mattc85

I will, in the not too distant future be having my timing system replaced. That is:
Timing Chain
Timing Chain Guides
Oil Chain
Oil Chain Guides
Oil Chain Tensioner
(I have already done the Timing Chain Tensioner)

My question is when i'm having this work done and the engine is already (sort of) half stripped, should i have the head gasket replaced? My mechanic says that as its not failed there is no need. but my thinking is that as the engine is on just over 123,000 miles, should i just do it?

On a possibly related matter, i am concerned about the amount of smoke/steam (white) i get out of the exhaust. after some research i have seen one of the possible causes is a failing head gasket. I did some of the recommended checks and found:

I don't have any oil in the coolant
I don't have any coolant in the oil
Air filter is clean (recently fitted a K&N CAI)
The tips of my exhausts quickly get dirty with what i take to be black carbon.

After asking my mechanic, he has suggested that i may be burning oil as i am using (Shell Helix Ultra) 5w30, and that might be a bit thin. He suggested moving to a 40 grade oil and seeing if that helped. I do notice that my oil level drops and needs between 500ml to 1L to get it up to the top of the dipstick (depending of how long it takes me to remember to check, sometimes 4-8 week intervals). The link below shows my exhaust. The car was warm, as i had just got home and the outside temp was between 6-9`c.



Any advice or wisdom you can share is greatly appreciated and please feel free to ask any questions as i'm sure i haven't looked at all the possibilities.

Thanks in advance

Matt.

Trunkz

S2000s are meant to be run on 5w40 I believe. I've chucked Shell in the past (Shell 5w40) and its been fine; ideally stick to something abit better like Castrol Edge 5w40 if you can! Also pre-2004 models are known to burn oil. Not a great deal mind - but in line with how much you are topping up; so if your car is from that era then that may be one explanation.

lovegroova

They are actually meant to be run on 10w30, but most in the UK now use 5w40.

Your symptoms look remarkably similar to mine when my head gasket went - the big test was that the coolant overflowed after some hard driving (track) meaning that air was getting into the system.

It's worth noting that TGM missed the gas in the coolant and said everything was ok. It took a visit to a local mechanic to confirm the problem. Make sure the test is run with an engine that's been left overnight.

You can read the whole saga here: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/uk-irela...blems-1133320/

I had everything replaced but unfortunately, the engine ate itself last year: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/uk-irela...death-1156976/

mattc85

Thanks Trunkz, I'll switch oils when i get the timing system done.

johnckeen

i do about 200ml in 2-3 weeks, its an 03 with 130k. I get white smoke, especially in the cold days, how much does it chuck out when revving a bit?

mattc85

Thanks for the reply, I haven't had any heater/overheating problems. My coolant bottle is on the lower side of the max-min markings and the coolant is up to the filler neck when it take the cap off. Would you suggest getting the head gasket done with the timing system?

mattc85

When i reverse onto the drive i can see quite a bit when i look out the back window. Mine is 2003 model as well.

chrispayze

Don't confuse white smoke for condensation in this cold, damp weather! Might be a fuss about nothing.

mattc85

I know what you mean but it wasn't particularly cold. I think (although not exactly sure) it does this all the time. I got the car last march and am pretty sure i still get smoke/steam/vapor even through the summer. That mixed with the fact my tips get black quite quickly got me worried.

chrispayze

Black tips = running rich. O2 sensor on the way out? Or map sensor?