possible head gasket failure

aido · Post by **aido** » 11 Jul 2004, 23:21

help! my zx td has a water problem. on returning to the car on friday i noticed water/coolant on the road under my car. i got on the floor and looked under the car but it looked bone dry. strange i thought. on driving home,the temp. gauge barely moved then shot straight up to the red accompanied by the fans blowing like a gale.luckily i was next to a local garage when the temp shot up and drove it straight in and turned the engine off.i opened the bonnet and felt the rad,it was clap cold but the top hose was hot. i left the car with the garage and they later phoned me to say the cooling system was pressurised and they suspected the head gasket was shot,400/500 quid to sort. had them tow the car to my house saturday morning and when i opened the radiator cap slowly,coolant shot out of the sides of the cap aswell as down the overflow pipe. ive since been in touch with a retired cit/pug mechanic whose suggested filling the expansion tank to absolute brim so no more water can be put in and then getting someone to crank the engine without waiting for pre-heat and if any bubbles appear in the water its head gasket for sure. what dya reckon guys,does it sound like hg trouble?any replies would be greatly appreciated.

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 12 Jul 2004, 00:01

Fill the system using a pop bottle funnel to maintain a slight head of pressure, bleed system then fit cap and allow it to idle for a few minutes while squeezing the top hose. If you feel the thing pressurising before the engine is hot then its pretty certain its the HG but do check the thermostat is opening as failure here can make it boil in the engine and give similar symptoms as can a blocked radiator. If it comes to the worst search these pages for hints on HG replacement. it neednt be the end.
Stewart

aido · Post by **aido** » 12 Jul 2004, 00:47

evening oily spanner,just been out to car to try the hissing test,took cap off,replaced it, started car for 30 secs,switched off,slowly unscrewed cap,it hissed and coolant bubbled like a good un.theres still loads off coolant in the expension tank,its right up to the top,havnt added any. ive always changed the coolant/water on time with good coolant and its about a year ago it was done with a flush out with hosepipe and water ran clear as a bell.put new thermostat in as previously it was running cool.after new thermostat it ran at 80 or just over . the radiator itself is no more than about 2 years old.

aido · Post by **aido** » 12 Jul 2004, 01:49

im a bit cheesed really,just had new timing belt and tensioner kit fitted couple of weeks ago,looks like that will have to come off now! think it would be a good idea to have new water pump fitted,although i would have thought if it looked suspect the place where i had timing belt fitted would have mentioned it?. the car has done 118000 miles. think i should get the cam shaft seal replaced at same time.would love to be able to do head gasket change myself but dont have the experience plus mi garage is full of cack at the mo. does anybody on here know of a reputable garage in the leeds area who would do a good job of head gasket replacement? thanks in advance.

heath robinson · Post by **heath robinson** » 12 Jul 2004, 03:44

i'd hate to give you a bad recc, but i would hope the following is of some use;
many years ago i worked selling car parts, and if i had to use a garage in leeds i would consider 2:
thorn lane garage in leeds 8 just opp roundhay high school; father and son garage; dave is the son
alternatively thwaites and linley in chapel allerton leeds 7; was owned by a guy called Howard, a real enthusiast for certain cars eg mk2 ford escorts
i had the sense that both garage owners seem to care about what they were doing with cars
neither, i don't suppose, will be the cheapest you can find, but if they are still as they were, they will hopefully do the job right
i hope it works out well for you; if you take the car to either of the above let me know about your experience as i continue to recc them to contacts in leeds and i would like to know if i'm doing the right thing
regards

ralph · Post by **ralph** » 12 Jul 2004, 12:45

Try Citraulix if you're near Bradford. Now at the Five Lane Ends Morrisons complex near Eccleshill/Idle.
Citraulix used to be in Bingley, but suffered a major fire, hence the move.
They're cheap and well regarded by everyone I speak to.

aido · Post by **aido** » 12 Jul 2004, 20:01

thanks heath robinson and ralph for your suggestions. i will be ringing round a few places for some quotes and will certainly try your recommendations.will keep the forum informed of the outcome.

aido · Post by **aido** » 14 Jul 2004, 20:55

ayup guys,i rang thorn lane garage but they dont do diesel head gasket replacements,they gave me name of a garage they use so tried them but couldnt do it for 2 weeks!. couldnt find number for thwaites n linley. ive since been in touch with a mates mate who works for peugeot and he says he'll do the head gasket change, i just hope thats all it is! will let all know how i get on.