Offroad-Express

ok so on the way back from wanaka the paj started over heating, ended up having to get towed back to chch

so its pressurizing the cooling system, as soon as we put water back in it, it blew it back out, oils not murky any ideas folks???

blown head gasket

skid wrote:blown head gasket

yep what he said

damn thats what i was thinking is there anyway to check this? i read on the pocuk site that you can havea look by removing the thermostate cover and see if its bubbling away.

great way to start 2012

you have already checked it. put water in it threw it back out= combustion chamber pressure to water system. . blown head gasket... cracked head... cracked block..... slightly blown head gaskets can be hard to conclusivly prove. however blowing it back out radiator is major leak and conclusive

damn thanks for the advice tho guys much appreciated this is guna be costly

would put my money on the head being cracked, sorry to say it will be expensive. I wouldn't bother throwing a new gasket in it without getting the head crack tested even if it looks fine.

Is also possible that the thermostat is stuffed and stuck shut. that will make the engine overheat. is the bottom tank of the rad hot or cold? if cold, no water circ, points to thermostat. if hot. see previous thread replies........

Mate bought a car dirt cheap with a suspected stuffed head gasket.

Was just the radiator cap

Some garages have hydrocarbon testers that screw on in place of your radiator cap. This will prove, if the issue is head or gasket related.
If there are bubbles blowing out the radiator when idling or when giving it a rev up then it is highly likely that the head is gone, at very least the gasket.
Usually a cracked head is fairly easy to spot once you have the head off.

Moriarty wrote:Is also possible that the thermostat is stuffed and stuck shut. that will make the engine overheat. is the bottom tank of the rad hot or cold? if cold, no water circ, points to thermostat. if hot. see previous thread replies........

Old thread but for anyone else thats reads it, This is good advice and a cheap thing to check, i have seen this before and easily mis diagnosed as blown gasket. unfortunately when the thermostat shits it self a blown head gasket can be the result.

Anyway, worth a try and also, should put a new one in when you have fixed the blown head gasket.

Also, taking out spark or glow plugs and turn it over on starter motor, if water comes out you know the gasket is gone. And probably the head is cracked or bent like a banana.

If its not that bad a blown gasket , have the engine warm and idling and look for you a constant stream of small bubbles coming up the cap , that a sign of a blown gasket.