PDA

View Full Version : new member may have problems


kbekl
10-08-2010, 12:55
hi all i am new to the site and new to the Maverick,Terrano ownership

just purchased a 1995 maverick with 87000 on the clock seems to be in good condition

but have a few worries that have just popped up after a week of owning it

first big worry is one day i noticed some bubbling in the engine bay and noticed some water starting to drip on the road after a short journey, on inspection the header/overflow box was bubbling with the ignition off and their was pressure in the pipes from the radiator.

now when i start the engine the car runs fine and drives fine and does not overheat, the air does get warm from the heater, but their is a constant bubbling in the header tank and the level in their seems to rise.

have checked the oil cap and their seems to be no mayo, is this a major problem like the head gasket or is their a simpler thing that causes this, also the bubbling seems to be more at tick over as when the revs are increased they tend to calm down but continue to bubble.

the other thing is i am getting an unusual noise from the dashboard when accelerating from low down revs

sorry for the long first post but just need to see if i have bought a lemon :doh

danielj
10-08-2010, 13:04
Hope you find the site helpful. Afraid I can't be of much help to you but there is bound to be some more knowledgable member along soon to advise you. The bubbling thing sounds odd. Wonder if there is an air lock in the system. There was some threads on here about squeezing the rubber pipes to and from the radiator to release air from the system. Think the idea was to open the filler reservoir cap and squeeze the pipes to move the fluid around. What kind of noise under the dash?

kbekl
10-08-2010, 13:06
noise is like a grinding noise but only for a few seconds think it might be the tacho meter cabling but not sure if this is an electronic one

danielj
10-08-2010, 13:12
Didn't think they had a cable but I don't know about the 1995 Maverick. Is your tacho working ok? If so then wouldn't expect such noise from the cable if it has one. Have you an air conditioner or would it be a noise from the fan / heater?

kbekl
10-08-2010, 13:17
the tacho i working no air con and the heaters are normally off its just when i acclerate modirately hard the noise is quite hard to describe tbh never heard out like it befor might be under the car or in the engine bay under slow driving it isnt present

danielj
10-08-2010, 13:22
Does it make the noise if you rev the motor while in neutral or is it only when accelerating when in gear and putting a bit of load on the drive train, clutch etc?

briggie
10-08-2010, 13:33
having read your original post .... you are describing more or less exactly my old symptoms ...ie ... overheating and bubbling in the header tank....turned out to be a blown head gasket , but it was not causing the oil filler cap to be contaminated .

macabethiel
10-08-2010, 13:52
Okay this might sound very basic but what is the water level in the header tank when the engine is cold ?

e.g.When stood overnight. If it is above the maximum mark you will always expell any excess water.

I would aim for a level about a quarter of an inch below the maximum. Next thing is to be sure the system is bled with no air inside. I would do this by making sure the heater is on hot and if your model has bleed valves then bleed the system. If there are no bleed valves then follow the procedure in the manual.

Is the water nice and clean even when it has anti-freeze there is a big difference between clean fluid and dirty brown water. If the cause of the air bubbling is linked to a head gasket issue I would expect the exhuast tail pipe to be showing signs of excess water or some uneven running on tickover.

You can buy a test kit that will test the water for exhuast gases but usually you can smell it in the header tank if you have a good nose.

If you do have some bubbling it might be the water pump is not doing its job properly leading to localised boiling even though the temperature guage seems normal. And of course is the fan working properly not sure if your is viscous drive or not.

If you are going to do a coolant change I would buy one with some inbuilt sealants as Halfords sell for older higher mileage cars.

Do not panick and assume the worst as quite often its something simple. If you bought it privately I would ask the last owner he might throw some light on the issue.

