headgasket gone.

[gareth 400v8]

does anyone know roughly how much this costs,im scared.is there alot of work involved.looks like bbwf in a mondeo,i dont think it will be the same somehow.also what type are best composite or copper ones . only had it since last year , the bloke i bought it of said hes never had any trouble in the seven years of ownership,when yer lucks out it really is.ive hardly driven it what with the crap weather last year.but id never get rid of it,lovely car,what a rumble.

[jagdpanther]

Sorry to hear about this chum

If you have the tools and a bit of spanner knowledge, it would work out significantly cheaper to fix it yourself as a HG replacement isnt that big of a job....just time consuming and often requiring a second pair of hands

Good luck

[carob]

Had mine done last year. Give rimmers a try for your bits i found they were the best. Garage done mine and roughly all in about £500. I just stayed with the original tin gaskets. New valley gaskets, manifold gaskets, replaced the rocker gaskets for rubber ones. New Head bolts.

Rob

[TVRleigh_BBWR]

Parts for DIY is about £100-£150
I fitted compersit ones to my car. it will lower the C/R but that will help with running std unleaded.

It will take a garage who know what they are doing all day. or DIY will take 2-4 days.

If you DIY or get a garage to do it, don't fit the end row of bolts. this is the main reason for 90% of head gasket problems.

Where abouts are you based.

Leigh.

[gareth 400v8]

im in stowmarket,its between ipswich and bury st edmunds ,on the a14.

[pwd95]

Have a go. It really is quite straightforward if you'r ok with a bit of spannering. Borrow a tourque wrench, download the manuals for the bolt sequences etc & go for it. Did mine before xmas.

[gareth 400v8]

spoke to a mate earlier and he said hed be suprised if it was the headgasket as v8s are quite a bullet proof engine hes known of the same engine on range rovers to have rotted at the back of the water pump and cracked blocks.so hes coming over next week to further investigate.

[adam quantrill]

Head gaskets are not uncommon, did mine too, used composite. Apart from Leigh's suggested cause, they can rot due to insufficient inhibitor in the water.

It takes about 3 days, 2 if you really go for it.

You'll need a 3-4 foot long breaker bar to undo the head bolts as these can be a bit tight!

[GreenV8S]

gareth 400v8 said:

spoke to a mate earlier and he said hed be suprised if it was the headgasket as v8s are quite a bullet proof engine hes known of the same engine on range rovers to have rotted at the back of the water pump and cracked blocks.so hes coming over next week to further investigate.

What are the symptoms? Shame to go to all that trouble and then find it was a simple water leak.

[gareth 400v8]

it started to overheat about 2-3 months ago ,was going down the a14 about 80mph then the temp gauge went into the red and then came down to 90 quite steadily.with further investgating showed a small rad leak in the bottom corner , had the rad recored ,twin fans fitted and adjustable stat fitted.when engine running on the drive gauge sat at 85-90 .went for a drive pulled over 3 times to check the fans were cutting in .3rd time unlucky engine idling ,brilliant sussed it then a gurgle and then the idling started to run lumpy then water thrown out into catch tank,but the temp gauge showed 90 and then died.and wouldnt start again even when cooled down.then 2 hrs later car on the back of low loader for the second time in ten mths,great.has anyone got any idea of what it sounds like or had the same symptoms? help.

[GreenV8S]

gareth 400v8 said:

has anyone got any idea of what it sounds like

Could be as simple as an air lock being released. Once you'd had air in the system you can get pockets of air weeks or even months later. It *could* be HGF but there's no evidence for that yet.

I would suggest checking for oil in the coolant, and get the cooling system pressure tested. These are both easy DIY tests. If either of these tests indicate a problem then consider getting a cylinder leakdown test run, and having the coolant tested for HC contamination. Also keep an eye out for white emulsion under the rocker covers indicating that you have water in the oil, but bear in mind that it's perfectly normal for this emulsion to form while the engine is cold so don't be too alarmed unless you have massive amounts or unless it is still present when the engine is good and hot.

[gareth 400v8]

i,l keep you posted on what the outcome will be,fishing is alot less stressfull.roll on the sunshine.

[honestjohntoo]

Sounds more like air locks and in any case that possibility should be eliminated before you go to a head gasket repair, try this:

http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pages/TipsAndT...

[adam quantrill]

The airlocks will reappear if air is being pumped in via a head gasket leak.

It's also worth testing the cooland for combustion products, that'll tell you.

[gareth 400v8]

only thing is ,the car wont start now since it threw the coolant out.fun and games,i feel like a dart player on double one ,in the madhouse.

Edited by gareth 400v8 on Sunday 6th April 21:38

[gareth 400v8]

sorry i forgot to mention we did get a few bubbles out by letting the swan neck bubble over for about a minute or two and topped up via the expansion tank.its looking like a severe maintenance project for the next 2-3yrs.

Edited by gareth 400v8 on Sunday 6th April 21:37

[GreenV8S]

gareth 400v8 said:

only thing is ,the car wont start now since it threw the coolant out.

In that case you've got a tangible problem to track down. Are you getting a spark at the plugs? Fuel in the cylinders?