Head been done?

[Timandclaire]

I'm curious given the propensity for failure whether my heads been done already..

250,000 kilometers on a 96N.

Is there a way to tell if it has been done?

[g8dhe]

The heads don't fail in there own right from wear, what happens is that the coolant system gets a blockage of some type and then the coolant boils inside the engine, this eventually clears and the shock of the much cooler coolant hitting the head causes it to crack. OK that's a bit of a simplification but its the cause of most head failures, suggestions of head gasket failure is normally a garage telling you the cheapest option and when they get the head off they either then find its a cracked head or don't check and the problem remains!
Only by inspecting the head can you find out if its been changed, and then if its a genuine head you still might have a problem telling if its been in place a while!

[Northern Bongolow]

There is a specific casting mark on the side face of the head to distinguish it from various copy heads, sorry cannot remember what it is though,but it could have had a replacement genuine Mazda head and you wouldn't really be any wiser.
A gen engine and head should last several life times with just routine maintenance, one I know had double yours has on it without a blip. The problem appears to be what is routine maintenance.

[Timandclaire]

Thanks Gents..i'm a bit ocd when it comes to keeping an eye on levels and am all too aware of the age of the pipework etc,not afraid to get my hands dirty either