Hi there i currently have 82k on my cinq sporting and was wondering should i be in need of a hg change soon? I mean the car has only ever overheated once while i had it when the rad went and even then it was just below the red line on the temp gauge. Since the new rad about 10k miles ago its been hovering around the 70c mark on the temp gauge normal driving and 90 to 100 while sat in traffic
General Mileage and head gasket
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General Mileage and head gasket
no it's fine. the HG is one of them 'if it broke, don't fix it' items.
i would say it'd last forever if you're nice to the car, and change the coolant every two years like you're meant to - and run the correct water:antifreeze mix 
depends how much water you've put in it. the main cause of HG failure is down to using water instead of coolant, this weakens the coolant channels through the gasket, causing them to fail.
I would empty the system, flush it, and then fill with a known concentration and then stick to it!
I would empty the system, flush it, and then fill with a known concentration and then stick to it!
Ah dam well i always top it up around half way been doing this since the new rad went in in sept. Hmmmmm how much would it cost to flush it at a garage and top it up with coolant i know? It used to be blue but i looked in it yesterday and it was a normal see thru water colour
clear is bad.
not sure how much a garage would charge. do it yourself, loosen the clip on the lower hose on the rad, pull the hose off. empty, replace, fill and then bleed it. sorted
not sure how much a garage would charge. do it yourself, loosen the clip on the lower hose on the rad, pull the hose off. empty, replace, fill and then bleed it. sorted
I wouldnt have a clue mate on how to do it plus the car is in the street outside lol i would make a mess and probs balls up the car in the process. Im planning on getting the handbrake adjusted and an air filter in the garage soon tho. How much ya think including labour for a coolant flush? Would it still be ok to use water untill i can afford it?
as it is very cold atm, i wouldn't risk it. if that water freezes, you're going to have problems. it shouldnt cost more than about £30 for a garage to do.
So about 50 euro here in the republic of ireland. Hmmmmm i will do this and ask em to give me the name of the coolent and brand so i can take it to a motor factors when ever i need to top up. True i spose what would happen if the water does freeze and i start the car?
localised overheating, causing the HG to blow. Or just the water freezing over night without starting the car would crack the engine block of cylinder head, if that happens then the engine is junk
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if it freezes, all the core plugs around the engine could pop out. The labour at a garage would be massive even though its only £5-10 in parts, as the gearbox would have to come out.
Just drain it yourself, and refill, it realy is an easy job to do (see the guides on here...i know my water temperature guide covers it a fair bit)
Mix any blues together, its fine....far better than running water!!
You could also change to pink which is normally longer service interval stuff.
Kristian
Just drain it yourself, and refill, it realy is an easy job to do (see the guides on here...i know my water temperature guide covers it a fair bit)
Mix any blues together, its fine....far better than running water!!
You could also change to pink which is normally longer service interval stuff.
Kristian
I know that it had protection down to -34 but ive been reading online that if you mix two diff brands of the same colour they could gel up causing problems and they have different inhabitor packages. Should i just go to my local garage where they did it and ask for a top up?
I wouldnt worry about mixing really. blue to blue should be 100% safe. other colours are usualy just made with other chemicals such as ones that can withstand more cold or for other types of engine (boats have a weird colour iirc so that it can be checked to prove people are using only fluid that wont kill things in the water if it leaks)
I replace mine when i service the car (cos i get it free) but its ok to top up with water a little but not much.
dont bother with the garage tho cos its easy... Go to halfords or any car place and buy 5liters of ready mixed coolant (should be no more then £15 dont worry about the colour)
Undo the jubblie clip on the hose at the bottom of the radiator and drain the fluid. you can flush thru with a hose if you like(garage wont do this!)
connect the radiator pipe back on then fill the coolent tank up. remove the bleed screw from the pipe near the driver side headlight and the bleed screw from the heater pipe that is behind the engine in the center (cant miss it)
now fill the coolant tank and after a bit coolent will come out the hose by the head light. refit the bleed screw in there and slowly keep filling. untill it wont take any more (dont over fill the tank) refit the last bleed screw and coolant tank cap and warm the engine up. you can then loosen the bleed scews a turn or so to remove the last of the air
you will have loads of coolant left over from 5liters so keep this for toping up as needed
