head gasket - timing belt?

[Alan Pritchard]

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I have very recent experience of a very similar problem, still not 100%
resolved, 89 80 2l 8V. culprit had slurry in the usual places, coolant cap
and oil filler cap.  It was first noticed when the water system pumped up.
I took the car presuming it to be a "simple" head gasket job, so I did the
job, had a few issues retiming (the 80 runs a separate idler which drives
the distributor, I did not know this!), got the car running beautifully, ran
it up to temperature and the water system pumped up again, I was gutted! So
I felt the hoses and the lower ones seemed to be cold, which suggested a
blockage of some sort, a fellow lister aso suggested the oil/water heat
exchanger to be a known problem. So I have drained the system and started to
remove the exchanger to find the lower half of the water system filled with
thick sludge. So I have repeatedly filled with detergent and blown through
the filler cap to remove the sludge. This is were I am at now, hopefully
over the weekend it will be refilled and running sweet!!!! Hope my btdt
helps!!!!

Best Regards,
Alan Pritchard
Network Administrator

Seaeye Marine Ltd.

Tel.  01329 289000
Fax. 01329 289001
www.seaeye.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Ensch [mailto:ensch1 at comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2003 3:06 AM
To: Quattro
Subject: head gasket - timing belt?

On my 4 cyl. 80 I recently have noticed oil in the coolant reservoir, and a
liquid white residue (oil) on the oil cap.  Someone who will go unnamed said
my car was in need of a timing belt.  I am leaning more on the side of the
head gasket leak.  Has anyone heard of a timing belt causing oil/coolant
mix?