General head gasket ?

[amy86]

Hey,

I've got a fiat punto w (2000) 1.2 16v and i origanally took it to the garage the other week as it was chugging and loads of white smoke coming out of exhaust. garage said it had no water in car (only had it serviced 3 months ago, never normally fill it up) and that it could be the head gasket. told me to check water levels and keep it topped up, which i av been doing. i have been filling it up when engine is cold and making sure i dont go over the max level. Yesterday i check it (again engine cold) and the water level was to the top of the tube (near the cap), so i took some water out. Checked again today and water level was right up the tube. How can the water level b getting higher if i haven't filled it up? :bang:

is it likely that a faulty head gasket would cause this problem, as my car is in on monday to have a new one, but dont want to replace it if it is something else!! :worship:

Thanks

Amy x
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[dave]

a faulty gasket can cause air fron cylinder to get into coolant and push level up.
take it to a garage for a sniff and presure test. not the garage that said to top it up with water another one that knows it should be coolant not water

 

[DaveMcT]

The garage should not have sent you away with what looked like a blown head gasket, so go elsewhere.

The coolant "water" can be tested for exhaust gasses and any good garage can do that for pennies. A compression test need not cost much either, but no point if there are gasses in the coolant.

On Puntos a blown head gasket pressurises the coolant system so the tank seems to fill up. There will be gas and steam bubbles everywhere else in the system.

Find a better garage and make sure they check the cylinder head is flat and if necessary skimmed before it goes back on the engine.

Also get them to check the catalyst/lambda sensor as coolant from the blown head gasket can damage them both. Hopefully, as it was topped up with water they might have survived.

 

[SeanW]

I can give you the contact details for a good bloke in Grimsby.

West Marsh Car Centre, Armstrong Street

Ask for Rick.