Another head gasket question

[norfolkbcs]

We have been having to top the coolant up rather regularly and got our mechanic to check things over. He says there is a leak in the head gasket and it will go sometimes soon. The engine has done 103K miles.

We have been told that the head gasket will be virtually impossible to remove without breaking the long bolts which hold it in place (it is the original part), making it impossible to fit a new one - therefore we should wait for it to go completely and then have a new engine.

Is this correct or is the mechanic trying it on a bit? Is it likely to break when removed - given that it is the original part - or is it worth a try?

Ta - Donna

[jed the spread]

If its a 1.9 petrol engine then he is telling you the truth. You could always pop some k-seal in there to give it an extra bit of help as a temporary fix for now.

jed

[big red bus]

Well guessin it is a 1.9 then the bolts are very common for breaking but sometimes you can be really lucky. I would do as suggested above. HAve used it in the father in laws and its stoppped his jacket seal leakin

[norfolkbcs]

Hi yes, it is a 1.9 petrol engine. Does K seal go around the joint or do we have to put in it somewhere?

[dansimpson]

Er, pour it in the header tank mate

[norfolkbcs]

Er, pour it in the header tank mate

Thanks

[ricicles]

i have rebuilt three of these engines now and not one of them has broken a stud. they are a pain in the but to get to pieces though and not an easy rebuild, they are however very robust other than the leaky problems. unfortunatly the leaks are usualy coroded heads that lead to the gaskets failing, you will not know untill you take it apart. once apart you can freshen it up with bearings, rings and gaskets 200ish for the lot. lots cheaper than a recon but a bit of work

[horns]

Is K-seal any good then? I'm usually a little dubious of a fix-in-a-bottle.

[dansimpson]

K Seal stopped my old Rover 214 from using water, albeit a small amount, after adding a bottle of the magic stuff, it didnt use anymore.

Tis like all quick remedies, it only gives a bit of pain relief, doesnt necessarily cure the problem other than short term

Oh and like all good magic potions, you need to believe in it for it to work

[horns]

I might give it a try. My current thinking is to eke the last out of the old JX while we save up for an engine swap, so a temp fix could make more sense than replacing the gasket.

[camper]

I might give it a try. My current thinking is to eke the last out of the old JX while we save up for an engine swap, so a temp fix could make more sense than replacing the gasket.

If its a JX then its a 1.6td diesel engine whilst sound advice from others is relevent to the petrol wbx engine your engine is diffrent.Meaning you can remove & inspect your cylinder head to see if its servicable and replace the head gasket with new head bolts

[toomanytoys]

I have about....... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ...... er....quite a few actually.... dead engines I have collected over the last few years.. some known to be broken studs etc, a couple broke on dissmantling.. the 3 "nice" cases I have in stock all have nice studs.. generally the later the better, but well maintained engines with regular coolant changes fair better.. although I have a 30k gen VW rebuilt engine that I gave a top end refresh to and that wasnt as nice in the coolant jackets as the 150k tired original engine I aquired a year before.. not putting the right concentration of antifreeze in is the worst thing to do...

I stick 9-10 L of antifreeze in then fill up with demin water.. the system holds a total of 17-19L depending on engine and heater etc options.. (50/50 "blue" type antifreeze)

[horns]

I might give it a try. My current thinking is to eke the last out of the old JX while we save up for an engine swap, so a temp fix could make more sense than replacing the gasket.

If its a JX then its a 1.6td diesel engine whilst sound advice from others is relevent to the petrol wbx engine your engine is diffrent.Meaning you can remove & inspect your cylinder head to see if its servicable and replace the head gasket with new head bolts

Yes, I'm aware of that - but I'm leaning towards the idea of an engine swap in the future, so I'm not sure it's worth the time and effort.