I have an old Carlton estate which i only use to take out my 3 dogs.It is showing all the signs of a blown head gasket.
Question, will it last for next 6 months when MOT expires doing on average 20 miles a week?
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My mum's 106 has laster going on two years. Admittedly it only does about 5 miles per week, if that.
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Mike Farrow
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How long is a piece of string????
It could last 6 months, or it could last 6 minutes.
No one could say how long it would last.
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keep your bus fare in your pocket at all times
,if you are lucky you wont need it
good luck
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am i going deaf?if you only do local to take the dogs, consider lowering the pressure on the system by removing the pressure cap,this will help so long as the blow by is small.
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Leaving the cap off will cause the coolant to boil in no time.
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\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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did you not do physics at school young man?boyles law?
compressing a liquid increases its boiling point thats why the system is under pressure and you should never release the cap while the system is running.
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V8 man.
Running with the cap off won't cause the coolant to boil. Cylinder head temperature is controlled by the thermostat, usually at about 90 C. In extreme circumstances when the thermostat is fully open and the radiator can't dissapate enough heat then the temperature will exceed that figure, and reach normal boiling point of the coolant. It's then the pressure cap is useful By allowing the cooling system to pressurise it increases the boiling point of the coolant and so delays the formation of steam in the cooling system. Steam doesn't conduct much heat so would radidly lead to extreme overheating.
So, the pressure cap normally has no function in controlling coolant temerature, and only acts to ensure it has an elevated boiling point.
Running with the cap off may allow more water vapour to escape and result in a steady drop in coolant level, but the engine won't just boil up.
JS
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fairly easy job on carlton,if the rest of motor is in good nick why not get it sorted,should not cost much either.leaving it too long may cause other problems anyway,Carlton estate IMO best car VX ever made!
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Steve
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As a ps,would you explain whats happening.one persons idea of showing symptoms is not always correct?.Not saying you are wrong!
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Steve
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Thanks for all your answers.Symptoms are car runs as usual, very well in fact, but the oil filler cap is covered in mayonaisse as i have seen it called, also seems to be an oily film on the top of the coolant level.
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The mayo might just be due to all those short trips. Is there a lot of vapour out of the exhaust when hot? Does it smell of anti-freeze? Using much water? The car might just need a good long blast on a motorway.
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The mayo might just be due to all those short trips.
That would be my diagnosis as well. As for the oily film on the coolant; drain it, flush, and refill with fresh stuff and see if it re-appears.
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I'd probably leave it well alone - flushing and refilling the system and adding new antifreeze will probably bring allsorts of leaks to light - seen it done amany a time!
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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If you are happy to take the risk of breakdown at an Inconvenient place and time and being without transport then it might be worth the risk.
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It's very unlikely that a head gasket will suddenly go leaving you stranded. You normally get plenty of warning such as rough running on a cold start, as moisture leaks into the cylinder(s).
I ran my Polo for over a year with a leaking HG, weekly topping up of the coolant was needed and apart from being a bit rough for 10 secs on a cold start, it ran perfectly.
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Thanks again for all answers, took the advice and did 60 miles motorway driving at 70 for the most part, ran fine.
Does not use any coolant either so perhaps not head gasket.
Anyway thanks again for help as i am a mechaniacal cretin with cars.
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I noticed white gunge in my Rover 100's coolant top at the beginning of August.
The car ran perfectly until the end of October when it stalled unless you really reved it, it was also difficult to (re)start.
In the mean time I'd done over 1800 miles!
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Thanks again for all answers, took the advice and did 60 miles motorway....
Based on what you've just said, I would repeat my earlier answer and still agree with Nick's reply - that being the cause of the mayo is the short trips.
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