suspected head gasket, can it be anything else?

[ed 0]

okay

 

replaced radiator

 

replaced thermostat

 

replaced expansion cap

 

done leak test, no liquid colour change

 

no visible leaks anywhere, both myself and garage can not see any

 

but system still pressurising after every trip

 

going through water like billy-o and steaming like a chinese laundery, heater is fine, car hasnt overheated, runs rough though even though ive changed both crankshaft and camshaft senders,...

 

it can only be the head yes?

[davidwort 0]

have you checked the heat exchanger/oil cooler?

it does sound like gasket failure though :( a cylinder to water channel I guess.

[ed 0]

no i havent checked them

 

no mayo on cap and heater matrix changed last year by previous owner too

 

oil level fine too

[davidwort 0]

no i havent checked them

 

no mayo on cap and heater matrix changed last year by previous owner too

 

oil level fine too

 

sorry, by heat exchanger. I meant the oil/water cooler, the alloy unit on top of the oil filter, renowned for corroding inside and giving head-gasket type symptoms, but generally the oil/water mix issues.

[ed 0]

well the head gasket went kaboom last night in holborn by southampton row :camp:

 

bunch of arse :gag:

 

booked into the phirm in 8 days time though :clap:

[mrengine 0]

wot engine is it eg engine code hopefully i can advise on your next step

 

replaced radiator

 

replaced thermostat

 

replaced expansion cap

 

done leak test, no liquid colour change

 

no visible leaks anywhere, both myself and garage can not see any

 

but system still pressurising after every trip

 

going through water like billy-o and steaming like a chinese laundery, heater is fine, car hasnt overheated, runs rough though even though ive changed both crankshaft and camshaft senders,...

 

it can only be the head yes?

[ed 0]

actually on a closer look the pipe that goes into the bulkhead burst which i dont know if that is either the only thing that happened or it went as well as the gasket? and it didnt overheat, it was at 110 in a heavy traffic jam with the fans working fine,...

 

its like im chasing the problem :scratch:

 

ive heard that the water pumps may be a problem with pressurising if its not the gasket.

 

its uses at least a litre of water on a journey and needs the cap loosening as well,.... well it did till the pipe burst

[ed 0]

wot engine is it eg engine code hopefully i can advise on your next step

 

replaced radiator

 

replaced thermostat

 

replaced expansion cap

 

done leak test, no liquid colour change

 

no visible leaks anywhere, both myself and garage can not see any

 

but system still pressurising after every trip

 

going through water like billy-o and steaming like a chinese laundery, heater is fine, car hasnt overheated, runs rough though even though ive changed both crankshaft and camshaft senders,...

 

it can only be the head yes?

 

abv 1993 vr6

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Bursting hoses and using a litre of water every journey are bad signs.

 

Any oil, fuel or exhaust smells in the coolant? Any water in the cylinders?

[ed 0]

i cant go and smell the coolant as theres,....erm,.... none left in the expansion tank after the burst pipe :roll:

 

how could i tell if theres water in the cylinders?

[Valerian 0]

Try doing a compression test on each cylinder.

Do you have any steam (white smoke) coming from the exhaust at all?

 

VR6 engines are renowned for blowing head gaskets so be prepared to bite the financial bullet.