Head Gasket Gone??
Discussion
Recently took my 400se for its MOT after the winter lay up, it failed on the rack and bottom uj ! The following day after getting the car out the garage i noticed water from the exhaust, this seemed more than the normal condensation but did gradually dissapear as the car warmed up.Getting slightly paranoid now i think there may be some whitish build up under the oil filler.Has anyone had a gasket go on the v8 and could confirm symptoms, the fact the water stops after a while could that be due to evaporation caused by the hot exhuast?? Any help much appreciated as the rack is off to be rebuilt and I cant give the car a proper run!
If it's only just come out from it's lay up does it have a fresh tank of petrol? Petrol deteriorates over time, if this is your first run on the 'old' fuel (even if it is mixed with some fresh stuff). Personally I'd leave it for a couple of tank fulls before bothering to get it looked at, if it is only steam out of the exhaust.
My Omega has steamed more than any car I've had but it is none the worse for it, probably the most reliable I've ever owned :confusd:.
Sit on it, unless the symptoms change or it gets more serious would be my humble advice.
Harry
My Omega has steamed more than any car I've had but it is none the worse for it, probably the most reliable I've ever owned :confusd:.
Sit on it, unless the symptoms change or it gets more serious would be my humble advice.
Harry
I have noticed this on a few cars recently and it doesn't seem to be a problem in itself, I just assumed it was in the fuel.
Make sure there is no oil in the water, water in the oil and that you are not losing any water from the cooling system. If all of these are OK then I wouldn't have thought it was a problem.
Make sure there is no oil in the water, water in the oil and that you are not losing any water from the cooling system. If all of these are OK then I wouldn't have thought it was a problem.
Good indicator of a blown Head gasket is to run it till its hot and with the bonnet open switch it off and observe the header tank. If there is a blown head gasket the pressure will cause coolant to blow back through into the overflow tank. This wont show a leak into an oil gallery but will show up a fair proportion of internal head gasket leaks and costs nothing to do!
Good Luck
Good Luck
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Good indicator of a blown Head gasket is to run it till its hot and with the bonnet open switch it off and observe the header tank. If there is a blown head gasket the pressure will cause coolant to blow back through into the overflow tank. This wont show a leak into an oil gallery but will show up a fair proportion of internal head gasket leaks and costs nothing to do!
Maybe I need my shredded wheat today but I don't get this point at all!
Surely when you turn the engine off the water blows off into the overflow because the hot block continues to heat the water locally due to the lack of flow and this in turn raises the pressure?
If the gaskets were leaking wouldn't the pressure be relieved internally (ie inside the block/head) rather than at the header/overflow tanks?
Just a thought
Andy 400se
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Recently took my 400se for its MOT after the winter lay up, it failed on the rack and bottom uj ! The following day after getting the car out the garage i noticed water from the exhaust, this seemed more than the normal condensation but did gradually dissapear as the car warmed up.Getting slightly paranoid now i think there may be some whitish build up under the oil filler.Has anyone had a gasket go on the v8 and could confirm symptoms, the fact the water stops after a while could that be due to evaporation caused by the hot exhuast?? Any help much appreciated as the rack is off to be rebuilt and I cant give the car a proper run!
Thanks all for the suggestions/advise, i will keep you posted as to the outcome.
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Andy whats the latest on this. Noticed today that mine throws a fair bit of water out until it gets warm then it's as dry as a bone. It's also started whistling at me !! Sounds like something escaping but I can't track it down ... GRRRR.
Hi Nick, still not got the car back on the road yet, been away for a while and not yet got the rack back! hopefully will have some more info end of next week.
Dont get any whistling from it, so is that comfort for you or me!!
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Yeah. The whistle made me more anxious when it started to sound like "The long and winding road" !! Looks like it was escaping from the Oil Filter. Does that mean you're not going to make Chatsworth in the 400 ?
Unfortunately not! I hope to get to something this year!!! not attended any TVR events yet so looking forward to meeting up with a few fellow Wedge enthusiasts!
If the car has been laid up is it possible that it has not had a proper run for some time and that there has been some condensation trapped in the exhaust boxes.
When you start up this water will add to the water coming from the engine.
You need to take it out and give it a good thrupping on a long journey without starts and stops.
Russ
When you start up this water will add to the water coming from the engine.
You need to take it out and give it a good thrupping on a long journey without starts and stops.
Russ
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