Amazon: failing to start

[superspod]

hi, thank you all so much. i went out today and checked the fuel pump as i had a similar trouble before due to an air bubble, took off pipe, was trickling but quite regularly (i have no concept of what to consider normal) looked at filter looked clean. looked at spark plug very carbon rich but looked normal otherwise and was dry. looking to see if it could be anything else i took off the oil filler cap and there was the "mayonaise" i have heard others talking about (i cleaned it off) so wondering if it could have anything to do with that.
thanks again,
cameron

[Burdekin]

Sounds most likely a head gasket then I'm afraid

[superspod]

Originally Posted by Khe Sanh

Sounds most likely a head gasket then I'm afraid

what would that mean if it was the head gasket? what sort of prices would it be to change it professionally or would a relatively new person with no previous engine work be able to attempt it and it work? could it be anything else considering there has been a considerably large leak from the thermostat holder and its not kept anywhere dry? would it also almost be worth getting it fully refurbished whilst i was at it?
thanks,
cameron

[222s]

Do a compression check before assuming it's the headgasket. Engines like this with sheet metal rocker covers often end up with some condensation inside the rocker cover, which then creates that 'mayonnaise'. The presence of some on the oil filler cap does not automatically mean that the head gasket has gone.

[Burdekin]

You'll need to pull the head off and check if it is okay, flat and not cracked. It might need to be skimmed. How far you want to go with reconditioning the head/engine is up to you. Cost shouldn't be too bad as it's not really a big job.

The leak from the thermostat might have been the issue, maybe you've run the coolant down low and overheated the engine?

I'm sure some of the other guys will be able to offer advice for you as well.

[superspod]

hi everyone,
thanks again for the answers as of tomorrow i will recharge the battery, test the spark plugs, open the rocker cover up and check the gasket and oil for more 'mayonaise' call my garage and ask them what it might be or how much it would cost to change the head gasket (in the worst case scenario) and attempt to persuade my mum to get me a compression test kit (any recommendations for good cheap ones?). if it were the gasket, how long would it take to change and any tips or trick? (i have been going through it in the haines manual to try and picture it). it should be noted that on thursday my dad drove it five miles home and it stayed cold throughout (quite a cold day + new radiator + 5 bladed plastic fan) and it misfired a few times although the choke was out the whole way. someone also mentioned easy start spray- what is that and how is it used?
thanks again for the support,
cameron

[Faust]

Sounds like you're having fun!

The first thing is to try and get your engine running - follow the advice you've been given and you should be able to sort this. Bear in mind that if your HG has gone, you'll never get the car to run 100%.

Before you condemn the HG there are a couple of things to check: most garages these days can do a 'sniff test' where they can check for hydrocarbons in the coolant system which would point towards a dodgy HG. This test should cost around 30 quid.

When the car was running did it use lots of oil and water? If so, the HG may be gone. Is there any mayo in the coolant system as well as the oil? You mention that she didn't get up to temp correctly; has this always happened or is it a recent development? (might just be an airlock in the coolant system of course).

As these engines are easy to work on, I'd imagine a decent garage (small independent places) should charge about £250 for labour, so if your HG has gone it's not going to be the end of the world. Any decent home mechanic should be able to do it though - few years back I did a 2 L Capri HG (pinto engine so not that dissimilar to the B18/20) in an afternoon.

[superspod]

thanks, ill look into the hydrocarbon test. i dont know about oil or water since i never was really able to drive it due to not having a license however it did start on the first turn before it went to the garage and it did start after changing the radiator. it should also be pointed out i dont know my skill level since i have yet to do anything yet that technical
(the biggest being new radiator) however everyone has to start somewhere. but £250 seems alot better than some of the prices on other forums ($800-$1100) but thank you so much,
cameron

[asneddon]

If you want to do the head gasket yourself (and it turns out you need to, dont take that as a given yet), then you will need a few tools. The main one would be a torque wrench. You would also have to set your tappets afterwards, which needs a feeler guage and can be a bit of a black art.

I've done dozens of HGs over the years on different cars. The pushrod engines are pretty simple because you dont have to worry about timing up your cam afterwards etc.

I would say your problems are probably down to sitting for a while and a just servicable battery. All the winding to get the fuel to the carb doesnt leave much juice to fire it up. You need to learn the choke you car needs to start, and when to push it in (Mine is 3/4 to start, then back to about 1cm out after I get to the end of my driveway).

Dont worry about the mayo just yet. Get it going, drive it till its nice and hot (at least 30 minutes), then have another look. If its really bad you probably want to change your oil and filter, but thats not the end of the world.

[Volvorama]

Had a quick read of so far.
Head gasket failure is very rare on standard B18/B20. I even had one with a broken off head bolt that was fine.
Mayonaise more likely due to it not warming up. My drive to work is 5 miles and even on cold days in a 131 I'm off choke after a mile. This is a Swedish car and they usually warm up rapidly, even the all-iron engines. As others have suggested, just get it running better first.

Easy start is a spray can of ethyl ether which is very flammable. You spray it in to the air inlet whilst or just before cranking the engine. It tells you what to do on the can.