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Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:20 pm
by westonwarrior
at least you can be reasonably sure your car will be as good as new again and will last for many years

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:45 pm
by Velocette
westonwarrior wrote:at least you can be reasonably sure your car will be as good as new again and will last for many years
That is how I look at it. It is in very good nick and undersealed so it should do. :)

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:15 pm
by mikexgough
I hope it works out well for you,,,,you mention future mods like a Mason/gauge mod and a high level alarm, I take it you have a low water alarm already as you didn't mention it warning you at all....

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:13 pm
by Velocette
mikexgough wrote:I hope it works out well for you,,,,you mention future mods like a Mason/gauge mod and a high level alarm, I take it you have a low water alarm already as you didn't mention it warning you at all....
Yes it has a low water alarm but it didn't activate because the pressure caused the expansion tank level to rise.

I think a true reading temperature guauge might have helped over the long term because I honestly think I have driven this vehicle too hard on many occasions :oops: and the constant 11 O'clock reading has kidded me that the engine is happy with such punishment. I wasn't caning it when it failed but I had been the previous weekend I admit. #-o

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 8:32 am
by haydn callow
unfortunatly ..in some cases it is possible to overheat a engine without coolant loss (i.e. blockage/failed pump/failed head gasket) that is where a LCA/temp gauge combo is a bonus.
A Hi-Alarm would also not have prevented this as the damage has to be done before the coolant fills the tank.......

Just one of those cases where no amount of gadgets would have pre-warned i'm afraid.

Hope you get it sorted very soon

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:38 am
by Velocette
haydn callow wrote:unfortunatly ..in some cases it is possible to overheat a engine without coolant loss (i.e. blockage/failed pump/failed head gasket) that is where a LCA/temp gauge combo is a bonus.
A Hi-Alarm would also not have prevented this as the damage has to be done before the coolant fills the tank.......

Just one of those cases where no amount of gadgets would have pre-warned i'm afraid.

Hope you get it sorted very soon
Thanks Haydn, if nothing else I have learned an awful lot about liquid cooling systems, not least how much I still have to learn! ADS have got their best man on the job so it should be good when I get it back and I will treat it with a bit more respect for its age.

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:48 pm
by missfixit70
haydn callow wrote:unfortunatly ..in some cases it is possible to overheat a engine without coolant loss (i.e. blockage/failed pump/failed head gasket) that is where a LCA/temp gauge combo is a bonus.
A Hi-Alarm would also not have prevented this as the damage has to be done before the coolant fills the tank.......Just one of those cases where no amount of gadgets would have pre-warned i'm afraid.

Hope you get it sorted very soon
Got to disagree here Haydn :wink: , just because it's got airlocked somehow, doesn't necessarily mean it's fubar, unchecked it may well lead to terminal damage, but the High alarm DOES work to warn of airlock before damage or even any rise in temp, it saved my new head 7 months ago & I believe it would save a few that have pinholes, rad weeps etc (eg Mikexgoughs rad weep that didn't set off the low alarm).

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:12 pm
by Northern Bongolow
this may come as no suprise to some,but i have to agree with miss f.
the high alarm is a very good bit of kit. as this can detect a pressure rise due to a small (undetected) coolant leak in the system earlier than normal temp gauges do.

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:09 pm
by Velocette
I rang the garage tonight as I needed to know the mileage for my insurance renewal and they had it running and were out road testing!
:D

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:35 pm
by missfixit70
Good news :D , just in time to get up to the bash :wink:

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:46 pm
by Velocette
missfixit70 wrote:Good news :D , just in time to get up to the bash :wink:
See how it goes. :) It is being MOTd Tomorrow, another prayer to Ahura Mazda needed. :wink: And a temp alarm on order! Looked at doing the guage mod, I'm fine with the electronics but I don't want to pull the dash apart I'm clumsy with trim.

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:17 pm
by lazyb5
If I can undo the dash without breaking it anybody can :lol: I have fat fingers #-o

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:48 pm
by Velocette
lazyb5 wrote:If I can undo the dash without breaking it anybody can :lol: I have fat fingers #-o
I bet I've got to anyway to fit the temp alarm #-o

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:08 pm
by mister munkey
Velocette wrote:
missfixit70 wrote:Good news :D , just in time to get up to the bash :wink:
See how it goes. :) It is being MOTd Tomorrow, another prayer to Ahura Mazda needed. :wink: And a temp alarm on order! Looked at doing the guage mod, I'm fine with the electronics but I don't want to pull the dash apart I'm clumsy with trim.

Its not too daunting.

Drop the steering wheel with the lever on the column, look for the Phillips screws to remove then GENTLY pull the binnacle out, being careful not to disturb the rest of the wiring back there.

Once its out, it all makes sense.


8)

Re: Head gasket gone

Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:07 pm
by Velocette
mister munkey wrote:
Velocette wrote:
missfixit70 wrote:Good news :D , just in time to get up to the bash :wink:
See how it goes. :) It is being MOTd Tomorrow, another prayer to Ahura Mazda needed. :wink: And a temp alarm on order! Looked at doing the guage mod, I'm fine with the electronics but I don't want to pull the dash apart I'm clumsy with trim.

Its not too daunting.

Drop the steering wheel with the lever on the column, look for the Phillips screws to remove then GENTLY pull the binnacle out, being careful not to disturb the rest of the wiring back there.

Once its out, it all makes sense.


8)
Cheers. I'll probably do the resistor and shunt trick as well then.

Passed the MOT by the way, straight through only adisory was rear seat folded couldn't test fully. Bloody good job too!