Vauxhall Combo 53 plate oil and water leak

[burts]

The thermostat is clearly a dud but as removing it to no effect, we need to look elsewhere.
Its worth looking at the water pump but I do have a gut feeling that the head gasket has failed.
How about the exhaust gas in the air above the coolant in the expansion bottle.....maybe you could look into that?
John

The thermostat has failed. Urgently it’s removed and I just done an half hours journey on an A road.
Temp gauge didn’t move at all. Pipes were all Luke warm and felt more solid (pressurised) will look once it’s cold to see if it lost any water as I can’t see through the side of the tank.
I’ve been driving like this for a very long time, I’d like to think of it was the head gasket was gone, I’d Ben having milky oil by now.

Oil also looked like it had come up out the oil cap? Any reason for that? (In regards to oil leak part)

 

[Burnerman]

Head gaskets can fail in two ways....into the cooling waterways is the most common by far but it isnt unknown to blow into the oilway that takes lube through the block into the head.
If you are getting oil blown out of the oil filler cap then the block is being pressurised by combustion gases which is due to either piston blowby or blocked breather pipes that go from the block to the air filter assembly. This is called PCV or positive crankcase ventilation. Its not permitted to discharge this gas to the atmosphere so its ducted to be burnt in the engine. Blockage here will cause excess pressurisation and the result is to blow oil out of the filler cap or indeed blowing the dipstick out of its tube.
The oil level must be correct at all times, of course!
John

 

[burts]

Head gaskets can fail in two ways....into the cooling waterways is the most common by far but it isnt unknown to blow into the oilway that takes lube through the block into the head.
If you are getting oil blown out of the oil filler cap then the block is being pressurised by combustion gases which is due to either piston blowby or blocked breather pipes that go from the block to the air filter assembly. This is called PCV or positive crankcase ventilation. Its not permitted to discharge this gas to the atmosphere so its ducted to be burnt in the engine. Blockage here will cause excess pressurisation and the result is to blow oil out of the filler cap or indeed blowing the dipstick out of its tube.
The oil level must be correct at all times, of course!
John

You completely lost me with all that
Too technical for me. It appears to have oil around the cap and possibly running down the covering, to where the rocket cover seal is.
Is that dangerous? Is there anything I can do to check?

 

[Burnerman]

Its not dangerous, and is inevitable as the engine does lots of miles.
As you may imagine, eventually the pistons wear in their bores and compressed gas (air, in effect) passes down past the pistons and rings and ends up in the crankcase which eventually becomes pressurised.
You can sometimes get an idea by running the engine with the oil cap off, but all engines chuff some gas from here.
Also, run the engine with the air cleaner open and the element removed.....there should be evidence of crankcase fumes in there which will eventually get burnt. These gases dont pass through the air cleaner element though, as it would quickly block - so the pipe will be on the engine side of the filter.
John

 

[burts]

John..... so
With the Thermostat out, over two long journeys I lost about 1/4 of water. Nothing like what it was doing with the thermostat it.

Put a new thermostat back in that I made sure opened in boiling water. So it works.

Same thing happening, no warm air at heater, gauge only just off the gauge, thermostat doesn’t appear to have opened and water boiling out the expansion tank.

What is the circuit of the water? There is water pumping in to the tank from the small pipe coming out the top of the radiator

 

[Burnerman]

Lets assume the cooling system is completely full of water.
With the engine cold, the thermostat is shut and water just pumps around the cylinder block, including the heater.
When the engine reaches around 95 degrees, the thermostat opens and water is allowed to flow through the front radiator, keeping the coolant temperature to around that temperature.....the thermostat opens and closes to allow this to happen.
So - your engine is allowing the coolant to overheat as it is passing into the expansion bottle and then escaping. Therefore it has to be either the water pump that isnt doing its job or the cylinder head gasket has failed.....the symptoms at this time are much the same, unfortunately.
The water pump can only really fail by losing its impeller, which is easy to see once it is removed from the engine, the cylinder head gasket failure is best checked by the gas sampling test that I mentioned earlier.
John

 

[burts]

