Possible headgasket failure...
Discussion
Hi Peeps..It seems that ever since i changed the inlet manifold i have been losing water somewhere..There is none in the oil..No sweet water coming out of the exhaust...No wet patches on the floor or white marks around or near anything..I did use some gasket seal on the gaskets, Not loads..I have re-tightened the bolts on the manifold as they needed a tweak..I am losing around a third to a half of a header tank each time i drive it..I will get a hydrocarbon test done on the coolant this week and check the plugs...This did happen before but then i had the radiator recored and tested the thermostat which was new and fitted a new thermostat housing..Which seemed to cure it?..But now its happening again..Surely a head gasket would not start failing and then be ok and then start failing again..Although saying that it did on a V6 camry that i had..Typical, I have an MOT in a couple of weeks and the BBWF is getting ever closer..All suggestions welcome..Cheers..Ziga
We had a good chat about this yesterday fella.... A quick question did you have the heads skimmed when it went last time? The cologne heads should not have sealant put on them if you did? Also did you recheck / Touque down after a couple of hundred miles carefully running? If no hydro carbons in the coolant then a systematic check of all the hoses and joints as well as checking the fans are set to come on at the the correct temp etc.... Fingers crossed matey!
Cheers for the info chaps..
Chris..I didnt have any skimming as it was concluded that it wasnt the head gasket at fault..Then..
Beario..Im hoping that this could be the case, I only used green hermatite and only a thin smear, I should of got myself some good quality RTV sealant as this was also suggested by the ford guy..I dont really want to dismantle it all again but will if i have to..
Checked the temperature and the thermostat is opening at the correct temp, The fan is switching on and off..The plugs look normal..There was a little bit of sooty deposit around the top of the neck on the rad but only a light rusty colour on the inside of the expansion tank..Just waiting for it to cool a little so i can squeeze the top hose and release the expansion cap to see if it bubbles over..If not it should be ok..Cheers..Ziga
UPDATE:
Squeezed the top radiator pipe and undid the reservoir cap..No bubbling over or champagne bubbles/Foam visible..Going to take it for a little drive to see..(As its a gorgeous day)..Cheers.
Chris..I didnt have any skimming as it was concluded that it wasnt the head gasket at fault..Then..
Beario..Im hoping that this could be the case, I only used green hermatite and only a thin smear, I should of got myself some good quality RTV sealant as this was also suggested by the ford guy..I dont really want to dismantle it all again but will if i have to..
Checked the temperature and the thermostat is opening at the correct temp, The fan is switching on and off..The plugs look normal..There was a little bit of sooty deposit around the top of the neck on the rad but only a light rusty colour on the inside of the expansion tank..Just waiting for it to cool a little so i can squeeze the top hose and release the expansion cap to see if it bubbles over..If not it should be ok..Cheers..Ziga
UPDATE:
Squeezed the top radiator pipe and undid the reservoir cap..No bubbling over or champagne bubbles/Foam visible..Going to take it for a little drive to see..(As its a gorgeous day)..Cheers.
Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 25th March 14:05
Zig, on my '82 V6, there is a pipe connected to the overflow bottle which goes out neatly down though chassis almost to the road, and I found my loss of water was the rad cap on the overflow bottle. As the pipe neatly carried the water down and out of sight, it took a while to spot that it slowly but surely dripped .... and when hot it got a little patch of water under it, which would then evaporate...
A new rad cap solved the water loss.
Simple, but too obvious !! Duh !!
Just thought I'd mention it...
A new rad cap solved the water loss.
Simple, but too obvious !! Duh !!
Just thought I'd mention it...
RCK974X said:
on my '82 V6, there is a pipe connected to the overflow bottle which goes out neatly down though chassis almost to the road, and I found my loss of water was the rad cap on the overflow bottle.