I bought a used Vauxhall Cavalier some years ago that kept on having poor cold start problems in the winter. I spoke to the owner and he was quite candid and told me that's why he had got rid of the vehicle as he had spent a fortune on replacing coil, distributor, plug leads, carburetta and fuel pump. I put an inline fuel filter on it and it filled with water that froze and stopped it starting. Turned out the fuel tank had loads of water in it as a result of a perished vent pipe on the fuel tank. Cost me £10 for a new vent pipe and my own labour to remove and drain the fuel tank - never missed a beat and I sold it a year later for £400 more than I bought it for !! Result

kbekl
10-08-2010, 14:05
Does it make the noise if you rev the motor while in neutral or is it only when accelerating when in gear and putting a bit of load on the drive train, clutch etc?

only when driving dont seem to do it sat still and revving so guess its something a little more serious then :(

kbekl
10-08-2010, 14:06
having read your original post .... you are describing more or less exactly my old symptoms ...ie ... overheating and bubbling in the header tank....turned out to be a blown head gasket , but it was not causing the oil filler cap to be contaminated .
the temp dont acutally get that hot about a 3rd of the way up the gauge sat in traffic

briggie
10-08-2010, 14:14
the temp dont acutally get that hot about a 3rd of the way up the gauge sat in traffic

mine never gets above halfway , even when pressing the loud pedal hard up hill

briggie
10-08-2010, 14:17
bit of advice though .. please dont make the same mistake as me .... i was only checking the header tank to see if the water level was ok ...... check the rad !

kbekl
10-08-2010, 14:17
Okay this might sound very basic but what is the water level in the header tank when the engine is cold ?

e.g.When stood overnight. If it is above the maximum mark you will always expell any excess water.

I would aim for a level about a quarter of an inch below the maximum. Next thing is to be sure the system is bled with no air inside. I would do this by making sure the heater is on hot and if your model has bleed valves then bleed the system. If there are no bleed valves then follow the procedure in the manual.

Is the water nice and clean even when it has anti-freeze there is a big difference between clean fluid and dirty brown water. If the cause of the air bubbling is linked to a head gasket issue I would expect the exhuast tail pipe to be showing signs of excess water or some uneven running on tickover.

You can buy a test kit that will test the water for exhuast gases but usually you can smell it in the header tank if you have a good nose.

If you do have some bubbling it might be the water pump is not doing its job properly leading to localised boiling even though the temperature guage seems normal. And of course is the fan working properly not sure if your is viscous drive or not.

If you are going to do a coolant change I would buy one with some inbuilt sealants as Halfords sell for older higher mileage cars.

Do not panick and assume the worst as quite often its something simple. If you bought it privately I would ask the last owner he might throw some light on the issue.

I bought a used Vauxhall Cavalier some years ago that kept on having poor cold start problems in the winter. I spoke to the owner and he was quite candid and told me that's why he had got rid of the vehicle as he had spent a fortune on replacing coil, distributor, plug leads, carburetta and fuel pump. I put an inline fuel filter on it and it filled with water that froze and stopped it starting. Turned out the fuel tank had loads of water in it as a result of a perished vent pipe on the fuel tank. Cost me £10 for a new vent pipe and my own labour to remove and drain the fuel tank - never missed a beat and I sold it a year later for £400 more than I bought it for !! Result

the level never moves over night just when running it starts to rise, the water is a dark colour, the leaking is comming from the driver side at the base of the rad think it might be the lower pipe

then engine has recently had a few bits done arround jan time like alternator and water pump (not sure if the water pump is new or not).

fan comes on when you start the engine so guess its a viscus type

it has a very low idle near the line on the tacho near 0 not sure if it is supposed to be that low.

no water out of the exhaust only the occasional blue smoke from staring and thin black when accelerating hard no white smoke.

it seems to try and fill the header tank up with coolant that loose it

in the rad the water seems clear

kbekl
10-08-2010, 14:20
mine never gets above halfway , even when pressing the loud pedal hard up hill

mine never moves past a 3rd to halfway yet but only been sat in traffic for 10 mins not really gone that far in all honesty

the rad seems to try and empty its self in to the header tank as when i apply air pressure into the header with the rad open it fills and the when almost full the header is on min but then once the engine starts the header tank starts to fill

briggie
10-08-2010, 14:21
the level never moves over night just when running it starts to rise, the water is a dark colour, the leaking is comming from the driver side at the base of the rad think it might be the lower pipe

then engine has recently had a few bits done arround jan time like alternator and water pump (not sure if the water pump is new or not).

