head gasket

[sb194114]

so my 306 d turbo has a few gremlins as they all do but latest one iam unsure about

Yesterday did an hour or so off town driving and car got lovely and warm then jumped on the motorway for 30 mins or so not sure if it is just me getting used the heat but the the temperature inside the car seemed to reduce then later in the day maybe 5 hours off town driving lots of stopping and starting it heated up again could this be a head gasket issue if so could it already be gone or just on the way out would like to replace as early as possible if it is on way out

Also where in the Edinburgh area could I get a decentry priced one will be carrying out the work myself if that helps

[Josh_Quant]

Checked coolant level?

[sb194114]

That's where it all started when I got car heaters didn't heat up at all and it took 5 or 6 litres off coolant have added another litre or two since then pipe from radiator to engine soft even after spirited driving does not appear to have loss of power unless it was down on power before I got it hopefully o have covered all bases but if you need more info I can give you it

[sb194114]

no one ????

[Mattcheese31]

you need to bleed your coolant properly asap before you fcuk the HG . . .think there is a guide in the XUD section, you need to make a header tank . .

[sb194114]

i assume you are talking about the coke bottle guide i cant do this today as its my only day off so having a drink but before work tomorrow i will do that have a few mechanic mates one can help

[Ruan]

That's where it all started when I got car heaters didn't heat up at all and it took 5 or 6 litres off coolant have added another litre or two since then pipe from radiator to engine soft even after spirited driving does not appear to have loss of power unless it was down on power before I got it hopefully o have covered all bases but if you need more info I can give you it

So you realised it was problematic and had to add 5l of coolant to it??

In which case you might as well rip the head off now as it'll be warped to buggery if you ran it for more than 5 mins with essentially no coolant in it... The entire coolant capacity is 6l or so... That would probably have barely touched the water pump, just a dribble in the bottom of the radiator.

[PartyJas]

i assume you are talking about the coke bottle guide i cant do this today as its my only day off so having a drink but before work tomorrow i will do that have a few mechanic mates one can help

I've always managed without needing to make a header tank. I pressure the system by blowing in the overflow pipe with the cap on. Just make sure you keep topping up. Never had an airlock yet using that method.

[sb194114]

mechanic looking at it 2moz and as for 6l read on here it was closer too 9 engine will be taken apart 2moz will show wether gasket required or not few more gremlins in there but lets get it running smooth before takling them

maybe i should have started a rescue project thread

[powerandtorque]

You shouldn't really ever need to top up the cooling system once it's been filled and bled through, and IMO if you're ever having to add notable amounts of coolant then you've got a problem - either it's leaking or it's being burnt.

I agree with Ruan - if you really had to add 5-6 litres in a single hit after driving it home then the HG will be toast and you're throwing good money after bad continuing to put fresh coolant in it. XU's and especially XUD's just won't take being run low on coolant and continuing to be driven, even if the gauge never shows that's it's overheating as there will be localised air pockets and temperature variations. Every time I've seen someone continue driving critically low on coolant it's always been a case of when, not if, the HG subsequently shows signs of failing.

By the time the heaters start blowing cold you're already on borrowed time really, but if you're in that situation again stop the car there and then and you might just save the engine. Continue to drive and whilst you'll probably make it home, the damage will be done.

Hate to say but if it was like that when you bought it then chances are the seller knowingly sold you a pup

[sb194114]

There is that risk mate hopefully not though and like I said mechanic looking at it 2moz not driven it and won't be today need to drive it to his 2moz tho

[Mattcheese31]

i assume you are talking about the coke bottle guide i cant do this today as its my only day off so having a drink but before work tomorrow i will do that have a few mechanic mates one can help

I've always managed without needing to make a header tank. I pressure the system by blowing in the overflow pipe with the cap on. Just make sure you keep topping up. Never had an airlock yet using that method.

yeah I do that too mate, barrrstard to get to the top bleed point while blowing though lol

[Toms306]

Top bleed point is easy by running the engine after the lower ones are clear... The waterpump pushes it up there lol....

[Mattcheese31]

Top bleed point is easy by running the engine after the lower ones are clear...  The waterpump pushes it up there lol....

didn't realise you'd owned an xud Tom? ....and that's not right dude

[sb194114]

Tom has a ford lol first diesel I've owned lol looks like I'll be member of no smoke no poke crew shortly

[Toms306]

Works with HDi, why would it be different for XUD when the blocks/waterpump location/matrix pipes are the same?

[Mattcheese31]

Works with HDi, why would it be different for XUD when the blocks/waterpump location/matrix pipes are the same?

if the waterpump pushed all the air out why would we need a header tank? . .

[Toms306]

Good question... I wondered the same after realising how well it worked like that lol. Done it on quite a few with no problems.

I also wondered why they bothered fitting a header tank that wasn't at the highest point of the cooling system in the first place...

[Mattcheese31]

Good question...  I wondered the same after realising how well it worked like that lol.  Done it on quite a few with no problems.

I also wondered why they bothered fitting a header tank that wasn't at the highest point of the cooling system in the first place...

HDI's will get away with not being bled properly being as they don't generate so much heat . . . .  . you bloody bodger . .

[Toms306]

Never had any airlocks though...coolant level never dropped or anything so it was bled 'properly', just not conventionally.

[Mattcheese31]

Never had any airlocks though...coolant level never dropped or anything so it was bled 'properly', just not conventionally.

you just keep telling yourself that lol . . . . .tbf i only have my HDI van which has a header tank above the engine, i honestly think you're fooling yourself though, air is going to get trapped unless the water level is above the highest point . .

[Toms306]

Why? The water pump pushes water through the pipes so how can the air get trapped? Keep the cap off and the level topped up obviously and watch the bleed valve until it runs clear then close it as normal... Its the highest point so where else will any air get trapped? You can't do it like that with the bleed valve closed obviously but I really don't see how there's a problem doing it the way I did.

[Mattcheese31]

Well I would theorise that the system needs to be pressurised in order to circulate the coolant properly