Hi Mate..I have a catch tank connected to my overflow pipe from the expansion tank to catch any water loss and i have replaced both the radiator cap and the expansion cap..The water doesnt seem to be going into the catch tank..I went out for a drive earlier and when i got back i checked it and i hadnt lost a drop?..Im hoping that the tweaking of the inlet bolts done the trick..I will keep an eye on it...I do need to replace all the anchillary and coolant hoses, They dont leak but a couple have some cracking of the outer layer..However the kits are not cheap and i was thinking of only buying the pipes that are pre-shaped and the rest in straight silicone..Cheers for the help...Zigamrzigazaga said:
Hi Mate..I have a catch tank connected to my overflow pipe from the expansion tank to catch any water loss and i have replaced both the radiator cap and the expansion cap..The water doesnt seem to be going into the catch tank..I went out for a drive earlier and when i got back i checked it and i hadnt lost a drop?..Im hoping that the tweaking of the inlet bolts done the trick..I will keep an eye on it...I do need to replace all the anchillary and coolant hoses, They dont leak but a couple have some cracking of the outer layer..However the kits are not cheap and i was thinking of only buying the pipes that are pre-shaped and the rest in straight silicone..Cheers for the help...Ziga
Hi ZigHere's hoping its as simple as that mate, good luck
Cheers
Ralph
mrzigazaga said:
Hi Mate..I have a catch tank connected to my overflow pipe from the expansion tank to catch any water loss and i have replaced both the radiator cap and the expansion cap..
No worries, just thought I suggest a simple option which caught me out !I *did* have a faulty head on a 2.3 cologne engine in a Cortina, and it was actually a bit intermittent, sometimes blowing water out, sometimes overheating, but not always. Weird really. Discovered it had a corroded 'pit' from one of the cylinders to waterway. Skimming the head fixed it, and what's more I only did one head, which is supposed to be dodgy, but it was perfectly fine for a long time afterwards. I always put gasket sealer on the inlet manifold gasket, both sides, despite instructions otherwise.
Thanks Andy.."Nice and shiny"..Ive put a bid in for a £1..It might just finish the car off..Literally..
I will do a bit of research into it as well..But i will need to keep an eye on my water levels as i had a 3.0ltr toyota camry that had a head gasket failure but it was intermittent..Although it happened in the space of 4 months and mine has only played up for a short time last year and then now and i do drive it qutie hard so i should imagine it would of popped by now?..
If i do fit a supercharger will mine be classed as a 280iSX?..Or a 280SXi...Or just a Supercharged 280i...
I will do a bit of research into it as well..But i will need to keep an eye on my water levels as i had a 3.0ltr toyota camry that had a head gasket failure but it was intermittent..Although it happened in the space of 4 months and mine has only played up for a short time last year and then now and i do drive it qutie hard so i should imagine it would of popped by now?..
If i do fit a supercharger will mine be classed as a 280iSX?..Or a 280SXi...Or just a Supercharged 280i...
Cheers chaps..Will get it pressure tested..Andy im already on my second tube of autosol this month, Ive now got a trade discount at Howlfords..Especially on a box of 100...
..
Apparently the supercharger will give me 40% "More power Mr Zulu"..Which should push it to over 200 bhp..So if i let car clinic rebuild my engine with a 2.9 long stroke crank..A rebore..Ported and flow matched heads and exhaust manifolds..Bigger valves..And a CO2 cold air injection into the air box should push it nearer 240bhp..I think i will be very happy with that!!..
...
..Apparently the supercharger will give me 40% "More power Mr Zulu"..Which should push it to over 200 bhp..So if i let car clinic rebuild my engine with a 2.9 long stroke crank..A rebore..Ported and flow matched heads and exhaust manifolds..Bigger valves..And a CO2 cold air injection into the air box should push it nearer 240bhp..I think i will be very happy with that!!..
...Well the last read out i had was last may when i had only 5 cylinders working and a leaky fuel system and a pre-Airbox mod..It was 118bhp so divide that by the number of cylinders = 5 = 23.6 then times that by 6 working cylinders = 141.6bhp X 40% = 56.64bhp then add it to 141.6bhp = 198.24bhp plus the Airbox mod .3bhp = 201.24bhp..Then car clinic said they could squeeze around 25-30bhp out which would put it over 220bhp...It will be interesting or disappointing to see what it is on the RR at BBWF..Either with or without the supercharger.
Turbo Technics Capri is probably a good guide, I'm pretty sure the engine was standard apart from
the turbo, and they were 210bhp I think. There was a more powerful option with engine mods which was 225/235(?) or something like that.
They used the standard 'K' injection, but with some minor mods to it, and a retard capsule on the dizzy, but that was about it.
the turbo, and they were 210bhp I think. There was a more powerful option with engine mods which was 225/235(?) or something like that.
They used the standard 'K' injection, but with some minor mods to it, and a retard capsule on the dizzy, but that was about it.
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