indicators for blown head gasket(s)

[Dieter H. Marschall]

Hello everybody,

As I wrote before my Stag lost all its coolant due to a broken bottom hose. I did not realize this at once, so I drove for I do not know how many meters/kilometers without any coolant, until I realized that the needle was in the red and stopped immediately.

In the meantime I have replaced all the hoses and the coolant. Now the engine runs slightly cooler than before (needle stays on the "M" in "TEMP") - even in hot weather. I have neither CO2 nor oil in the coolant.

But: Are there any other indicators for a blown head gasket?

By the way: I am thinking of buying a new spare set of hoses. The silicone ones seem great, but are bl.... expensive. What would you opt for - silicone or braided rubber ones?

Best wishes,
Dieter - from Germany.

[wilf]

If the coolant contains no combustion gases, there is no water in the sump, no external leaks, no loss of coolant, no cooling system pressurisation above the normal - and it runs OK, it likely ain't broke.

[nib]

Dieter, all my head gasket troubles in the past have been where the expansion tank level has risen as normal when the car warms up but because air has entered the cooling system the level does not return to the normal cold level when the car is left overnight. This problem can also be down to faulty pressure cap/expansion bottle.
Mark

[milothedog]

If you are friendly with a local Garage or someone with a C/O tester then you can get them to use it to sample the air gap above the coolant to check for HGF.

[Dieter H. Marschall]

Head gaskets blown?

If you are friendly with a local Garage or someone with a C/O tester then you can get them to use it to sample the air gap above the coolant to check for HGF.

Yes, I did this. There is no CO2 in the coolant.
Best wishes,
Dieter.

[Stagdad]

Silicon hoses are only expensive if you buy the complete custom set, a replacement for the bottom hose which is a 32mm 90 degree elbow is about £8 on eBay

[Lingen]

Dieter.
The braided rubber ones do the job perfectly well, and last for years, so save yourself some money! One thing to check though, whichever type you go for, is the two bottom hoses. The top one is right-angled, but the bottom one should be a greater angle. Some suppliers try to fob you off with two top ones. The wrong one will be more difficult to fit between the radiator and the steel pipe, and will be distorted, putting a strain on the outlet pipe from the bottom of the radiator.
Mike.

[Stagdad]

Trying to remove rubber hoses that have been on for a couple of years, I have found that they have almost welded themselves to the spigots, silicone hoses don't do that, they seem well worth the extra to me but each to their own.

[Dieter H. Marschall]

Hello everybody,

After driving without coolant for some unknown time, I have now checked the coolant. No oil or exhaust gas in the coolant. I have also checked the compression. It is almost equal on all eight cylinders. So may I now hope that the head gasket has not blown?

Best wishes - from hot Germany,
Dieter.

[wilf]

I think you can come back to Defcon 3.

[Dieter H. Marschall]

Head gaskets

I think you can come back to Defcon 3.

I wish it could be Defcon 5....

[wilf]

Well, the normal state of alertness of most Stag drivers with respect to engine water temperatures is 3, so wishing for 5 is a bit of a stretch!

[STypeR]

I ran mine for several minutes in the red with no apparent damage. I did shear a jackshaft but mind you the car was flat out on the racetrack! Did turn it of as soon as I realised it was in the red.
You should be okay!

[jleyton]

Yep Dieter, you can get away with it, if you're lucky - and it sounds like you are. I wonder how I know that

Cheers

Julian

[Stagsongas]

Dieter, all my head gasket troubles in the past have been where the expansion tank level has risen as normal when the car warms up but because air has entered the cooling system the level does not return to the normal cold level when the car is left overnight. This problem can also be down to faulty pressure cap/expansion bottle.
Mark

Mark,

That's absolutely true, it presents us with a potential problem that not everyone will be aware of. It does not matter whose header tank you have, or where any low coolant warning switch/alarm is located in terms of level, air or simply a void occupying any space that should hold coolant is capable of giving a false 'OK' reading at the header tank.

The idea of a level sensor is a very good one, but it is not infallible and should not be taken as proof that the system is full.

Regards

Steve