Please help - car problems and no money

custardy

what has he 'fixed' so far
when the car is at idle and the fan kicks in,have you tried reving the engine to see if it affects the temp?
does it have a temp gauge or light?

Mad_girl

custardy wrote: »

what has he 'fixed' so far
when the car is at idle and the fan kicks in,have you tried reving the engine to see if it affects the temp?
does it have a temp gauge or light?

This is what I have had done:

1 new coolant expansion tank - £60

Investigate coolant leak - radiator leaking add k seal leak seal and anti freese £55

1 new radiator - supply and fit £160

The this last time he said it is a "cooling problem" - suspect head gasket.

The car only overheats when I am stuck in traffic i.e. stationary and the temp gauge goes into the red area, if I rev the engine the gauge does go down slightly but my car tends to stutter a bit - Thank you for your help. I jsut wanted an idea what it could be and if I should perhaps take it to the Ford garage, I feel like I have already wasted so much money and still got the same problem

custardy

well it could be a work water pump,meaning at low revs the pump isnt pumping enough coolant around
take the car to a garage and get a 'sniff test' done
then you will know pretty much for sure if its a HG or not

BTW £60 to change an expansion tank :eek:

Mad_girl

custardy wrote: »

well it could be a work water pump,meaning at low revs the pump isnt pumping enough coolant around
take the car to a garage and get a 'sniff test' done
then you will know pretty much for sure if its a HG or not

BTW £60 to change an expansion tank :eek:

Thanks for your advice, I think I will take it to Ford and see what they say - sorry to sound thick but do I ask for a "sniff test" lol

Oh dear - perhaps this guy has been taking the pi$$ for the last 10 years....

Inactive

Mad_girl wrote: »

God you people are unreal, I have used this guy for 10 years and always paid him, I just wanted some advice, if you do not have any advice then perhaps not post.

Sorry, your OP gave the impression to many on here that you have no money, and are up to your neck in debt, I was only reading between the lines, I like others on here, have never come across a mechanic that cannot change a head gasket.

Perhaps if you don't want comments about your finances, don't mention them in future.

custardy

Mad_girl wrote: »

Thanks for your advice, I think I will take it to Ford and see what they say - sorry to sound thick but do I ask for a "sniff test" lol

Oh dear - perhaps this guy has been taking the pi$$ for the last 10 years....

you dont need to go to Ford,any decent garage will have the equipment

a sniff test (some folks say block test)is a simple test using equipment like this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-USA-Combustion-Leakage-Block-Tester-Kit-New_W0QQitemZ310118929332QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment?hash=item48348753b4

Mad_girl

custardy wrote: »

you dont need to go to Ford,any decent garage will have the equipment

a sniff test (some folks say block test)is a simple test using equipment like this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Universal-USA-Combustion-Leakage-Block-Tester-Kit-New_W0QQitemZ310118929332QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment?hash=item48348753b4

Thanks so much, any idea how much they charge for a sniff test? I will ask around and see if anyone knows of a decent garage, and thanks again for your help

custardy

havent a clue,depends how the charge
main delaer will most likely charge 0.5 or 1 hours labour which is a lot!
small garage may just be a token charge

this one is £33 delivered
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Block-tester-Kit-BT500-On-Sale_W0QQitemZ270435351234QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment?hash=item3ef733fac2

so you would be aiming to be less than this
its a test that takes minutes to do,so i wouldnt expect to get charged a lot

once you know the head is gone you can plan accordingly,if not then you can look at other options
given you have a new rad,expansion bottle and coolant you have a lot of things ruled out

Mad_girl

Thanks again, should I buy it myself and take it the garage, sorry I am being really thick today but all this car stuff confuses me

custardy

Mad_girl wrote: »

Thanks again, should I buy it myself and take it the garage, sorry I am being really thick today but all this car stuff confuses me

no,no
see what the garages charge as they will have their own
i just posted that to show you could buy your own for that price
if you had your own kit you could do your own
its as simple as basting a turkey