Combustion gases in coolant...
Discussion
You know that test you can do to see if there are combustion gsaes in the coolant? Where the hell do I get the kit to do it? I've Googled and ransacked Ebay but to no avail: anyone would think it was a trade secret or something 
Me Julie's Punto has just blown its coolant out and has been running like the proverbial bag of spanners for a few days: it'd be nice to have a quick diagnosis for a change rather than "well it could be the 'stat... or the gasket... or..."
Tnx in advance...
Me Julie's Punto has just blown its coolant out and has been running like the proverbial bag of spanners for a few days: it'd be nice to have a quick diagnosis for a change rather than "well it could be the 'stat... or the gasket... or..."
Tnx in advance...
GreenV8S said:
The thing you're after is called a 'block tester', £25 - £30.
Yeah, that's the one! $25 US, miraculously doubles once over here
I refilled the coolant, bled the air and went for a drive. Heater worked fine (it hadn't been, that was the first clue that something was wrong of course...), car seemed to run OK.
It doesn't have a temperature gauge (
bloody cheapskate manufacturers, must cost pennies for a bloody gauge), only a temp warning lamp that has never lit. Anyway, I got back and was about to turn the engine off when I realised it sounded like it was running on three cylinders. Left the car 45 mins or so. Popped the cap, coolant level seems about normal, water is still clear (ish), no residual pressure.
Started the engine, still sounded like a 3-cyl. and within seconds there were copious bubbles rising (even though there weren't when I first refilled it). Also, I'd swear I can smell petrol fumes in the coolant header tank...
Looks like the HG to me...
wedg1e said:
Been Googling, and it appears that HG failure on a Punto is a comon occurance... seems that 8 years (like this one) is exceptional!
Ahh wedgie! Dont worry though cos theyre pretty easy to do. The cambelts are a doddle and will take about a half to 1/2 to 3/4 hour if you take your time.
Go on, you know you wanna!
deltafox said:
Been Googling, and it appears that HG failure on a Punto is a comon occurance... seems that 8 years (like this one) is exceptional!
Ahh wedgie! Dont worry though cos theyre pretty easy to do. The cambelts are a doddle and will take about a half to 1/2 to 3/4 hour if you take your time.
Go on, you know you wanna!
Hey, I've got a Lotus twincam in bits, nothing scares me!
I changed the cambelt on the Punto last year just for a laugh... the biggest ar53-ache this time of course is that with no car, I'll be running round after her, and it's too bloody cold for working ouside on cars...
Still, I'd be more miffed if it let go in the south of France.
350matt said:
You could always let her borrow the wedge?.......
Fine in theory, except that (a) I wouldn't be too keen to let her leave it all day in the car park where she works and (b) there's an engineless Esprit between the TVR's garage and freedom
... and our driveway slopes the wrong way Oh, (c) it's the middle of winter; (d) she doesn't like driving the wedge; (e) the heater is crap; (f) no tax on the TVR; (g) need I go on?
wedg1e said:
You could always let her borrow the wedge?.......
Fine in theory, except that (a) I wouldn't be too keen to let her leave it all day in the car park where she works and (b) there's an engineless Esprit between the TVR's garage and freedom
Oh, (c) it's the middle of winter; (d) she doesn't like driving the wedge; (e) the heater is crap; (f) no tax on the TVR; (g) need I go on?
You're just scared..
Scared she will love it and won't give it back
Well, me Julie stopped driving the Punto until we get it fixed. I ordered a gasket set from Honest Pietro (si, eesa molto benny!) and pencilled in next weekend (by which time it might have warmed up out there!) to do the job.
Me Julie had other ideas
Whilst I tore my hair out fitting that... Devil's plaything... laminate flooring in the bathroom, Julie climbed into a pair of my old overalls (and she looks better in them than I do, believe me!), opened the spangly new Haynes manual at the chapter headed 'Rippa da motore to piezzas'... and demanded to know which bit was the cam-cover
But she persevered, insisting that I haul all 60Kg of my toolchest to a point convenient to the Fiat and its radio, wherefrom she wouldn't need to stray for fear of missing Leicester scoring a goal... perchance their first this season, I venture ... and selected some of Britool's finest surgical instruments for the task ahead.
Before you could say 'Whatsamattayou' there were bits of plastic, bits of alloy, blood and bad languaage everywhere It was just like listening to me.
Anyway, with the head removed, even a cursory examination was enough to show that something was amiss. Number one piston and chamber were almost clean, where the other three wore the usual carbon crust. Staining of the gasket clearly pointed to a leak on number one and, I think, on number four as well, albeit not as advanced.
The head was lobbed in the parts washer and Julie spent a happy hour with brushes and pan scourers cleaning 8 years-worth of mank off the top end.
I'll get a straight-edge on it tomorrow but I'm pretty certain the head's not warped. Time for a decoke and hose-down of the block which is also covered in oily clag from the leaking cam-cover gasket.
Meanwhile I await the arrival of the gasket set, probably in a large blacked-out saloon car with Sicilian plates...
Me Julie had other ideas
Whilst I tore my hair out fitting that... Devil's plaything... laminate flooring in the bathroom, Julie climbed into a pair of my old overalls (and she looks better in them than I do, believe me!), opened the spangly new Haynes manual at the chapter headed 'Rippa da motore to piezzas'... and demanded to know which bit was the cam-cover
But she persevered, insisting that I haul all 60Kg of my toolchest to a point convenient to the Fiat and its radio, wherefrom she wouldn't need to stray for fear of missing Leicester scoring a goal... perchance their first this season, I venture
... and selected some of Britool's finest surgical instruments for the task ahead. Before you could say 'Whatsamattayou' there were bits of plastic, bits of alloy, blood and bad languaage everywhere
It was just like listening to me. Anyway, with the head removed, even a cursory examination was enough to show that something was amiss. Number one piston and chamber were almost clean, where the other three wore the usual carbon crust. Staining of the gasket clearly pointed to a leak on number one and, I think, on number four as well, albeit not as advanced.
The head was lobbed in the parts washer and Julie spent a happy hour with brushes and pan scourers cleaning 8 years-worth of mank off the top end.
I'll get a straight-edge on it tomorrow but I'm pretty certain the head's not warped. Time for a decoke and hose-down of the block which is also covered in oily clag from the leaking cam-cover gasket.
Meanwhile I await the arrival of the gasket set, probably in a large blacked-out saloon car with Sicilian plates...
Hey up mate, Sorry for a late reply but i aint been on for a while. It is almost certainly the head gasket, but for a quick check forget the block test. Start the car, top up the water and once the car is up near temp it will be obvious by all the gasses bubbling back. (run without the rad cap on. In any case, its not an expensive or hard job. I would usually charge around £185 for this job and that includes head skim and pressure test.
pdmotors said:
Hey up mate, Sorry for a late reply but i aint been on for a while. It is almost certainly the head gasket, but for a quick check forget the block test. Start the car, top up the water and once the car is up near temp it will be obvious by all the gasses bubbling back. (run without the rad cap on. In any case, its not an expensive or hard job. I would usually charge around £185 for this job and that includes head skim and pressure test.
Aye cheers Paul, we're on top of it. Just waiting for delivery of gasket set...
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