Smoking, smelling and juddering :( :( :(

[Kate]

Hi

Need some help please... I have recently had my head gasket changed, new valve stem seals etc but now it's still running like shit and if anything it's worse than when I put it in the garage. It is going back tomorrow but wanted thoughts / ideas on it anyway.

So it's smoking when I put my foot down and smells of burning oil or over fuelling possibly and it's juddering mainly in second or third in low revs. I've just spent over 1200 on it and am worrying about why it's running like this!?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated x

[MARC MOSS]

Am I right in thinking that there is two pipes that are easily mixed up on the engine that makes this happen

[Kate]

Oh I have never heard of this before? What pipes and where? I will inform garage tomorrow.

[Ollieh17]

They make it burn coolant, yours doesn't sound like that though. Worth checking the coolant level though to see if it is.

[funny onion]

there are two lines that are easily mixed up on the throttle body that cause the engine to burn coolant but i think you would notice. when i mixed them up on mine it literally poured smoke out the exhaust and filled the unit. and it was white smoke that smelled really sweet, not dark smoke with an oily smell :/

[Socks]

there are two lines that are easily mixed up on the throttle body that cause the engine to burn coolant but i think you would notice. when i mixed them up on mine it literally poured smoke out the exhaust and filled the unit. and it was white smoke that smelled really sweet, not dark smoke with an oily smell :/

Nothing wrong with a good steam clean on the pistons

If it smells of oil I would think you have issues elsewhere, defo doesnt sound like coolant!

[Kate]

Apparently they think it's the bottom end. New pistons and big end shells needed. They said I am only starting to notice it as I have had a new head gasket and the compression is a tad higher (something like that). Is this something that can happen? My car has always been a bit smokey and smelt of burnt oil but just seems to be worse after head gasket has been done.

I've just bought a house and now having to pay out on all of this can't believe it!

[H_D]

if you are losing oil then its probably the piston rings but they should have checked the pitons for rock/movement when the head was off the block. £1200 for head gasket job is total rip off by the way. for that kinda money you could have had a full engine rebuild

Edited June 4, 2015 by H_D

[Kate]

I paid for the parts which were 300 then there labour was 800 inc vat. Also had to get an oil feed pipe. Aghhhh

[TrisK]

I paid for the parts which were 300 then there labour was 800 inc vat. Also had to get an oil feed pipe. Aghhhh

that is very expensive for the work you had done

[H_D]

Go back to the rip off merchants and get your money back. seriously you could have had a fresh rebuild with new seals gaskets timing belt etc and much more

[Vturbo]

That's a joke of a price. 200-250 for a head gasket

[Kate]

I phoned a few places and they were all the same price so not sure if it was... I got new timing belt etc. They had to send the head off to get skimmed and then they put it all back together. Because I had got a few quotes I thought that was the norm?

[Calum122]

I'm sorry the hear this.

Really really shouldn't be this way! The head gasket on these cars are absolute minimal amount of work. A skim cost me £50, all the parts aren't that much, ID workz are very reasonable and you can knock the head gasket, cam belt and water pump in a few hours, less if you know what you're doing, I'd expect a garage to know what they're doing.

Definitely wouldn't take it back there again!