Hi, I’m a member in the Solent Area, based in Salisbury, however my car (NA model) has broken down and been recovered to my dad’s just outside Great Missenden (Little Kingshill to be precise).
Of course this would happen Saturday evening of a Bank Holiday…
Whilst driving along M25 there was an increase in smell, not sure what (smelled a bit transmission like, but quite often I put this down to other cars passing by) but then I noticed that the car wouldn’t accelerate, shortly followed by ‘smoke’ coming out of the handbrake lever area and then out of the back of the car and from around the bonnet. Needless to say at this point in the proceedings I was making my way to the hard shoulder as fast as possible! En-route the engine cut but I was able to roll to beside an emergency telephone. Cue much more smoke billowing. I opened the bonnet and saw what I now take to be some kind of vapourised oil billowing upwards from an area between the engine block and the bulkhead (although there’s no oil residue on the underside of the bonnet), below the crank angle sensor (I think). Also the battery seem to die pretty quickly with the hazards on, not sure if this is related.
Suffice it to say that after an overnight charge, the car won’t start. The dipstick shows full oil, although very black, and there is some oil around the location mentioned above. (I will try and attach a photo when I work out how to). Otherwise with a turn of the ignition, there’s a spark and the starter motor turns over but that’s it.
So, can anyone recommend a specialist in the area to have a look or to take it to? The complication for me is that I’m based 80 miles away…
Update Have given the car a more thorough inspection and the absence of coolant in the radiator and the reservoir (what I thought was the level turned out to be just a dirty inside) leads me to suspect the head gasket has blown. The oil on the dipstick stinks, but there’s no sign of any emulsification. I have tried the fault diagnostic and appear to be getting 0340 code, which isn’t covered in the notes in the Technical section here (it’s an NA '96 model, VIN ends higher than 300001), anyone knows what this means?
Thanks in advance
Dan