Please recommend a good/cheap pressure tester kit

[Silver 300te]

Hi,

Before I go down the new head gasket route, I want to check where the coolant leak is coming from. There are lots of £40 odd 'universal' kits online. With the connect with a W124 coolant tank?

Does air bubbles in the coolant tank mean gasket failure?

Groan.

 

[LostKiwi]

If a headgasket fails you'll get one or more of the following symptoms:
1. Bubbles in the coolant
2. Loss of heat from heater.
3. Radiator hoses will be rock hard with the engine running
4. White creamy mayonnaise like deposits in the oil filler cap
5. White steam from the exhaust.
6. Loss of coolant

Check the radiator hoses. They will feel very hard with the engine running if the gasket is gone allowing the engine to pressurise the coolant system.

 

[star]

Pop to your local garage and ask them to sniff the header tank for combustion gasses. I’m sure it will only cost you a drink.

 

[rifiki]

Cylinder head pressure tester will give same result, one would be much lower than the rest.
Try Ebay, I got my tester for around £20.

 

[star]

Pressure testers pressurise the cooling system to check for leaks, rads, water pumps etc but harder to see if head gasket has failed, testing the coolant for combustion gasses by any method will generally show a head gasket problem.

 

[LostKiwi]

Sometimes gaskets also only fail one way - i.e. cylinder into coolant but not coolant into cylinder due to the difference in pressure between each.

 

[joderest]

the correct advice is above.
The bubbles in the header tank could well be gasses from the combustion process, hence a sniffer will give the correct result.
My old Discovery TD5 had these symptoms, i bought a kit off e bay called doctor head gasket, it had a process, fluid and a large bung with tubes on it. When the liquid supplied turned another colour, meant head gasket failure, it worked.
I would think a local garage would do the test at very cheap cost.

 

[Silver 300te]

If a headgasket fails you'll get one or more of the following symptoms:
1. Bubbles in the coolant
2. Loss of heat from heater.
3. Radiator hoses will be rock hard with the engine running
4. White creamy mayonnaise like deposits in the oil filler cap
5. White steam from the exhaust.
6. Loss of coolant

Check the radiator hoses. They will feel very hard with the engine running if the gasket is gone allowing the engine to pressurise the coolant system.

Of all of these, all I get is loss of coolant.

 

[ajlsl600]

if loss of coolant and no sign seen its poss that theres water getting into the combustion chamber , via gasket,poss but unlikely. a crack ,or dependent on cyl head design a leaking injector sleeve if this has happened and you do remove head a sign is a fairly clean combustion chamber when compared with the rest. BUT go thu the gasket failure test process as described FIRST if this is not positive let the eng warm and use a coolant system pressure test kit and pump to system normal running pressure .is yr coolant loss even on a short trip? ie as soon as system pressurizes or after a fair,ie opp temp run ?

 

[NBurns]

If a headgasket fails you'll get one or more of the following symptoms:
1. Bubbles in the coolant
2. Loss of heat from heater.
3. Radiator hoses will be rock hard with the engine running
4. White creamy mayonnaise like deposits in the oil filler cap
5. White steam from the exhaust.
6. Loss of coolant

Check the radiator hoses. They will feel very hard with the engine running if the gasket is gone allowing the engine to pressurise the coolant system.

Back in November when I first had my turbo failure, a certain well known car repair centre (Halfords!!) told me that my head gasket had gone (broken!!). Looking at that list i am glad I decided Not to leave my car with them and get a second opinion. Twas the turbocharger plus an injector seal and holder failure.


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[Silver 300te]

if loss of coolant and no sign seen its poss that theres water getting into the combustion chamber , via gasket,poss but unlikely. a crack ,or dependent on cyl head design a leaking injector sleeve if this has happened and you do remove head a sign is a fairly clean combustion chamber when compared with the rest. BUT go thu the gasket failure test process as described FIRST if this is not positive let the eng warm and use a coolant system pressure test kit and pump to system normal running pressure .is yr coolant loss even on a short trip? ie as soon as system pressurizes or after a fair,ie opp temp run ?

Short trip. Not a huge water loss any more after I replaced the o ring on the water pump. That fixed most of it. Really I just want to see if it's anything but the gasket. If it's the gasket, I bet I'll have to skim the cylinder head and the whole thing will make the car unviable. I'll try a local garage though.

the correct advice is above.
The bubbles in the header tank could well be gasses from the combustion process, hence a sniffer will give the correct result.
My old Discovery TD5 had these symptoms, i bought a kit off e bay called doctor head gasket, it had a process, fluid and a large bung with tubes on it. When the liquid supplied turned another colour, meant head gasket failure, it worked.
I would think a local garage would do the test at very cheap cost.

It's on the way. Thanks for your help.

 

[Blobcat]

Back in November when I first had my turbo failure, a certain well known car repair centre (Halfords!!) told me that my head gasket had gone (broken!!). Looking at that list i am glad I decided Not to leave my car with them and get a second opinion. Twas the turbocharger plus an injector seal and holder failure.


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If you want an overpriced and badly built bike go to Helfrauds do not go there for anything else unless you know your car is in very good fettle because you can get £30 MOT's.

 

[NBurns]

If you want an overpriced and badly built bike go to Helfrauds do not go there for anything else unless you know your car is in very good fettle because you can get £30 MOT's.

Sadly my next Mot IS with Halfords because i had one of their £10 Mot vouchers. So sadly once it starts again and running it will be driven direct to Halfords Hedge End who will be doing the Mot for £10 AND NO MORE!!!!! Spent over £1000 on it now. No more now until the credit card is paid off and ditched and my two immediate debtors are repaid.
Just worked out i am now nearly £8k in debt while being owed over £5k by fraudsters from Romania.



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[NBurns]

Sorry. £13k in debt while owed that £5.5k.


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[ajlsl600]

Short trip. Not a huge water loss any more after I replaced the o ring on the water pump. That fixed most of it. Really I just want to see if it's anything but the gasket. If it's the gasket, I bet I'll have to skim the cylinder head and the whole thing will make the car unviable. I'll try a local garage though.


It's on the way. Thanks for your help.

starting to sound like more than one cause,or one leading to another .water pump leak,gasket failure. head skim should not,if required be vastly expensive. often one must consider the expense of repair against the unknown possible repairs on a replacement vehicle . unless a replacement is new or under a good warranty.

 

[LostKiwi]

If you don't get the hoses going rock hard get some fluorescent dye and add to coolant. Then check for leaks after a run.

 

[oigle]

Be good to check your rad pressure cap too. If not up to standard, water loss can ensue.

 

[Silver 300te]

the correct advice is above.
The bubbles in the header tank could well be gasses from the combustion process, hence a sniffer will give the correct result.
My old Discovery TD5 had these symptoms, i bought a kit off e bay called doctor head gasket, it had a process, fluid and a large bung with tubes on it. When the liquid supplied turned another colour, meant head gasket failure, it worked.
I would think a local garage would do the test at very cheap cost.

Tried. Went another colour. Sigh.

 

[joderest]

Oh dear.
Well at least you know now

 

[Silver 300te]

Oh dear.
Well at least you know now

Got a quote for head gasket change and reskim for a grand.