Hi All
Newby here, would appreciate some help and advise please.

I have a 2000 1.2 ELX 16v Punto, 67000 miles. 14 months ago the Cylinder Head Gasket went so I paid £417 for it to be repaired. The car had a gurgling noise under the glove compartment when I picked it up but the garage seemed to be unconcerned as the car was running well.

14 months and 5000 miles later the Cylinder Head Gasket has gone again! The original garage said there was no water in the pipes when I got it to them (although the reservoir, the bit that I check was fine!) so they think the cylinder head has probably cracked and I will need a new cylinder head or even engine.

I took it to another garage for a second opinion and they said the same thing with both garages under the impression it will be more cost effective to scrap the car, also the second garage said that he couldn’t get a new cylinder head replacement anywhere for that car.

So now I am stuck with a car, which has only done 67000, has 11 months MOT, 2 brand new tyres on the back and was a cracking little runner until 5 weeks ago now not going anywhere and being told to scrap it!
I find it hard to believe that is it for my tidy little car and I can only get scrap value for it so would like some advise from you mechanically minded souls as to what to do next please! Thanks

Firstly there should not have been any gurgling - it is a sign of air in the system and is asking for trouble. Secondly I would not accept a cracked head diagnosis until the motor was opened up for inspection. It may be repairable. Even if the head itself is scrap that doesn't mean the whole engine is.

Am sure theres a local scrap yard or head recon place that can find you a old head.

Thanks for the reply guys

From reading the Forums I gathered that the best way of blowing a cylinder Head Gasket pretty soon is to have air in the system but the garage just said that the gurgling wasn't a problem and the air should have worked it's way out! :bang:
Getting nowhere with this garage who originally did the job other than they say they will fit a reconditioned engine for half the labour costs (£200) but I have to source the engine.

The other garage says getting a reconditioned cylinder head is risky as it depends if it has been skimmed already. Don't think he wants to open the engine up fully and charge me the labour for something which he thinks is going to cost more money to repair than the car is worth. I will give him a ring tomorrow to check if the cylinder head has def gone though.
At the moment it looks more like I am going to have to scrap the car or break it down for parts which is a shame as I think it is a fixer upper for someone who knows what they are doing!
Thanks again for the help

Has the head been removed? Just sounds like the garage have no intrest!

Sounds like he didnt do a proper job to start with....

Why did the first HG blow in the first place? some 14months later is a typical story that he didnt do something correct to start with

Is the radiator blocked = Slow cooking the head?
Is there an External water leak?
Is water pump not circulating fluid
Thermostate sticking shut and opening when the engine has already starts to slow cook again

there are lots of things he SHOULD have checked when doing the HG

Ziggy

I phoned the garage (who have the car but didn't do the CHG) to check if the cylinder head is def cracked but he said the Cylinder Head Gasket has def gone and poss the cylinder head.
Basically he doesn't want to strip it apart as even if just CHG it will cost me around the £400+ mark and as the head has been skimmed once in all probability will have to get recon cylinder head too. Probably coming across as uninterested in the job but do think he is trying to stop me throwing away any more money on the car!

Ziggy, agree with you totally! Don't think the other garage did a proper job when they did the Head gasket in the first place, didn't change water pump or thermostat and obviously didn't bleed it properly, can't get them to say so though and not being a mechanic they have answers for everything I put to them, didn't know it was my fault that there was no water in the pipes!!

Looking more like I am just going to have to cut my losses and send to scrap a great little runner (when going!) or retrain as a mechanic!! Have learned a lot about cars on this Forum though, thanks for help!

the HG on an 8v is DIY
16v is a little different as timing has to be spot on

If you do go down road with the HG change - get the head to a Refurb/engine rebuild place and get them pressure testing it - they'll let you know whats gone if anything

Ziggy

real shame to scrap a nice car because of HGF/cylinder head; it is quite possible to skim a cylinder head more than once as there are markers to ensure you do not overdo it; almost certainly the original garage did not bleed the system properly; air will not "work itself out" of the cooling system on this engine (see guide on bleeding system); thus local hotspots have led to second HG failure; cylinder head change is straight forward apart from timing on the 16v; it does NOT need a new engine; even if you scrap it you still have to buy another car so suggest remove head, skim if poss and pressure test or get a used one and skim/pressure test it; when you get the car back rebleed the system using the guides and also change the oil as will have been contaminated with water....
alternative is to sell the car on ebay as is

Hi Guys
Thanks for all the replies, you have def helped.
The irony was that I was getting the car ready for selling and getting a newer one hence the two new back tyres, MOT and service when the head went again. Up until that point it had been running like a dream albeit it with the intermittent gurgling going on, have learned that lesson about Cylinder Heads the hard way! I naively trusted the garage to do the Cylinder Head properly when I spent £400 odd out the year before so didn't expect to be paying out again! I think all your replies have confirmed that fact!

Agree that it would be a shame to scrap the car but also know that I don't have the knowledge, time or facilities to be able to do the cylinder Head job myself, sounds a bit daunting for me with my profession being an artist!
The current situation is that I am waiting for a friend of the mechanic where the car is at the moment to come and have a look at it to see if he wants to do it up, fingers crossed he will rather than scrapping it!