Lets assume the cooling system is completely full of water.
With the engine cold, the thermostat is shut and water just pumps around the cylinder block, including the heater.
When the engine reaches around 95 degrees, the thermostat opens and water is allowed to flow through the front radiator, keeping the coolant temperature to around that temperature.....the thermostat opens and closes to allow this to happen.
So - your engine is allowing the coolant to overheat as it is passing into the expansion bottle and then escaping. Therefore it has to be either the water pump that isnt doing its job or the cylinder head gasket has failed.....the symptoms at this time are much the same, unfortunately.
The water pump can only really fail by losing its impeller, which is easy to see once it is removed from the engine, the cylinder head gasket failure is best checked by the gas sampling test that I mentioned earlier.
John

Ok, well being a plumber I know that a solid blockage can also appear as a failing pump. So I ran the engine and pulled the left heater matrix hose off. No water out ye heater or the one Unless I let hang low level. I have no idea what hose is the flow, so pulled the right hand side one off and I pumped out boiling water, put it back on and nothing out the left side of the heater.
So as long as the right is the flow and left return, it appears the matrix is completely blocked. This I assume would prevent full circulation preventing the stat to open and causing Boiling water to bubble out the expansion tank ‍
I did use a head gasket sealer which people have told me is a nightmare at blocking Hex.
What cleaner can I use?

 

[Burnerman]

Holts Speedflush is the only cleaner Ive used, but of course there are others available in your trade!
You mention in your post #14 that the heater radiator was allowing some coolant to pass....the flow through it shouldnt be greatly affected if its clear.
John

 

[burts]

Holts Speedflush is the only cleaner Ive used, but of course there are others available in your trade!
You mention in your post #14 that the heater radiator was allowing some coolant to pass....the flow through it shouldnt be greatly affected if its clear.
John

Now it’s beginning to get to me
Rigged up my powerflush hoses and connected to the mains water. The matrix heater had no dirty water coming out of it and was pumping through with ease.
Connected the engine hose back to the flow... nothing out the return ‍ Apart from a dribble. Sometimes a little spurt more than others. Will have to take the water pump off I think and see if it’s impellers are broke off.

 

[Burnerman]

Ok, so the matrix itself seems to be clear.
Im a little confused.....are you now back flushing the pipes leading to the heater? They should be flowing clear - unless there is a heater control valve that we mentioned earlier that is in the closed position. I dont know if your van actually has one of these, so maybe you could google an image of it and see if there is one somewhere?
John

 

[burts]

John! I’m confusing myself
I was just flushing the heater itself with the mains water.....
Then when I connect the flow hose back to the matrix with the return disconnected, nothing comes out the open heater end.
But if I pull the flow off also, there is water being pumped in to the heater..... just doesn’t make sense unless the pump is pumping but not strong enough to go round the heater matrix

 

[Burnerman]

Bear in mind, car water pumps are no more than your central heating circulators.....they only behave when certain criteria are met.
The system must be full of water
There must be no air locks
Any valves in the system must be open. It will also only be efficient if the pressure cap is in place.
Vehicles have two types of cab heating:
One type has an off/ on valve, the operation is obvious;
The other type has the matrix hot all of the time, and only heats the cab if air flaps in the system direct air through the matrix.
See if you can push water back through both pipes that go to the heater - both must be clear.
I think its time to remove the water pump for a look - if only to rule it out.
John

 

[burts]

So.... today I removed the water pump. It was fairly Rusty but was spinning and intact. For the sake of £30 I fitted a new one. Still the same issue. No heater warmth at all. Van doesn’t over heat but water boils up into the expansion tank.
There has to be a solid blockage somewhere that I am missing ‍

 

[Burnerman]

If water is shooting into the expansion tank - and presumably evacuated from there - I can only conclude that it is the cylinder head gasket.
The water doesnt have to be boiling - escaping air from a failed head gasket gives the same effect.
John

 

[burts]

If water is shooting into the expansion tank - and presumably evacuated from there - I can only conclude that it is the cylinder head gasket.
The water doesnt have to be boiling - escaping air from a failed head gasket gives the same effect.
John

John what am I missing?

I thought a head gasket was a gasket that basically separated the water ways and oil ways. Why does a failed head gasket stop hot water being pumped around the heater matrix and make it pump in to the expansion tank?