Engine light - Dodgy starts and lurches

[BlockHead]

I've had this problem with my Arosa Sport since just after owning it (2 years)

Whenever the weather's cold and damp, my engine light will turn on and the car will struggle to start. First time, I had it hooked up and got told it was the lambda, so I changed the front one and all was good. 8 months later it started again, I changed the ignition leads, again problem solved. 9 months on from that it's doing it again, and another problem is whenever the car hits around 4000rpm while driving it lurches pretty heavy to the point where I was on a roundabout and it lurched so violently the car span out on me (standing water).

Been told by numerous people it could be a leaky gasket or pipe, though I've no idea where to start looking, could be the head, but I've had no loss of water, no white smoke, no loss of power, no mayo ****e... I don't have a clue , but when I eventually get it started I have to keep the revs high until it warms up, or it cuts out on me. If I rev it while stationary I can hear a hissing sort of noise? Would make sense if it IS a gasket or a pipe?

Any mechanic feel like giving me some advice?

Pretty ****e quality vids, but you can sort of hear what's going on, tapping noises are the lurches... The lurches are a lot more violent than they sound.

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[m1cr08472]

I'm no mechanic but the hissing sound you mention when you rev it sounds like your losing compression in one of the cylinders. Doesn't mean the head gaskets blowing it could be a worn out piston ring or a sticking valve.

My gaskets gone and the header tank is full of oil but the car still runs ok so I've just been driving it like normal and when the gasket blows through to the cylinders I'm gonna scrap it.

[BlockHead]

Is there any way of checking myself without ripping it apart/spending a feckload of money? On a REALLY tight budget

[m1cr08472]

You could buy a compression tester, you can pick them up for about £20. Or get a vagcom lead and some software off the net and plug a laptop into it, see if any fault codes come up.

If your not very mechanically minded like me. I'd say your best bet would be to take it to a trustworthy garage and ask them to diagnose the problem for you. I took mine in for a Cambelt+service and he rang me up an hour later and said its not worth spending the money on a cambelt+service as the header tanks full of oil and the EGR valves gone. He didn't charge me anything for this. So now I'm saving my money for another car once this one goes bang.