[Engine] oil in water

[genericflipper]

Hi I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem. Ive got a 1.4 Berlingo, 125000 miles, W reg. It has leaked oil for sometime and over the last 6 months has also had creamy deposits on the oil filler cap. When I recently checked the water there was thick black oil in there. I dont know how much. Im thinking head gasket, but what Ive heard is that these engines have a 'liner' (?) that means they'll never be the same after a head gasket replacement?

The car has many other problems which means that I am reluctant to spend lots of money on it. I was wondering if it might be possible to remove the oil from the top of the tank and put in some radweld type product so that it could carry on for a bit longer?

Any advice would be gratefully received thanks

[addo]

Replace the head gasket, in conjunction with a light service to the head. It'll see you good for quite a few more miles. You'll need to power flush the cooling system, possibly twice. Check the water hoses aren't too weakened by oil.

The key with wet liner blocks is to clamp the liners upon head removal and through the cleaning/prep stages. Pretty sure I've posted pictures of my clamps.

[Gadgetman]

Yeah, go ahead and do that...
Just don't blame us when it dies a horribly noisy death...

Most probably you have a ruined head gasket, but that can be replaced. A big kit of gaskets for this engine can be found for as little as £25 on The Bay of E, so if you're willing and able to do it yourself, it's not that big of a cost. Most kits even come with replacements head bolts...

The liner...
Your engine has a block made of cast and machined aluminium for lightness.
As this metal isn't strong enough for all that happens inside the engine, the cylinders are lined with a press-fit steel sleeve.
This also allowed the engineers to 'mess about' with the cooling, running channels much closer to the cylinder walls than normal, and stuff like that.
But no, that doesn't make the engine die if you replace the gasket.
A crack in the aluminium block, or the steel liner, though... That will kill your engine. But that can't really be ascertained without 'popping the top' anyway...

Of course, as you've had creamy deposits for the last 6 months, you may have ruined the engine already... (Water and coolant really messes up the lubrificating properties of the engine oil. )

[addo]

The bearings are fairly tough, but nothing survives optimally in a climate of denial...

[Gadgetman]

It was polluted oil that killed the engine in my CX.
Pistons seized up...

The 1.4 engine in the Berlingo, with cast aluminium and press-fit steel sleeves is probably less tolerant of bad oil.