully received.

is it overheating at all?take out the spark plugs and check the colour of them.
how much coolant is it going through over what kind of timescale?check everywhere for sings of leaking.the mayo in under the cap could possibly just be condensating

is it overheating at all?take out the spark plugs and check the colour of them.
how much coolant is it going through over what kind of timescale?check everywhere for sings of leaking.the mayo in under the cap could possibly just be condensating

Mark

Thanks for your reply. No the engine is not overheating. Will check the plugs when I get a moment. What should I be looking for, will the Haynes manual spark plug photos show me or should I look for something different?

With regard to coolant loss, it appeared drop about 1cm (half an inch)from the maximum line on the expansion bottle on a 140 mile trip. Mayo was cleaned from oil filler cap prior to trip and is back again.

I am contemplating the use of Holts Wondarweld, has anyone used this product? The instructions make me slightly nervous as they say if there is water in the oil & the Wondarweld makes its way into the oil it could be catasrophic for the engine!! Might not be a good idea. Any views would be welcome.

Thanks

Rich

i would stay away from the wonerweld for now you don't want the possiblilty of that complicating fualt finding.i would top up the coolant or put a mark on the filler/expansion bottle when it cold,i would then try and take it for a good drive and check the coolant level when the engine has once again cooled down.
the sparks plugs is just a general check to see the condition,ideally they should be a sandy colour but if their is headgasket problem their may well be evidence on the plugs so let me know what you find.
the gunk can be causes by condensation and by blocked oil breather systems.which would not be a big job

Mark

I have been monitoring the coolant level and it appears to be going down by about half an inch (15mm or so) in about 150 miles (240 km).
Still generating mayonaise in the oil cap.
Someone suggested the possibilty that a gasket or seal at the bottom of the wet liner may be leaking, have you come across this before?
I have not yet had the spark plugs out, when the weather warms up a bit perhaps.

Rich

i would try an get one further test done a cylinder leakage test,it isn't a big job and may be able to tell if its craked internal,a compression test will only give a maximum reasing.
if this shows up nothing i suggest some colouring for the coolant to check for leaks. check every hose for any signs of water or clips for corrosion and let us know

Just an update for anyone who may have been following this thread, in the hope that it may be of use.

We replaced the thermostat, the radiator cap and when it started leaking, the radiator (includung a back flush of the cooling system)! Still no solution, in fact water consumption went up.

No choice then we took it to our local garage as we really suspected the head gasket. They stripped the head and diagnosed the problem quite quickly. Corrosion of the mating surfaces of the head. I believe that the origin of the problem was poor maintenance by a previous owner who had let the coolant deteriorate to such an extent that it had no corrosion protecttion properties left (as witnessed by the junk we got out of the cooling system when we flushed it).

So the moral of the story is change your coolant on a regular basis, once every 24-36 months and it may save your engine.

I hope this will help someone out there.