The dreaded Head Gasket....

[nobber]

I have finally blown the head gasket on my Bongo, only a matter of time from all accounts and I think there is also a crack in the head, as it had only run without the thermistat for the last few years from the last time it overheated so looking to get both replaced this time.

Any advice from the hoards of you who have already gone through this, like

what are the £170+Gaskets heads on ebay like or am I better getting the £300 one

what cost should I be looking at to get this done (have been quoted anything from £600 to £1500 to fit a new head gasket only)

recommended garages in the Brighton area

Cheers

[paul9]

steer clear of the cheap chinese copy heads on ebay,had lots of reports of problems with them,valves bedding in and closing after a few hundred miles,some of the threaded holes are different and all in all very poor quality.
try engine express on ebay,they can supply new or fully reconditioned complete built heads,at a reasonable price,i would also use a quality or genuine head gasket,the job itself is not very difficult and is about 4 hours labour,its the parts that cost the money,are you sure the head has cracked and its not just the gasket? only way to tell is to remove and have ot tested,mine had just blown the gasket and cost me £250 to repair,this included labour,head gasket set,head bolts ,pressure test and skim,that was over 12 months ago and its been fine ever since,my gasket blew because of a garage not knowing how to bleed system properly after an engine coolant change,caused air lock.
if replacing the head try and find out the cause of it failing and maybe fit a new radiator as a precaution.

[nobber]

Cheers for that, I think the head had got a hair line fracture as when the gasket went last year, once repaired it would overheat with a thermistat fitted

[dandywarhol]

Are you saying a garage refitted a cracked head nobber? If they did, it's more than your bongo's head which is cracked!

Unless you signed a disclaimer stating you understood that the "repair" was temporary then they should be taken to task for this shoddy piece of "workmanship" IMO

[Ritchie]

hey there I just had similar probs. gaskt was fine but cylinder head cracked. (guy i bought it off had put in a crap re con one)Went for a brand new head which should come with everything. all new belts ,gaskets and more. my garage man got in a specialist to do the swap over and it cost £1200 comes with 12 month garentee..the labour is the main expense it takes hours. dont get cheap or re conditioned as you are going to pay alot anyway get the best you can or you may be doing the same again in a matter of months.

Ritchie