fan comes on when you start the engine so guess its a viscus type

it has a very low idle near the line on the tacho near 0 not sure if it is supposed to be that low.

no water out of the exhaust only the occasional blue smoke from staring and thin black when accelerating hard no white smoke.

it seems to try and fill the header tank up with coolant that loose it

in the rad the water seems clear

the leak at the drivers side could be the overflow pipe from the header tank ... it goes down inside the wing

kbekl
10-08-2010, 14:30
sorry got the wrong side its the passanger side that leaks

right just done a vid of whats going on in the header but also noticed the top pipe seems to get really hard but dont feel like their is water in it

briggie
10-08-2010, 14:31
bubbles indicates to me ( i know nothing lol )

a ..... a air lock

b..... gasses getting into the coolant

zippy656
10-08-2010, 14:38
eating to much sprouts?

kbekl
10-08-2010, 14:53
how do i check for an airlock ? have read the user manual but does not tell me.

how would i drain the coolant ? from the bottom radiator pipe or is their a different way on these

clivvy
10-08-2010, 15:02
from a cool engine, take the rad cap off. start the engine. should see the water flowing. dont forget, the water pump is attached to the viscous fan at the front of the engine-is that leaking? I dont think these engines are self purging, so to clear air locks, i assume you squeeze the pipes with rad cap off while warming up untill the water bubbles to the brim, then put the rad cap on and tight.this shoudl clear any air in the system then the system should take care of itself by purging into the overflow if needs be..

when you bought it, was it recently serviced? if so, did they do the coolant? id certainly take heed of briggies advice-head gaskets. if they have gone, and you keep driving it, your gonan screw it up. blown head gasket isnt bad unless its been run and run and the block is warped/cracked. soemthing to think about.

as for the noise, you sure its not the viscous fan? does it go away after so long?

kbekl
10-08-2010, 15:23
from a cool engine, take the rad cap off. start the engine. should see the water flowing. dont forget, the water pump is attached to the viscous fan at the front of the engine-is that leaking? I dont think these engines are self purging, so to clear air locks, i assume you squeeze the pipes with rad cap off while warming up untill the water bubbles to the brim, then put the rad cap on and tight.this shoudl clear any air in the system then the system should take care of itself by purging into the overflow if needs be..

when you bought it, was it recently serviced? if so, did they do the coolant? id certainly take heed of briggies advice-head gaskets. if they have gone, and you keep driving it, your gonan screw it up. blown head gasket isnt bad unless its been run and run and the block is warped/cracked. soemthing to think about.

as for the noise, you sure its not the viscous fan? does it go away after so long?

the noise is only their for a second or 2 then its gone so could be the fan

their is no water leaking from the pump area, also their has been a bit of work done around the fan like alternator and also the pump i think

are the head gaskets a simple job on these td lumps or are they a pitta

kbekl
10-08-2010, 15:53
right had a look at the thermostat and that seems to be working ok, filled the rad to the brim and squeased the pipes till the rad didntr want any more water, but on starting the pipes were pressurised to the point of when opening the rad cap the water was bubbling out and the bubbles were appearing in the header

so think its the worse case senario the head gasket has failed

what is this going to cost labour wise how long a job is it ?

also is it worth changing the cambelt when this is done ?

