Driving on shagged headgasket?
Discussion
Now this is the point at which most people would go "ooh, not such a good idea".
But seriously, realistically and other such adjectives, if i were to drive a few hundred miles with a shagged headgasket or similar, would i do a significant amount of damage? Bearing in mind i have a spare head in the boot, and a new headgasket set ready to go on next week.
Cheers all
But seriously, realistically and other such adjectives, if i were to drive a few hundred miles with a shagged headgasket or similar, would i do a significant amount of damage? Bearing in mind i have a spare head in the boot, and a new headgasket set ready to go on next week.
Cheers all
Providing you keep the revs and load down you 'should' get away with it, if its only the portion of gasket thats gone which seals combustion pressure and your're not ingesting / losing water / oil.
Then you'll lose power (quite a bit more than one cylinders worth, due to lack of tuning) and it'll make huffing and puffing noises. It will start to eat away at the head / block where the hot gas is escaping and the rest of the gasket too. So if halfway through the journey it suddenly chucks all its water out don't blame me!
Matt
Then you'll lose power (quite a bit more than one cylinders worth, due to lack of tuning) and it'll make huffing and puffing noises. It will start to eat away at the head / block where the hot gas is escaping and the rest of the gasket too. So if halfway through the journey it suddenly chucks all its water out don't blame me!
Matt
If the head gasket is seriously shagged, two things will happen:
1) Water will mix with the oil. Surprisingly, oil/water mayonnaise does not lubricate as well as your average fully synthetic, which is why Mobil doesn't add a dash of tapwater to its 0W40.
Result = shagged bearings and/or a siezed engine
2) The coolant will all boil off, and the engine will overheat.
Result = Warped cylinder head at best, seized engine at worst.
1) Water will mix with the oil. Surprisingly, oil/water mayonnaise does not lubricate as well as your average fully synthetic, which is why Mobil doesn't add a dash of tapwater to its 0W40.
Result = shagged bearings and/or a siezed engine
2) The coolant will all boil off, and the engine will overheat.
Result = Warped cylinder head at best, seized engine at worst.
Well, shagged might be a rather strong description. I've only just bouth the thing, so all i have to go on is the seller's assurance that it's losing "about a pint a week". How far it travelled in said week is unclear. No mayo in the oil, and nothing odd in the coolant either, so i assume it's heading straight through and out of the exhaust. Unfortunately, this is where i run out of knowledge of symptoms and consequences.
Pint a week, depends how many miles you're doing but it doesn't sound like much. I'd expect quite a bit more than that from a blown head gasket. If that's the only symptom it would be worth pressure testing the cooling system and looking for leaks. Do keep an eye out for oil/water mixing and if possible do an HC test just to be on the safe side, but I'd be looking for leaks, check hoses, radiator etc, maybe try some Wynnes if the engine isn't too precious.
I've seen a block which came from an engine where coolant was leaking into the combustion chamber through the head hasket. A significant amount of the block was erroded away just where the head-gasket should seal. If the car is worth anything then I'd buy and run an old banger for a few weeks while the car is repaired.
Where are you collecting the car from? I presume youre travelling back to Cheltenham (as per your profile); my girlfriend lives near the racecourse and i live a "few hundered miles" away (Chester), I could be on standby with my Disco and trailer if push comes to shove and your few hundred miles are in my direction!
Alternatively join the AA, collect the car, call the AA ask to be taken home...job done, total cost...£39.50
Regards
Iain
Alternatively join the AA, collect the car, call the AA ask to be taken home...job done, total cost...£39.50
Regards
Iain
I had a clown-car Rover 218SLD that started loosing a pint a week and steaming out the exhaust - got another 2000 miles out of it without it getting any worse, then sold it to a gyppo (stated the fault obviousley)
Edited to add - the ammount of water it was loosing was greatly reduced by running it with the pressure cap loose.
>> Edited by aldi on Tuesday 4th October 11:06
Edited to add - the ammount of water it was loosing was greatly reduced by running it with the pressure cap loose.
>> Edited by aldi on Tuesday 4th October 11:06
This is getting more expensive than i expected.
Chap in our office has been driving his Rover 214 for about a month now with a blown head gasket. The coolant looks like chocolate syrup 
Bizzarly the oil is ok, but he does keep topping it up as it's obviously leaking into the coolant which is also leaking somewhere (probably into the bores). He's done well over a 1000 miles like that 
However, he is looking for a new car as I speak
Bizzarly the oil is ok, but he does keep topping it up as it's obviously leaking into the coolant which is also leaking somewhere (probably into the bores). He's done well over a 1000 miles like that However, he is looking for a new car as I speak
when i was younger, andmore naive (ok, it was only 6 months ago) my rover coupe VVC popped the gasket. i saw it the day it happened, cos i'd just topped up the water.
its less than 5 miles to the garage, so i thought i'd drive it in, and get it sorted
que £800 repair bill, as the engine seized on the way.
as far as i know, some engines will go on for ever, no matter whats up with them, but my experience of the 'k' series, says dont move it!
its less than 5 miles to the garage, so i thought i'd drive it in, and get it sorted
que £800 repair bill, as the engine seized on the way.
as far as i know, some engines will go on for ever, no matter whats up with them, but my experience of the 'k' series, says dont move it!
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