hi has my head gasket gone the bloke i bought it off said he put anti freeze in it before i bought it i had it a few days and the water light came on i read on here about raising the front to bleed so i got the heater working after a couple of journeys the light started coming on again i checked the oil cap there was a bit of gunge so i took it to my macanic he said it was condensation and the engine sounded fine not missing ticking over spot on he said it would misfire if the gasket had gone i checked for leaks there's none it does about half a mile then light comes on but the exhaust is dripping water and if it has how much would i expect to pay to get the head skimmed

you mean overheating light?
have you checked antifreeze level?

water dripping from the exhaust is sometimes normal,


What you need to do is have a preasure test done,

gerryhogan said:

hi has my head gasket gone the bloke i bought it off said he put anti freeze in it before i bought it i had it a few days and the water light came on i read on here about raising the front to bleed so i got the heater working after a couple of journeys the light started coming on again i checked the oil cap there was a bit of gunge so i took it to my macanic he said it was condensation and the engine sounded fine not missing ticking over spot on he said it would misfire if the gasket had gone i checked for leaks there's none it does about half a mile then light comes on but the exhaust is dripping water and if it has how much would i expect to pay to get the head skimmed

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exhaust dripping water is probs condensation! Dont forget we are in cold weather now! Mayo in the cap can be short journey issues take it on a long journey and see if it removes the gunk. Have u looked in coolant for oil or a sniff test? Its a pressurised system! So sometimes the gases can pressurise the coolant and it leaks between the bores and missfires and you get white smoke out the back which is coolant burning off! You tried the coolant trick? Get a mate to rev the car with the coolant cap off and look in coolant when he/she revs it and look for bubbles or the coolant rising! I had my head gasket replaced with a skim and stem seals new coolant new oil new oil filter and rocker cover for £250 3month ago

Oh i would also check the top coolant pipe is it cold? And is the radiator cold? Your thermostat might be buggered.

do a diagnosis before worrying about the cost of a head skim....


do you have coolant?
Is it keeping its level?
Do you have any leaks?


Listen to your mechanic, condensation in filler cap and exhaust dripping from cold can be normal operation.

it is cold but that's when the fan comes on

flisko said:

you mean overheating light?
have you checked antifreeze level?

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i haven't got any antifreeze in as it leaked out but i keep topping the water to the levels in the rad

Jamiec18 said:

exhaust dripping water is probs condensation! Dont forget we are in cold weather now! Mayo in the cap can be short journey issues take it on a long journey and see if it removes the gunk. Have u looked in coolant for oil or a sniff test? Its a pressurised system! So sometimes the gases can pressurise the coolant and it leaks between the bores and missfires and you get white smoke out the back which is coolant burning off! You tried the coolant trick? Get a mate to rev the car with the coolant cap off and look in coolant when he/she revs it and look for bubbles or the coolant rising! I had my head gasket replaced with a skim and stem seals new coolant new oil new oil filter and rocker cover for £250 3month ago

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just tested the level in the dark with a torch there's no bubbles or oil in the water

atom0007 said:

do a diagnosis before worrying about the cost of a head skim....


do you have coolant?
Is it keeping its level?
Do you have any leaks?


Listen to your mechanic, condensation in filler cap and exhaust dripping from cold can be normal operation.

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no leaks only from the exhaust even the joint of the back box on exhaust is dripping

oldhammer said:

water dripping from the exhaust is sometimes normal,


What you need to do is have a preasure test done,

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Agree.

gerryhogan said:

i haven't got any antifreeze in as it leaked out but i keep topping the water to the levels in the rad

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thats why car is overheating cuz there isnt enough coolant inside, find where it is leaking from

gerryhogan said:

i haven't got any antifreeze in as it leaked out but i keep topping the water to the levels in the rad

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You need to drain it off..and refill with antifreeze,.

Winter is here..

quid shops sell the stuff now,

flisko said:

thats why car is overheating cuz there isnt enough coolant inside, find where it is leaking from

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'its easier 'said then done,

gerryhogan said:

it is cold but that's when the fan comes on

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Fan comes on and top rad pipe is cold aswel as the rad itself?

Using water temp is fine but done use it as a perm solution it will destroy your engine

he constantly needs to top it up so leak will be probably obvious to spot

flisko said:

he constantly needs to top it up so leak will be probably obvious to spot

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if it was obvious, id guess he wouid of found the leak by now,

tap water wont help tho,id use some red antifreeze..but still its too expensive
to let it run down the road,

he needs a Mech to have a look at it ..arm chair diagnostics aint going to help.

A misfire might not occour with a blown hg
Mine went between oil and water
No misfires

If your loosing coolant
You need a pressure coolant test to find where your loosing it

Mayo cap aint a hg sign, but a clue
Been cold and shorr runs this causrs this mayo to build up overtime

Water is a byproduct of combustion sometimes added with lots of moist cool air due to cool temps so dripping exhaust isnt a hg sign


Having big clouds of white steam is tho as thats because its been burnt, not to be mistaken with cold running on a cold day tho

You need a coolant pressure test, a compression test to tell whara going on

Ziggy

Jamiec18 said:

Oh i would also check the top coolant pipe is it cold? And is the radiator cold? Your thermostat might be buggered.

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looks like you where right took it to my m8 who`s a mechanic he bypassed the thermostat bled the system heater came on he told me run it for a couple of days see how it gets on done about 30 miles this morning short and motorway journeys heater still puffing away like a goodun check the water in a couple of hours but i think it will be ok next job MOT found a garage that dose it for £30 happy days thanks

took it to my m8 who`s a mechanic he bypassed the thermostat bled the system heater came on he told me run it for a couple of days see how it gets on done about 30 miles this morning short and motorway journeys heater still puffing away like a goodun check the water in a couple of hours but i think it will be ok next job MOT found a garage that dose it for £30 happy days thanks