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Hi all, I have a 2000 1.8 mondeo which has started to run roughly, it judders along and is well down on power,it also uses lots of petrol.
It has been using a lot of water recently, needing to be topped up every few days but I have noticed it is leaking out of the thermostat housing.
Would this cause the rough running?
Cheers for any help/advice offered.
Does it produce lots of white smoke?
Mayo under the oil filler?
no white smoke. There is no gunk in the oil either so I am hoping its not the head gasket.
Running hot? My old Golf was running cold and using loads of petrol and it turned out to be a knackered thermostat
Hi Larry,
Biggest issues on these are usually coil pack,HT leads and spark plugs. First check is to whip out the plugs and check for any track marks down the side of the plugs.
If you are unable to complete this you need to book it into a competent garage.
Hth
Marko
1st thing is to confirm that the water consumption is just a simple leak from the stat housing and not a contributory factor.
1. Is there any sign of water in the oil i.e. emulsion/mayo on the underside of the oil filler cap - warning: short journeys also cause this deposit.
2. Is there any sign of oil in the expansion/coolant bottle?
3. Are there bubbles coming from the coolant in the expansion/coolant bottle? Does it smell like exhaust gas?
If none of these then possibly not head gasket. How many miles does the engine have on it and are there any warning lights on or flickering?
Have a look at http://www.2carpros.com/ for general car faults to see if yours fits any of these.
After that, it's a trip to someone with a fault code reader and some diagnostics kit to get to the bottom of it. Potentially a sensor fault i.e. lambda or MAF, but just a guess without seeing it.
Good luck
Cheers folks, non of the usual head gasket symptoms are showing so hopefully not that! I have checked the plugs and they look very worn and old, lots of built up deposits and big gaps so I am going to get a new set tomorrow and some new ht leads.
My fingers are crossed this sorts it out as I really cant afford costly car trouble having just bought a new house.
I figure the plugs and leads need changing anyway so no harm doing them now.
New plugs...check.
New ht leads...check.
Car going like a beauty...check!
Cheers for advice singletrack folk.