kbekl
10-08-2010, 16:38
right just got off the phone from the old owner and they said about 2 mths ago it had a new pump in place but he was not getting any warm/hot air in the cabin so the garage that fitted it left an airlock in place, he took the car back to them and they were supposed to remove the airlock but again after the visit stll did not get any wam/hot air in the cabin

unsure if this is of any use

solarman216
10-08-2010, 19:24
If you are looking for a head gasket job, Swifty is the man and as cheap as you will get, downside we are South coast, Rick

clivvy
10-08-2010, 19:43
its a tough one, SOUNDS head gasket, but not at any serious level yet, are you actually losing water? are you having to top up the water? as its only been a week, i suppose thats going to be hard to tell. anyway, as far as I know, its not a major job, but Rick might be able to correct me on this (the chap who's just mentioned Swifty). the problem her eis that abit of work has already been done to solve a problem of no heat, i mean, are you getting heat now? because whats to say its not the heater matrix, as that takes water from the system too, could be an air lock there.

could be the whole system needs draiing, which should have been done when the water pump was fitted (if they removed the thermostat), as you say, no mayo under the oil cap yet, presumably no water in the oil, and if it all runs ok when driving normally then it could be something else, something simple.

when Petes head gasket went, he was losing water over a long period of time, but his temp gauge would rise and fall, rising too high when flooring it, and would return to normal at lower speeds, Rick found the gasket to be at fault after testing the thermostat and a host of other bits and bobs...

briggie
10-08-2010, 19:48
its a tough one, SOUNDS head gasket, but not at any serious level yet, are you actually losing water? are you having to top up the water? as its only been a week, i suppose thats going to be hard to tell. anyway, as far as I know, its not a major job, but Rick might be able to correct me on this (the chap who's just mentioned Swifty). the problem her eis that abit of work has already been done to solve a problem of no heat, i mean, are you getting heat now? because whats to say its not the heater matrix, as that takes water from the system too, could be an air lock there.

could be the whole system needs draiing, which should have been done when the water pump was fitted (if they removed the thermostat), as you say, no mayo under the oil cap yet, presumably no water in the oil, and if it all runs ok when driving normally then it could be something else, something simple.

when Petes head gasket went, he was losing water over a long period of time, but his temp gauge would rise and fall, rising too high when flooring it, and would return to normal at lower speeds, Rick found the gasket to be at fault after testing the thermostat and a host of other bits and bobs...

i didnt get mayo on my filler cap either clive , ... the thing is gas or air is getting into the cooling system ....either through a air lock , or from a leaking head gasket , when he fills it does he wait untill all the gurgling has gone before adding more ?...also , how much ( if any ) coolant is being topped up and over what period ? ...... just a few questions that need answering before a definative diagnosis can be found

kbekl
10-08-2010, 20:13
right i have topped uptoday and had to put in 1ltr but this is down to having a small leak at the base

i have got heat in the cabin as i check this also the matrix (which i guess is on the top of the rocker) gets hot both sides,

the leak is down to the pressure i belive as if i remove the pressure from the system their is no leak

the bubbling is constant when the enigine is running and continues when the engine is stopped until the pressure is down to the point where the rad cap dont release it, also after a few hours of the dripping stopping their is still pressure in the rad as when i remove the cap it all hisses.


should i have run the engine with less water in it so that it dont over flow when ticking over ?

i have not had to top off the water befor but i have had the car for about 11 days

briggie
10-08-2010, 20:23
if its any help , here is the section of the workshop manual which deals with the cooling system .

http://bebrs.pie-dabas.net/Webs/Terrano/R20/lc.pdf

kbekl
10-08-2010, 20:39
cheers briggie, just done a cold test, the pressure builds slowly when cold and quickly once heated slightly.

i have noted a foam forming on the top of the expansion tanks water a thin film type, but with the rad cap off their is definalty foam being created from somewhere not a lot mind but they are along the same time as the larger bubbles

the first pipe to get warm is the flow pipe into the engine (lower pipe) with the top radiator paipe staying cold, then the heater matrix heats up both pipes and then the top pipe heats up slowly if thid makes sence

right now when it comes to running of the car it dont seem any different to when i first bought it but this could have been happening then and this is the first 4x4 i have owned as such

the exhaust is a little bit sooty but not wet at all and no splatters on the road

briggie
10-08-2010, 20:56
cheers briggie, just done a cold test, the pressure builds slowly when cold and quickly once heated slightly.

