What am I likely to find?

[BobProperty]

I have a 1.4 AEX engined Golf which has the following "little" problems:
Mayonnaise in the oil filler cap.
Uses too much oil for my liking.
Has some coolant loss somewhere.
Has a "tappet" type noise when running.
I feel it runs rich and uses a bit too much fuel.

I suspect that the oil hadn't been changed for a while before I started looking after it, so the "tappet" sound could be a follower being stuck or damaged. I intend to remove the cylinder head at some point and hope to be able to cure some or all the above problems as a result. Question is, what am I likely to find?

[fil1973]

possible head gasket gone, (using oil & coolant)

or the sludge in the oil cap could be just condensation (nothing to worry about)

in my opinion it is best to do a cylinder compression check before anything else,