Engine trouble

Hi guys. Last night our 850's engine started playing up. The engine was running fine when we went to tescos but on returning to the car after an hour it would start but refused to run. A quick look under the bonnet did'nt reveal anything obvious. I managed to get the car home by holding the revs up and a lot of free wheeling! When we got home I had another look and decided to check for oil in the water. I undid the cap slowley and let the water out that was quite frothey in apearance. After checking what was left (no oil thank goodness) I started her up and the engine ran fine again! This morning I checked all the pipes and electrics as I had the engine out last month to replace the clutch. The only thing that I can think of was there was too much coolent in the engine however the temp gauge reads normal. When the engine was 'playing up' it was running like it was missing a cylinder and did plenty of knocking and backfiring much to the amusement of the local 'boy racers' on the car park. The only thing that I can find is some 'gunk' on the dipstick when I checked the oil. Any sugestions apreciated? Cheers Dave. The engine is the 2.5 10v with 206k on the clock

Hi Dave, intermittent problems are sometimes the hardest to find and sort! From your description of the missing and backfiring, I would have a look at the electrics first. Check all the connectors, plug leads, coil lead, rotor arm, Cam Pos. sensor etc. Also the fuel injector trigger wires in case one is loose. If you've got an earlier 850 I'd pull the error codes - it may be that one has been set without triggering the engine check light. Could it be a sticky Idle Control Air Valve? A small amount of emulsified gunk on the top of the engine dipstick is normal as this part is in the cold air flow and condenses any water vapour given off the oil.

Thanks for the reply. Yesterday despite the engine trouble we decided to travel down to gainsbourgh. The car did the journey without breaking down(thankfully!)and the engine performed ok and even managed an average of 35mpg. My main concern was the build up of the 'gunk' on the dipstick. After spending two days pulling the engine out to replace the clutch I did'nt fancy having to replace the engine! Hopefully a good service in a couple of weeks should cure any remaining problems. Cheers Dave.

I think you have the answer to your problem. You said that you pulled the engine to change the clutch. I would double check all the electrical connections you have removed. Its not unknown for the wires to break in the insulation, after you have moved a connection. I would also check terminals to make sure they are reconnected properly. Good luck