Corsa C - headgasket failed?

[Nomad]

This landed a couple of weeks ago, the main fault is the water system :
Expansion bottle soon build pressure,
Checking things I've noticed the oil level is *WAY* above the hight mark (more than an inch, which is making me think water is getting into the sump).
It hydro-locks if left for a few days (water then bleeds down to the sump?)

Can anyone ID the motor or know the motor code? It's a TD and I've been told it's an Izusu 1.7 lump.
I started opening things up under the bonnet, I now have the aux belt & top cam cover off.
Now looking for info about timing marks so I can line everything up before removing the cambelt & head.
A guide for removing the head would also be really helpful right about now.

I've been looking for online manuals or You-Toob guides but they're either not easy to find or I'm looking for the wrong thing.

A little bit of background & some suggestions were put up on the recent Corsa-D thread
https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/corsa-d-oil-pressure.143241/

 

[Nomad]

Photos of the troublesome beast

 

[m_c]

IIRC the timing marks just line up, possibly with the use of a bolt.
It's a pre-CDTI version, so engine code will be Y17DT(L/H - depending on power)

Before spending much time on the engine, I'd be having a good look at the condition of the body. Underneath around the rear suspension mounting points/wheel arches, drivers seat mounts, and front strut towers are the usual bits to rust first.

 

[Nomad]

Lots of browsing forums & web yesterday has shown me few common problems that allow oil & water to mix :
Headgasket (head may be ok or may be warped)
Waterpump (I'm not sure how this is possible.... )
Oil-water charge cooler / intercooler (I've seen this mentioned but not located this on the motor yet)

Todays questions:
How do I tell what has failed - hopefully before I dismantle big bits of the motor
Why is the oil so overfilled? (my first guess was it's water in the sump but now I'm wondering...)

The only other big fault is lots of play in the steering, either a loose UJ or the rack needs to be replaced and both are easy to fix @m_c (and knowing the engine code is helping find info, many thanks)
The radiator fan is always on when the ignition is on so I'm guessing it has a history of overheating and the fan switch has been bypassed...

The good news is the rest of the van looks solid (very scruffy paintwork but no real rust)

Edit: this sounds almost identical to my problem (apart from no mention of hydo locking) https://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/threads/astravan-y17dt-coolant-loss-too-much-oil.394008/

 

[Pete.]

Pressurized water bottle and water in the sump is going to be a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Get it running and put one of those test kits in the bottle that turns the marker fluid from blue to yellow if there's exhaust gases in there if you want to be sure but I'd be already getting stuck into pulling off the head.

Think logically. If the oil level has raised in the sump that means extra fluid in there. Has to be either coolant or diesel since those are the only two fluids it has. It's not going to be diesel so it must be coolant.

 

[Robotstar5]

Crack the sump plug enough for it to drip to see if you have water in there.

 

[dave h 2]

An inch of water in the sump would probably put the oil pickup under water.
That said my Jeep dipstick (which should be read hot) reads well over full till the next morning when it reads low, even when the engine has been fed with a measured amount of oil.
Is the Opel fitted with a DPF?

 

[Melvyn Best]

Not particularly familiar with that engine but does it have a water heated inlet manifold like the old K series had? On the K series the inlet manifold gasket scan leak allowing coolant into either of the end cylinders which then causes a hydraulic lock and obviously a coolant loss

 

[Nomad]

Have just started the car, let it tick over for a while, then stopped it and checked oil 10 minutes later - it's still high but nothing like as high as before.
Internet wisdom says these motors can drain back from the oil filter when parked for a few hours so oil level rises to crazy levels ... after todays test I'm thinking it's a possibility.
Cracking the sump plug to see if water drip out makes sense

Away now to see if I can find a "sniff test" kit at my local motor factors, if not it will need to be from Amazon etc.

 

[dave h 2]

Just tie a vinyl glove over the expansion cap when cold then start it. if the glove blows up in 30sec it's the gasket.

 

[not done it yet]

Pressurized water bottle and water in the sump is going to be a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Get it running and put one of those test kits in the bottle that turns the marker fluid from blue to yellow if there's exhaust gases in there if you want to be sure but I'd be already getting stuck into pulling off the head.

Think logically. If the oil level has raised in the sump that means extra fluid in there. Has to be either coolant or diesel since those are the only two fluids it has. It's not going to be diesel so it must be coolant.

25mm above full should show up as greyed coolant?

 

[Blobber]

Pretty sure these have an oil cooler on the back of the filter housing? common for those to fail allowing the coolant to mix with the oil and easy enough to by pass for testing

 

[Nomad]

Houston, you can stop looking - I think I've found the problem

The headgasket has deliminated at both ends


It also has a couple of splits in cylinder 1 and another between cylinders 2 & 3


Piston design is odd with a large undercut hole in the middle, cylinder 1 was full of water

One of the fanbelt / ribbed belt idler pulleys feels very rough so I think this work has been just in time to stop a major failure.

The head came off late last night so my next priority is to check it for flatness in daylight and hope all is ok.

The plan for now is to fix the headgasket but what else is advisable at the same time? ( cambelt, water pump, idler pulleys ... they might get done as one job or some parts might get done once I know the van is saveable )


Todays questions:
The shopping list so far is a headgasket & idler pulley, are there any other essential bits? (are the headbolts one-time-only stretch types?)
Any suggestions where I can find an online workshop manual or the torque settings (headbolts, cam carrier bolts, camshaft pulley and more). Any lively forums to support the Corsa or Izusu 1.7 TD motors?

Many thanks as always

 

[dave h 2]

Nomad, this is Houston, please confirm you still have the container full of duck tape, string and a Swiss Army knife?

 

[Nomad]

Nomad, this is Houston, please confirm you still have the container full of duck tape, string and a Swiss Army knife?

Huston, we are good to go but supplies of cable ties are running low

 

[dave h 2]

Nomad, this is Houston this is 1970 Cable ties would be what????

 

[m_c]

That's how the head gaskets comes. It's a MLS (Multi Layered Steel), and is only crimped together at the critical parts.

It's a pretty standard design since the 00s.

 

[barracuda816]

As above that's a pretty standard MLS gasket. But Likely it had blown, although that sounds like a lot of leakage for a head gasket. I would recommend a good examination before doing any work. Check the cylinder walls for cracks and the block for flatness. Also not sure of the heads on those, but would suspect it is alloy. It needs also to be checked for flatness, and have a good look also for cracks, between valves and also around the water passages.

Last thing you want is to spend a load of time and money to get it back together only for the bock/head to be cracked.

 

[m_c]

Now I'm on a computer, I've only just seen the condition of the gasket.
That looks like it's been well cooked, so as barracuda mentions, I'd be having a very good look at the block and head, especially around where the gasket has failed.

 

[Melvyn Best]

Check also the height of the pistons when at TDC , if you have tried starting the engine when it’s had water in the cylinders it can bend a con rod