Could it be the head gasket- HELP!!!

[Big O]

sorry if this is in the wrong section but i need help lol. The other nite i was on the m25 doing 150 wen i slowed down realised the water temp was thru the roof got to the nearest garage put some water in it n it cooled down after a long time. If i drive it without giving it to much it pressurises up a lot then releases pressure through the overflow then sucks it bk when the pressure has gone what could be causing this? I have already asked a mate and he is tryin to find out what is the cause but thought would post on here has any body experienced this etc. Thought the head gasket was on its way out but the car runs fine doesnt cut out etc any ideas people

 

[Gwa]

Look on the underside of the filler can for emulsified oil, oil and water mix looks like mayo. The u will know if ur gasket is fooked.

 

[Big O]

nothing there all ready checked and the system is fully bleeded with coolant etc

 

[youngsyp]

With all that air travelling through the radiator, at the speed you were doing, I wouldn't expect the water temperature to get that high :? Not sure why the system would be pressurised to that level though. If there's no oil in the water or water in the oil, I'd say that the head gasket is fine and you should start looking else where. What do the water temps look like in normal driving, now ? And what about the oil temperature ? Is it losing any water ?

Maybe you have a hole in a pipe somewhere that is only opening at high water pressure/temperature :?

 

[Big O]

normal driving through town etc no prob temp is jus below half which is fine although it still pressurises up and fills the coolant bottle most prob cause its the weakest point in the system but wen im on full boost on the motorway it pressurises up releases through the overflow and looses water so then overheating. Hope ive explained it well gota get this prob fix ive turned my boost down to 1bar n thats too slow lol

 

[Gwa]

possible air lock then??

 

[Shaun]

Hi mate,try the cheapest option first i.e. try the thermostat.How old is it :?: Could be sticking/not opening properly.Easiest way is to remove it and run the car without it and see if the symptoms are still there.

 

[Big O]

dont tink its an air lock!! where abouts is the thermostat then any pics etc is it easy to get to

 

[Shaun]

Hi mate,looking at the engine from the front of the car,righthand side of the radiator at the bottom,follow the blackhose upto where it meets the engine,thats where the thermostats housed mate .

 

[chadboy]

if the temp was that high while doing them speeds id say ud head gasket it happened to me, i could drive around town for 1hour and id be fine but when i got up into high speeds the temp would go up and my water would go to. u best bet is change your thermostat (should be done everytime the a car over heats) and check how much coolaint is in the system. if u still havent any joy get a garage to do a comperstion test on the cylinders, plus u could try radwel
a thermostat is £10 nissian
hks head gasket is £110
a nissian head gasket set is £140
head bolts £50
cant remeber exact price goodluck

 

[Big O]

yeh but i dont want to go changing the head gasket and it not be it if you see what i mean its a big job to do and find out its not it il have to change the stat and see what happens

 

[Nigell_d6]

Hi,

Before you start stripping head gaskets etc, make sure your expansion bottle cap/pressure relief valve is ok. If this is in poor condition, then the water will/could boil at lower temps, thus filling the bottle as well as overflowing, always worthwhile checking first before getting into big money.


Regards

Nigel

 

[Fast Guy]

Water pump?

If it's over heated badly tho, you could end up doing the head gasket (if it's still ok) and maybe warping the head.

 

[Nigell_d6]

Hi,

all the above everybody has said is what you will need to check, start off at the easiest for you and work through, just incase you think to much info, where do I start,

Im only saying that because a long time ago I spent 2 days stripping down an engine to find a fault which was a bolt somebody helping me had put in the wrong place on rebuild, would have taken 2mins if I had known,

Regards

Nigel

 

[GTIR-LOZ]

are you filling up the expansion bottle to top the coolant up as there is no inlet to the rad there you only need to fill the rad up by the rad cap itself, also you can get a device that detects combustion gas in you coolant system i would try to get one of these first, it is like a tube which you put over the rad filler opening and inside you pour the liquid which is blue then you pump the mixture so it draws in any gas from the rad (with the car running) and if the liquid turns green you have a blown head gasket, i think you might be able to get them from halfords

 

[Big O]

took it down to my mates garage he couldnt do it was the wrong size took it out tonite it was fine temp always jus below half pulled in to a petrol station on the way bk and took the rad cap off no pressure at all you could see that there was water in it but surely there should of been some steam or water coming out etc