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Punto head gasket (again)

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Punto head gasket (again)

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spannerman167

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Okay I've searched around but one thing I haven't found the answer to, what manufacturer/make of head gasket is the most recommended for a
2000 Punto 8V ??

I've done my daughters car twice now both times using a BGA gasket kit.

The last time not so long ago I had the head skimmed, I lapped the valves new stem seals etc as you would, new water pump with much larger metal impeller, new thermostat, flushed system, correctly bleed.

Still hasn't lasted I'm sure its on its way again, block is true so I'm thinking that the gasket quality could be the issue, so can anyone recommend a good quality gasket.

The gasket is a piece of cake to replace but replacing it every few months is a pain in the ass.

Sorry I know this has been discussed to death but the one answer I was looking for I was unable to find.

Cheers.
 
spannerman167 said:
Okay I've searched around but one thing I haven't found the answer to, what manufacturer/make of head gasket is the most recommended for a
2000 Punto 8V ??

I've done my daughters car twice now both times using a BGA gasket kit.

The last time not so long ago I had the head skimmed, I lapped the valves new stem seals etc as you would, new water pump with much larger metal impeller, new thermostat, flushed system, correctly bleed.

Still hasn't lasted I'm sure its on its way again, block is true so I'm thinking that the gasket quality could be the issue, so can anyone recommend a good quality gasket.

The gasket is a piece of cake to replace but replacing it every few months is a pain in the ass.

Sorry I know this has been discussed to death but the one answer I was looking for I was unable to find.

Cheers.
Click to expand...


how have they failed..??:confused:

if it's the same place / cylinder.. then that'll spell an issue,
I don't recognise the name..from the ones I've successfully completed in the past;)

I buy mine from EBAY for £10, not had an issue,
on the last one the "firering" was a little bit "D-shaped" but still worked fine,

3 years and 15K later..,

Charlie - Oxford
 
Idle miss fire to start with but drives fine, as it develops temperature gauge fluctuates, basically a firing ring starts to fail. Never got to a stage of boiling over. Gasket kit comes from Factors, Andrew Page formally Camberly Auto factors, I get a good discount from them, unusual to get poor products from them.
I've looked at ebay just looking for a recommended manufacturer.
Thanks for the reply :)
 
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The gasket is the victim, not the cause.
The second failure gives cause to doubt the gasket, but the first failure was much older and possibly of a different make, so its failure was not due to poor materials. We need to determine the cause.

You've changed the stat and pump, but what about the radiator, is it blocked or restricted, and does the cooling fan operate as it should.

Are the spark plugs in good condition, and were they fitted properly? Old plugs can cause poor combustion. If they are not tightened enough to properly squeeze the washer, the heat path is affected, making them run hotter. Hopefully you know which one came from which cylinder. Compare them, and if different to each other, show us some close up detailed pics of the electrodes, the threads, the white insulator and the washers.
 
Plugs new, serviced the motor at the same time, cooling fans work as they should, no sign of radiator blockage, system flushed,radiator heats all across the matrix (no cold spots). Coolant never contaminated.
 
Yep used new bolts, will check plugs but 100% sure the HG is on its way again. In 36 years as a hgv/light vehicle mechanic its the first time I've had a HG fail after I've replaced it and there's been hell of alot it that time.
 
Assuming the HG was correctly fitted
The thermostat was working correctly
the waterpump is pumping

it leaves me with several unconfirmed questions

- IS the temperature guage working correctly? its not reading 95deg but actually its cooking the engine?
- iS the rad blocked?degraded? high air flow?
- Is the fan working when requested - see temp sensor point though
- Is there an Airlock, messing the car up?
Is the block cracked?

Ziggy
 
Temp gauge works fine, when its running correctly it reads nice and steady in he middle for weeks/months then starts fluctuating when the HG starts, lets say miss behaving, luckily its never got to the point of reading boiling up or have we ever had it boiling, always caught it when its just starting to let go.

Without stripping the radiator matrix apart I'm pretty confident its flowing fine.

Fans start up when expected.

Air lock appears in heater system only when the HG starts playing up.

Block face measures nice and true.

Cracked block would show up straight away not weeks/months later.

New FAI and Febi gasket ordered I'll decide which to use once I get to look at them, both cheap enough.
New set of bolts ordered.

Thanks for the help I'll fit it friday afternoon and hope that's the last bloody time.
 
Early stage h/g failure can have a slight misfire from cold and a bit of steam out the back and a heater gurgle.
What is your coolant level doing? Are you sure you don't have a leak. The steel pipe under the exhaust is difficult to spot. Sometimes all you will see are damp patches on the oil filter housing.
If water is causing the misfire, one or more plugs could be a different colour to the rest. Might be worth pulling them to see.
I've done our car with the cheapest gasket available, reused the headbolts and no skim nearly 30 000 miles ago.
 
Brendan W said:
Early stage h/g failure can have a slight misfire from cold and a bit of steam out the back and a heater gurgle.
What is your coolant level doing? Are you sure you don't have a leak. The steel pipe under the exhaust is difficult to spot. Sometimes all you will see are damp patches on the oil filter housing.
If water is causing the misfire, one or more plugs could be a different colour to the rest. Might be worth pulling them to see.
I've done our car with the cheapest gasket available, reused the headbolts and no skim nearly 30 000 miles ago.
Click to expand...

i thought skimming is necessary after head gasket blows, but it may appear thats another old wives tale like with the timing belt change intervals...
 
I've never skimmed a head or block. Never had a repeat failure. I think too often this is done as a matter of course, rather than measure and trust your measurements.

Once complete. From cold, let the engine tick over and see how the top hose warms up. It should stay cold for some time, then suddenly hot as the stat opens. Once stat is open, the rad should get hot form the top down, evenly all across and all down. Any cool spots indicate blockages.

As Brendan suggests, look very carefully for leaks.
 
flisko said:
i thought skimming is necessary after head gasket blows, but it may appear thats another old wives tale like with the timing belt change intervals...
Click to expand...

It's not an old wives tale but there are failures and failures. Heads will warp if reddened and a gasket can only do so much.
 
Well I've got an 8v block in for skimming at the moment took it to a place in Wolverhampton and the b**** journey was a nightmare. I'm going to replace the metal coolant tube, radiator and rad fan and then use waterless coolant. The block shows classic hg failure on cal N01, but also there is 0 carbon on that cylinder as if the engine has never run on all four cylinders (currently at 111k miles) I have had quite a few Fiats and this is a first. Thank the lord my Volvo is bomb proof where overheating is concerned!
 
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