i have noted a foam forming on the top of the expansion tanks water a thin film type, but with the rad cap off their is definalty foam being created from somewhere not a lot mind but they are along the same time as the larger bubbles

the first pipe to get warm is the flow pipe into the engine (lower pipe) with the top radiator paipe staying cold, then the heater matrix heats up both pipes and then the top pipe heats up slowly if thid makes sence

right now when it comes to running of the car it dont seem any different to when i first bought it but this could have been happening then and this is the first 4x4 i have owned as such

the exhaust is a little bit sooty but not wet at all and no splatters on the road

for what its worth , i still suspect head gasket , but im sure someone more knowlegable will be along shortly to discount my suspicions

rayf3262
10-08-2010, 21:19
for the sake of a tenner I would give a dose of K-Seal a go, at least it might buy you some time until you can get the job done properly.

Its good stuff.....
http://www.k-seal.co.uk/



cheers briggie, just done a cold test, the pressure builds slowly when cold and quickly once heated slightly.

i have noted a foam forming on the top of the expansion tanks water a thin film type, but with the rad cap off their is definalty foam being created from somewhere not a lot mind but they are along the same time as the larger bubbles

the first pipe to get warm is the flow pipe into the engine (lower pipe) with the top radiator paipe staying cold, then the heater matrix heats up both pipes and then the top pipe heats up slowly if thid makes sence

right now when it comes to running of the car it dont seem any different to when i first bought it but this could have been happening then and this is the first 4x4 i have owned as such

the exhaust is a little bit sooty but not wet at all and no splatters on the road

clivvy
10-08-2010, 21:19
forget the sooty exhaust. unless you have PLUMES of smoke trailing out the back, dont worry, 4x4's generally puff out black smoke on hard acceleration, shouldnt have any when idling.

this water thing is doing my head! im with briggie on this though, it sounds so similar to his situation apart from he had to top up 6litres, to your one!

what I want to know is, did the former owners and garage have any reason to SUSPECT head gasket? simple, get onto the owner and ask, and ask for the garage who did the previous work and ring them. sounds to me like they were trying to resolve this very issue by replacing the pump, so I agree that the issue has been present before you bought it.

kbekl
10-08-2010, 21:35
for the sake of a tenner I would give a dose of K-Seal a go, at least it might buy you some time until you can get the job done properly.

Its good stuff.....
http://www.k-seal.co.uk/

with this stuff going into the cooling system and the air being forced into the coolant would this not make it seal the system

kbekl
10-08-2010, 21:42
forget the sooty exhaust. unless you have PLUMES of smoke trailing out the back, dont worry, 4x4's generally puff out black smoke on hard acceleration, shouldnt have any when idling.

this water thing is doing my head! im with briggie on this though, it sounds so similar to his situation apart from he had to top up 6litres, to your one!

what I want to know is, did the former owners and garage have any reason to SUSPECT head gasket? simple, get onto the owner and ask, and ask for the garage who did the previous work and ring them. sounds to me like they were trying to resolve this very issue by replacing the pump, so I agree that the issue has been present before you bought it.

well the former owner has had the mav for 7 years and has always had everything done, its had a new exhaust in jan and all the other work 2 mths ago, their was no mention of the head gasket to him when they looked at it, also his brother works for Nissan and he is looking into it for me to see if i could be something else.

their is no smoke at idle only a small amount at the start and heavy footing time

their does seem to be a gas/light smoke (how can i put it a bit like you would get of a kettle that has just started to heat up but a bit bluer) when the level in the rad is rising, is their a chance the head gasket goes around the outlet manifold and it is exhaust gasses that's causing the bubbles ??? or is that not possible ?

briggie
10-08-2010, 21:45
well the former owner has had the mav for 7 years and has always had everything done, its had a new exhaust in jan and all the other work 2 mths ago, their was no mention of the head gasket to him when they looked at it, also his brother works for Nissan and he is looking into it for me to see if i could be something else.

