any one had head gasket replaced? 230ce

[robparker]

My 1990 230ce has a hunger for coolant since i bought it with 140k, its now on 160k. There is no oil in the coolant and the only time it struggles with temp is after a 2hour motorway run if i have to sit in traffic for 20 mins it struggles to stay much below 100c. I suspect the head gasket is leaking, but i dont know how urgent it is to replace and have no idea of the cost involved, does anybody else?

 

[television]

The coolant must be going somewhere, water pumps are prone to leaking, or the bottom hose and tap on rad are other places. re temperture the visco fan should cut in at 85c. put up the first 6 numbers of VIN 124--- and I can check on the type of fan that you have .

Malcolm

 

[robparker]

i have also noticed the radiator cap doesn't seem to screw down as nicely as my other mercs have, hard to describe but its kinda dry feeling to screw down and stiff... could that have anything to do with it. I know i dont have an aux fan.

 

[Sprint'n'Go]

I would think a head gasket problem would have developed to a terminal condition after 20k. You should probably be looking elsewhere for the leak. How much coolant loss are we talking about? an inch in the header tank every other week or a pint a day? If you are suspicious of the rad cap why not change it just to rule it out, they can't be very expensive.

The high temp when standing could be down to a restricted rad, they tend to fur up a bit with age and silt up with corrosion if the correct strentgh of antifreeze is not maintained (possibly due to continued dilution during topping up).

Hope this helps

 

[robparker]

thanks. i drive about 800 miles a week on the motorway and i probbaly put in a litre every couple of weeks. i try to put anti freeze in too, but i know the mixture is diluted. Maybe i will start with a new cap then. So you think if it was a head gasket it would have blown by now?

 

[flagstaff]

aye, it most likely would have. i agree with the others - the problem is probably not the CHG. you could have a pinhole leak in the radiator, so coolant loss may not be visible unless you look closely (use a torch) immediately after turning off the engine.

 

[flyingtech55]

Does the cooling system stay pressurised after engine cools down? Are the rubber coolant pipes hard to squeeze once the engine has heated up. The 2.3l engines are prone to head gasket problems. They leak cylinder pressure to the cooling jacket at the back of the engine. As its the six cylinder(?) and it has got hot it'll probably need a head skim.

HTH

Gliderman

 

[TimN]

The corrosive properties of tap water have an adverse effect on alloy heads. Particularly, for Citroens I'm informed. The heads eventually suffer from a small crack appearing between the valve seat and the spark plug. You can eliminate this by having a pressure test done on the coolant system. The test should confirm where the leak is coming from.

Best to fill the system with deionised water

 

[robparker]

i will check the pressure of the hoses after i drive it later tonight. I will also try to stop filling it with tap water, thanks for the tip. i can see how this will end up $$$$$$ !!

 

[flyingtech55]

Senior moment!! Four cylinder engine. The water jacket is close to the cylinder on the LHS of the block (as you look into the engine from the front) and it generally leaks at the rear cylinder. Although mine went at number 3 instead.

HTH

Flyingtech