Technical Head gasket?

[tobywood13]

Hi all, I have a feeling that my head gasket has just blown. Car suddenly got very hot, I pulled over and saw that some brown water had sprayed around the vicinity of the radiator cap. The rad is empty, with brown sludge on the cap. Can’t see a sign of a leak anywhere else.

I’ve recently replaced all hoses, radiator, water pump, and thermostat to address a constant loss of water, and since the pump (last thing I did) it’s functioned fine without any obvious leaks. This happened at 60mph with no signs of overheating. Coolant was changed recently.

It has been taking slightly longer to start recently, just a few seconds, so may have been leaking coolant into the cylinders. Is this likely a head gasket?

I can’t see any mayo on the dipstick or the oil cap, just this sludge in the radiator.

I’m stood next to it waiting for assistance, and can hear a glug coming from the radiator every few seconds.

 

[bugsymike]

Hi all, I have a feeling that my head gasket has just blown. Car suddenly got very hot, I pulled over and saw that some brown water had sprayed around the vicinity of the radiator cap. The rad is empty, with brown sludge on the cap. Can’t see a sign of a leak anywhere else.

I’ve recently replaced all hoses, radiator, water pump, and thermostat to address a constant loss of water, and since the pump (last thing I did) it’s functioned fine without any obvious leaks. This happened at 60mph with no signs of overheating. Coolant was changed recently.

It has been taking slightly longer to start recently, just a few seconds, so may have been leaking coolant into the cylinders. Is this likely a head gasket?

I can’t see any mayo on the dipstick or the oil cap, just this sludge in the radiator.

I’m stood next to it waiting for assistance, and can hear a glug coming from the radiator every few seconds.

Does sound like it.
Has any rad seal type additive been used?
When coolant changed was all air bled from system?
If the brown sludge is not additive then it could be a long time build up of muck that was blocking the radiator and now has cooked the head gasket.

 

[tobywood13]

Does sound like it.
Has any rad seal type additive been used?
When coolant changed was all air bled from system?
If the brown sludge is not additive then it could be a long time build up of muck that was blocking the radiator and now has cooked the head gasket.

No rad sealant used. Bled it all through when I changed coolant and checked it regularly over the following days to ensure it was fully topped off. Radiator is brand new, as is water pump, hoses, thermostat, so not likely to be old sludge. I’ve been driving it everyday for a few weeks since changing the rad with no issues, including a 7 hour trip each way to Devon.

 

[bugsymike]

There doesn't need to be "mayo" on dipstick or in oil cap for head gasket issue.
If coolant has been going down for some time hence the need for all the parts you have changed , there is a very good chance at some point the coolant was so low it couldn't circulate around the engine, at that point it will rapidly overheat and blow the gasket/warp the cylinder head etc.
There are several tests that can be done to show a faulty head gasket issue, from filling the coolant to the brim starting the engine holding revs around 2000 then letting it idle and checking for gas bubbles coming up sometimes smelling of combustion, another test is a tool that sniffs that gas and changes the colour of chrystals due to combustion gas present, another test is a leak test done with more garage equipment which takes longer but is more comprehensive and can show which cylinder the fault lies in etc.
After over fifty years in the motortrade I have used all those methods, the leak test being the most accurate capable of showing even a very slow leak from gasket.

 

[tobywood13]

Topped it up from a nice elderly lady’s watering can, limped it the last couple of miles home. Definitely the head gasket, the exhaust gas is venting into the cooling system and pressurising it well over what it should be, as soon as I took the rad cap off it squirted all over the place and smoke/steam was coming out, but not normal coolant steam. It started misfiring at idle too, so I think coolant is getting into at least one cylinder.

New head gasket, bolts, oil, coolant needed.
Has anyone got a link to a parts list and good guide on how to get the head off? This will be my first head gasket, but it’s a pretty simple car to learn on. Also, if anyone on here is in East Anglia, any recommendations on somewhere to get my head skimmed?

 

[tobywood13]

I’ve looked on Ricambio, all the gasket kits seem to say ‘up to 1992’. My car is a 1993, with the SPI. Will these earlier kits fit my car?

I’m not worried about all the seals it comes with, just the head gasket, intake, and exhaust manifold ones. I’m hoping that they say ‘up to 1992’ due to one of the ones I don’t need to use.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I’ve looked on Ricambio, all the gasket kits seem to say ‘up to 1992’. My car is a 1993, with the SPI. Will these earlier kits fit my car?

I’m not worried about all the seals it comes with, just the head gasket, intake, and exhaust manifold ones. I’m hoping that they say ‘up to 1992’ due to one of the ones I don’t need to use.

At the risk of boring everyone. My go to for stuff like this is Shop4parts: https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?gad_s...G0BEbyFY2VekrV3LNDnDk3KvATeegFM8aAs_LEALw_wcB They are very approachable and knowledgeable and won't mind at all if you ring them up asking for advice. Have VIN/chassis number/reg no ready to hand.

 

[jalopear]

Seguro junta quemada, desarmar y cambiar lo necesario.