astra water in oil

[bruce greetham]

My wife's astra 1.6 8v inside the rocker box there is always the white mayo condensation i am a mechanic by trade on lorrys all the vauxhall's i have owned this is the first one that has done this it is slightly better on a longer run,it does not loose or use any oil or any oli in the header tank the water level is very constant and the engine temp is always correct.do these engine's suffer with bad condensatoin or is the head gasket on the way out , would be greatfull of any help.
Bruce Greetham

[mmcleo11]

Head gasket is a common fault on them. However, they are also known to crack the head and seep water into the oil around the rockers under water pressure.

[Boroboy]

Originally Posted by bruce greetham

My wife's astra 1.6 8v inside the rocker box there is always the white mayo condensation i am a mechanic by trade on lorrys all the vauxhall's i have owned this is the first one that has done this it is slightly better on a longer run,it does not loose or use any oil or any oli in the header tank the water level is very constant and the engine temp is always correct.do these engine's suffer with bad condensatoin or is the head gasket on the way out , would be greatfull of any help.
Bruce Greetham

Bruce,
This is a common problem with the Astra 1.6 8v's, I own one too. Your temp gauage should go up to half way within 3 miles or so. If not you'll need a new thermostat. Sounds an easy job. Unfortunately the timing belt has to come off to change thermo. If changing thermo, good time to change timing belt kit & water pump.
If your car is getting up to normal running temp, the the mayo will collect on short journeys, but should completely disappear on long ones.
Also if your car is running cold, once thermo changed, you will notice an improved difference in cars performance & better fuel economy.
I changed the thermo, timing belt kit, alternator belt & water pump on my 2000 Astra 1.6 8v when I bought it 15 months ago. Has ran Sweet as a nut since.
This engine is usually bullet proof, not the fastest car in the world, but normally very reliable.
George.