Robot_Roo Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Just changed the cylinder head on my 300tdi all seemed to be fine (heater did seem a bit hot though!! ) Now the water in the expansion tank has started bubbling again and the heater has packed up too, the temp gauge is showing normal, but the water is definetly bubbling away in there!!! Has my head gasket gone again so soon? Im wondering if the radiator is not cooling properly, and causing the head to go? Can any one give me some advice, before I take a match to my disco!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefcoL Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Just changed the cylinder head on my 300tdi all seemed to be fine (heater did seem a bit hot though!! ) Now the water in the expansion tank has started bubbling again and the heater has packed up too, the temp gauge is showing normal, but the water is definetly bubbling away in there!!! Has my head gasket gone again so soon? Im wondering if the radiator is not cooling properly, and causing the head to go? Can any one give me some advice, before I take a match to my disco!!!! When you removed/replaced the head , did you have it checked for cracks ? did you have it skimmed ? did you use new head bolts ? how did you torque the head down ? IE did you use a dial gauge? was the Rad part or whole reason for needing to do the work? I'm not saying these are the problem but all can cause it. PM Les explaining what you did and why, your bound to get a reliable reply. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 If you get bubbles in the header tank within a minute or less of starting the engine from cold, then it's compression loss - gasket or cracked head (300TDi engines are prone to this). The reason the heater is blowing cold air is because air in the system will collect in the matrix, so no hot water in it. Air in the system will also prevent circulation, so that's why you are getting a normal reading on the temp guage. It would be wise to get a compression test done to determine your problem. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot_Roo Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 When you removed/replaced the head , did you have it checked for cracks ?did you have it skimmed ? did you use new head bolts ? how did you torque the head down ? IE did you use a dial gauge? was the Rad part or whole reason for needing to do the work? I'm not saying these are the problem but all can cause it. PM Les explaining what you did and why, your bound to get a reliable reply. Good luck yeah had the old head checked for cracks it was very badly cracked so bought a recon one that has been skimmed and tested, thought that was the problem!!! the new one has been running for about 80 miles and now im getting the same symptons, which is a real bummer as it cost me £300 quid!!! got new bolts and stuff and torqued it down. Im not one hundred percent sure about the radiator its just i noticed there are a lot of fins missing when i was replacing the head. the heater was running very hot which did make me think the rad was not very good too.Im really hoping it is just the gasket this time and there are no cracks!! would a faulty rad cause the head gasket to go, as it is getting too hot, although the temp guage was showing normal when I was running it and the heater was working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot_Roo Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 If you get bubbles in the header tank within a minute or less of starting the engine from cold, then it's compression loss - gasket or cracked head (300TDi engines are prone to this). The reason the heater is blowing cold air is because air in the system will collect in the matrix, so no hot water in it. Air in the system will also prevent circulation, so that's why you are getting a normal reading on the temp guage. It would be wise to get a compression test done to determine your problem.Les. better get a compression test done I think, will they be able to pinpoint the exact problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Noty really without specificallt testing the block and head as seperate items. The block is one huge lump of pig iron, so I'd be surprised if it's cracked. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedleyj Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 yeah had the old head checked for cracks it was very badly cracked so bought a recon one that has been skimmed and tested, thought that was the problem!!! the new one has been running for about 80 miles and now im getting the same symptons, which is a real bummer as it cost me £300 quid!!! got new bolts and stuff and torqued it down.Im not one hundred percent sure about the radiator its just i noticed there are a lot of fins missing when i was replacing the head. the heater was running very hot which did make me think the rad was not very good too.Im really hoping it is just the gasket this time and there are no cracks!! would a faulty rad cause the head gasket to go, as it is getting too hot, although the temp guage was showing normal when I was running it and the heater was working? If the Radiator is not cooling as it should then the increased Temp will affect the Head Gasket seal. If there is air getting into the water as well then an airlock at the Temp sender will provide a normal reading as opposed to an elevated reading. Rule of thumb: When changing a Head Gasket for any reason get the radiator checked and the water pump as well, check the thermostat and or best replace the thing as this can also affect the temp of the engine. A radiator missing fins is bad news dont waste you time with it get it recored or replace completly. A radiator that is designed to be black must alos be black and not be sand blasted clean as I have seen in the past. The black paint is part of the cooling and heating process as well. Make sure the head and the block's deck are true to one another. after sever heat the block can also distort. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot_Roo Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 If the Radiator is not cooling as it should then the increased Temp will affect the Head Gasket seal. If there is air getting into the water as well then an airlock at the Temp sender will provide a normal reading as opposed to an elevated reading. Rule of thumb: When changing a Head Gasket for any reason get the radiator checked and the water pump as well, check the thermostat and or best replace the thing as this can also affect the temp of the engine. A radiator missing fins is bad news dont waste you time with it get it recored or replace completly. A radiator that is designed to be black must alos be black and not be sand blasted clean as I have seen in the past. The black paint is part of the cooling and heating process as well. Make sure the head and the block's deck are true to one another. after sever heat the block can also distort. Good luck Thanks for some really great advice guys, I re-topped up the water this morning and the heater is back to normal! Have sent it in to a local garage too, so they can give it a good checking over for me. I have been trying to do a lot of the work myself but sometimes I think I have to just bite the bullet and pay for a proffesional!! I'm going to keep trying with the diy work on it, but if I start to get out of my depth(which is not difficult!!) into the garage!! I have always wanted a landrover of some sorts and it was a bit dissapointing that the one I happened to buy had big problems, but luckily this site has been a god send!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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