their is no smoke at idle only a small amount at the start and heavy footing time

their does seem to be a gas/light smoke (how can i put it a bit like you would get of a kettle that has just started to heat up but a bit bluer) when the level in the rad is rising, is their a chance the head gasket goes around the outlet manifold and it is exhaust gasses that's causing the bubbles ??? or is that not possible ?

rick ( solarman 216 ) will know better , but im sure something like that happened to mine

rayf3262
10-08-2010, 21:50
That's the general idea... it is called k-SEAL.. it will not impede the water flow in the cooling system though.

with this stuff going into the cooling system and the air being forced into the coolant would this not make it seal the system

kbekl
10-08-2010, 22:10
That's the general idea... it is called k-SEAL.. it will not impede the water flow in the cooling system though.

don't think i made the right comment lol

i meant to say woould the gas thats coming into the coolant just blow the seal off ? i understand it would work for the water going into the engine but i have gas getting into the coolant with no water in the engine

kbekl
10-08-2010, 22:11
That's the general idea... it is called k-SEAL.. it will not impede the water flow in the cooling system though.

don't think i made the right comment lol

i meant to say would the gas that's coming into the coolant just blow the seal off ? i understand it would work for the water going into the engine but i have gas getting into the coolant with no water in the engine

rayf3262
10-08-2010, 22:21
It may take a while but it should work. At some point when the engine is not running the pressure in the cooling system will exceed that elsewhere so the product will migrate into the offending leak area and eventually seal, just don't take the rad cap off until its cooled down.
Hey, its only 10 quids worth! or less if you buy it on ebay etc.. and it wont do any harm....


don't think i made the right comment lol

i meant to say would the gas that's coming into the coolant just blow the seal off ? i understand it would work for the water going into the engine but i have gas getting into the coolant with no water in the engine

briggie
10-08-2010, 23:09
depends how long you are gonna keep it i suppose:nenau

kbekl
10-08-2010, 23:29
depends how long you are gonna keep it i suppose:nenau
well i would like to keep the mav for the foreseeable future tbh

suppose i just need a definite answer to the question is this the head gasket or something else ?

kbekl
10-08-2010, 23:32
does this site contain the repair manual for the head gasket like the haynes or a similar step by step guide

also other than what i have what tools am i looking at
i have
torqe wrench
sockets
a few screwdrivers
normal socket set
and hammer (just incase lol)

briggie
10-08-2010, 23:33
does this site contain the repair manual for the head gasket like the haynes or a similar step by step guide

also other than what i have what tools am i looking at
i have
torqe wrench
sockets
a few screwdrivers
normal socket set
and hammer (just incase lol)

http://bebrs.pie-dabas.net/Webs/Terrano/R20/em.pdf

solarman216
10-08-2010, 23:36
If head gasket gone, NOTHING will work other than new gasket, Rick

briggie
10-08-2010, 23:38
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nissan-Terrano-2-7TD-2-7Ti-Head-Gasket-/370397366709?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item563d6749b5

briggie
10-08-2010, 23:41
my suggestion ( remember i know nothing lol ) is to follow the advice given for checking whether it is the head gasket or not .... also obviously check hoses are tight etc too... and check for leaks

clivvy
11-08-2010, 07:54
armed with everything in this post, again, I agree with Rick and Peter, time to check that head gasket and at the same time, drain the system.

macabethiel
11-08-2010, 08:26
Okay looking at the thread looks as though the water pump was replaced when issue was probably the head gasket. Not an uncommon mis-diagnosis done on a friend of mines motor.

I would go for the test that detects exhuast gases in your coolant to be 100 % sure then see if the seller will pay or contribute as it was a pre-existing fault not disclosed to you.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIVERSAL-BLOCK-TESTER-KIT-GASKETS-CYLINDER-HEADS-/160455941676?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item255beb5e2c

kbekl
11-08-2010, 09:58
thank you all for your help on this matter will get the gas test done

thank you very much briggie for the 2 files but with just changing the hg do i need to remove every component from the head (probbably if it needs a skim)

any idea on this tool KV119E0030 Nozzle holder socket

it looks quite simple just time consuming is it worth getting the head skimmed if it dont actually need it ? and i guess its just a matter of testing with a set square or similar

macabethiel thanks for the info will let the orginal owner know but doubt that i will get out for it

macabethiel
11-08-2010, 10:17
If your headgasket blow is slight as it would seem then you could probably not bother with the skimming of the head. But !!

