blown head gasket

Likeadeal_2

my car has a blown head gasket, has anyone used K Seal to plug the leak? and if so has it worked? Thanks for any help or advice.

Quinny_2

What car is it?

Personally,if your head gasket has gone,then the only way to solve the problem,is a replacement gasket.

Otherwise you could be delaying something more nasty.

Ken.

Likeadeal_2

Hi Quinny,
its a rover 600automatic and steam was coming out of it so i called the recovery service and the mechanic has written on report very low on water and suspected head gasket blown, but when he was talking he said there may have been an air block in the water system but then he seemed to say it was the gasket. I've only just read his report and noticed he has put 'suspected' Head gasket blown.
I,m not sure what to think now. Any ideas would be appreciated.

chilli_dog

When my head gasket was blowing on my astra i got a white almost mayonaise type gunk on the inside of the radiator/ expansion bottle cap.

The car was also using a lot of water, had to drive around with 5 litres in the car.

Had you noticed a loss of power from the car?

When my astra was fixed the bill was'nt nice, the head has to be removed and taken to an engineer to have it machined.

Quinny_2

Firstly,check the oil,and see if there are any bubbles on the end of the dipstick.Do this when the engine has settled,after,say an hour.If there are any water bubbles in the oil,then it is likely that the head gasket has gone,and water has made it's way into the oil,but to be certain,do this procedure a couple of times,by wiping the dipstick clean each time.

When you say the water was low,how low was it? Could you see any when you took the radiator cap off? Top it up,and take it for a run,and then re-check it once it's cooled down.DO NOT take the radiator cap off while the engine is hot,as you may burn yourself.Best to top it up,run it,and then check it the next morning when it's cold.

Another possible tell tale sign,is a white deposit down the side of the block,which is water seeping out of the gasket if it's blown at the edge,and then drying up.

But in saying all that,could you just not have a split hose,and it's losing water from one of these? Easiest way to tell,is to make sure there is plenty of water in the system,have the radiator cap on to pressurise,start the engine,and peer into the engine bay,and look for leaks.

All the above are checks that you can do yourself,before commiting to a garage,for them to do the above,and then they finding it's something simple,and then charging you a kings ransom for a head gasket they haven't done.

Finally,invest in a good quality anti-freeze/summer coolant at this time of year.When you get the problem sorted,you'll need new anti-freeze in anyhow,which your garage should put in,but get a one with the coolant in as well,which is a good idea in this weather.

Hope this helps.

Ken.

Likeadeal_2

Hi Ken and Chill-dog,
Thank you so much for your replies.

Firstly chilli-dog.... No Loss of power, no mayonaise gunk, lovely and clean.

Ken.....Just checked for split hose and thats ok (no split) Thanks. Too dark now to check all your other suggestions so I will do that tomorrow evening. The water was low because i was stuck in major traffic jam in hot weather on Mon for about an hour and it seems as if it had boiled dry but now it seems to be holding the water again. I've also topped up the oil as that seemed very low also.

I am feeling hopeful and really appreciate your replies as the car has done 108,000 miles and to have it repaired would cost more than it is worth and i was hoping it would last me a few more months yet.

The breakdown guy had said i would only get scrap value so i thought the engine had blown and i didn't even think it was still driveable until i looked on this site at some previous threads, but i have taken it for a quick run and the temp guage seemed ok and the water looks like its still ok and i've put some white cardboard underneath to see if any leaks overnight.
Thanks again
Sue.

chrisw

Sorry to perhaps confuse you further, but I have had 2 cars with similar symptoms. The first was a leaking water pump which only leaked when the engine was hot and was hidden away behind timing covers, although it did have the white deposit mentioned above when it was stripped down. The other was a faulty radiator cap which was not holding the pressure and forcing the water out when hot.

You could really do with having it checked by a trustworthy garage. They can pressurise the system to check for leaks or put a probe over the radiator filler to detect exhaust gases if it's leaking internally.

burbs_2

Quinny has it spot on, follow his thread and you will have your answers.
If you take it to a garage this is the exact procedure they will follow so you may as well do it yourself for free.

If your head has gone its not going to be a nice day though unfortunatly.

Cumbrian_Male

My head gasket went on Sunday.

There was lots of smoke under acceleration and the oil had emulsified.

Been to the dealer today and they have it almost rebuilt. Head didn't need a skim fortunately. They will have it running tomorrow and it will get full oil change, filter and new coolant plus timing belt.

They will check it for any leaks and are also doing a ball joint that was advisory on the MOT.

The expected bill £700-900:eek:

The good news was there isn't any signs of wear in the engine!! pistons and bores are in excellent condition. So it should be good for another 206000 miles. Just run in as they say, you got to love Volvos.:T

Quinny_2

Do tell what the final bill actually was when you get it back.

Ken.

Likeadeal_2

i will be testing my car today re Quinnys suggestion as not had time before.

Thanks to other posts as it is helping me to know what other things to look for etc.

Cumbrian male said he had smoke on acceloration which i didnt get
I got steam shooting out of right side of bonnet for just a few hundred yards before i got home so i am still hoping that i've caught it in time and perhaps the gasket hasn't gone after all.
p.s. I know i should go to a garage but i want to try what i can myself first as car is only worth £200
It still looks nice from the outside so if i can get a few more months use out of it i will be more than happy.