2001 Brava, Serious Problems, FIX OR SELL???

[Oliver Cox]

Hey guys,
My 2001 Brava 1.2 16v is going to hell lately.
Just spent a few hours under the hood trying to figure out the problem, conclusion is, water is getting into the engine.

Symptoms are:
Moist White Smoke From Exhaust
Empty Coolant tank after about 20 miles
Over heating (obviously to do with coolant)
Slight juddering in lower gears
Engine light is on!
Increased Fuel Consumption

I think that it, i would just love some advice on whether you think its worth fixing, if anyones had this problem before how much did it cost to fix??

Or alternately if its worth selling it to someone with the skills to fix it and me getting a cheap car with what i can get.

Pretty tight on funds so if you think its gonna cost too much to repair i may have to sell it before it goes completely.

Thanks for you time guys.
Ollie.

 

[Insomnia]

Sounds like a classic case of HGF.

Do not drive it. The more you drive it, the more damage you'll do.

Depending on the severity of the HGF, you'll be looking to pay anywhere between £150 to £500 to fix. Realistically more likely to be £250.

In my mother's old 97 1.2 Punto, the HG went - total costs came to nearly £500, but other things like the cambelt, water pump etc were done at same time (make sense as the head is off).

Prices will fluctuate massively depending on where you go and what exactly the mechanic does for you.

Longest Serving BOO Member

1997 Naturally Aspirated HGT in disguise!

 

[Richard]

Head gasket failure.

Arrived fiat 500 1.3 m-jet sport,bossa nova white,chrome kit,esp,alarm,sports alloys,elec-sunroof,side -mouldings,guard x,climate control and interscope-hi-fi system

 

[Insomnia]

Do you have any of the following...

> Emulsion on the oil filler cap?
> Gunge on the oil dipstick?
> Gunk on the coolant resevoir cap?

Longest Serving BOO Member

1997 Naturally Aspirated HGT in disguise!

 

[Oliver Cox]

No we checked all that no gunk on the dipstick, the cap is clean, and the coolant tank apart from being empty half the time is pretty clean.

thats what confused my dad
thanks for the help by the way.

 

[Insomnia]

Ok, depends where the water is getting in but still sounds like HGF.

Longest Serving BOO Member

1997 Naturally Aspirated HGT in disguise!

 

[Oliver Cox]

yeah thanks i trust your opinion

seeing as i cant really afford 150 to 500
how much do you reckon i could sell it for?
maybe someone on here has the skills or funds to do it themselves.

 

[Anonymous]

id say headgasket aswell due to it losing coolant and overheating.Doesnt neceserally have to have oil in coolant tank and vice versa.

may be cheaper to get another engine?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, is the reg Y414 XOG? if so ill buy it off you

stephend

 

[Oliver Cox]

lol im afraid not

thats a pretty specific question aha

well surely a new engine would incurr just a much cost getting it fitted?

 

[Anonymous]

yeah i know, i sold the car aroud 2007 and still miss it, just check the MID and its not insured, no doubt its in a scrap yard somewhere

What a twa* who puts 27 pounds of petrol in a diesel? derrr

 

[Oliver Cox]

sorry to hear that
good cars they are

 

[Insomnia]

A new/replacement engine would probably cost just as much to source and fit than it would to sort the issues you have at the moment.

I'm by no means a mechanic so my diagnosis may be wrong but pretty much everything is suggesting the HG has failed.

Just in case, is your footwell(s) carpet wet? (just ruling out heater matrix leaking)

As for what is best, I wouldn't like to say - it's your car and money. You have to weigh up potential costs of each option:

1. Repair
2. Replace engine
3. Scrap/sell as is
4. Repair and then sell on

Longest Serving BOO Member

1997 Naturally Aspirated HGT in disguise!

 

[Anonymous]

What is the MID?

 

[StiltonBravo]

Ignore last message, I worked it out lol.

 

[Mike]

a new headgasket kit is what...£40? a skim £20 (dependin where u go) + any other parts u may want to replace whilst head is off.

upto you what you do mate,dont forget garage costs are expensive Maybe a mate can do it on the cheap for you?

A Fiat Marea in a Bravo Shell
Car Status: 23/02/10 - Heating and correct Oil amount sorted ready for MOT

 

[Oliver Cox]

I asked around
but i cant get it done cheaper
so i think im gonna have to sell it
ill put a post up later

i was thinking about 700, im thinking its gonna cost about 300 to get it done by a garage and these are going for about 900-1200 on auto trader. so would 700 be a fair asking price?

 

[Tommy K]

Well you can't put it on BOO for sale unless you pay £5 to become a member.


With a sale price of £700, plus £300 in repairs - but this could increase as you don't know what other damage has been caused... thats a min total of £1000.... and the hassle of buying a broken car that you have to pay for transport.


Compare that to a fully working car for about the same money that you can go and buy, then drive away... I think your more likely to get around £500 for your car.

....

....

 

[Oliver Cox]

Thanks for the advice

and didnt know that about the listing stuff on here, ill think about it

well if thats all i can get, i guess its all i can get