My late father (who was in the car trade all his life) always advised me to skim as it's not that much of an extra cost comparing to having to do it all again in 6 months time if not sooner.

You pay the money or take the chance. As I have got older (62) and wiser I have become more risk averse so if it's affordable I would have the skim !

Thomas-the-Terrano2
11-08-2010, 10:18
Okay looking at the thread looks as though the water pump was replaced when issue was probably the head gasket. Not an uncommon mis-diagnosis done on a friend of mines motor.

I would go for the test that detects exhuast gases in your coolant to be 100 % sure then see if the seller will pay or contribute as it was a pre-existing fault not disclosed to you.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UNIVERSAL-BLOCK-TESTER-KIT-GASKETS-CYLINDER-HEADS-/160455941676?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Diagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item255beb5e2c

that tester looks interesting, does that unit sit in top of rad looking at its conical
shape.
engineer i spoke to said diesels were harder to diagnose and would mean a sample
be tested, sounded though i may have misunderstood that it would go to a lab!

i'm still looking at rad now on my over heat issue, having done pump and stat, but
mine only gets really hot towing hard up hill or fast motorway work.

kbekl
11-08-2010, 10:41
If your headgasket blow is slight as it would seem then you could probably not bother with the skimming of the head. But !!

My late father (who was in the car trade all his life) always advised me to skim as it's not that much of an extra cost comparing to having to do it all again in 6 months time if not sooner.

You pay the money or take the chance. As I have got older (62) and wiser I have become more risk averse so if it's affordable I would have the skim !

i thought it might be advisable to do so so i would have to take all the valves etc out then

macabethiel
11-08-2010, 15:35
that tester looks interesting, does that unit sit in top of rad looking at its conical
shape.
engineer i spoke to said diesels were harder to diagnose and would mean a sample
be tested, sounded though i may have misunderstood that it would go to a lab!

i'm still looking at rad now on my over heat issue, having done pump and stat, but
mine only gets really hot towing hard up hill or fast motorway work.

We use a trade version at work (Mercedes main dealer) I'm pretty sure ours works on petrol & diesels but would have to check. Ours works on the colour change to the liquid there are quite a few on the market not actually used one myself though. Its a bit like a home aquarium pH kit if that means anything to you. The text on the kit in the link says you attach it to the radiator / tank top there are variations by different manufacturers of these things.

kbekl
11-08-2010, 18:29
right just got off the phone to the old owner and he might have a spare hg which he was given when he bought the car

the reason for the water pump change was that the heater wasnt putting out any heat so he took it to the garage who said it was most likly a water pump as the blades get damaged or broken

so this was replaced along with the thermostat after this tho their was still no heat in the cabin so it was back in again to be de air locked which was done by leaving the rad cap off and left ticking over till the water was flowing fully without any bubbles, so this would tell me that the hg wasnt gone at this point due to the lack of air passing into the coolant

i am confused by this now tbh, i have heat not a great deal but it is warm

on checking today their is definatly either smoke or mist comming out of the radiator when the cap is off but where this is from i have no idea

the water is foaming when the level is high not sure what this means and has also confused my farther-in law as to y it is foaming

the matrix is flow bothways they both get warm at a very similar rate when the heating is turned on in the car

Is their a pdf for the procedure of draining the coolant and refilling available ? if not where do i drain it from and will this remove all the water from the system ?

we have done the procedure of letting the engine tick over with the rad cap off and sqeasing the pipes but still have the bubbling problem

kbekl
13-08-2010, 19:22
well because i have had so much help from here over the last week or so thought i would pay my dues and become a full member