overwhelmed by overheating!

Hi all, I have been following advice on here for a while now but this is my first post, having been heavily defeated by this problem...

The landy overheats inside a couple of minutes. I replaced the head gasket 2 months ago and it ran fine for a few weeks, having torqued and re-torqued. Then it started overheating.. the oil also went grey... I had a compression test done and it was all fine, i have looked in the expansion tank for bubbling, and its not. I ran it without the thermostat in for a bit, still overheated. I have just replaced the rad, water pump, thermo stat and fan belt, all to no avail.. rapid overheating of the engine.

If the compression is good, can there still be a crack in the head or block? What do i do next?!

Thanks for any help in advance..

hopefully you had head skimmed and crack tested

Could you have a large air block or something blocking the water course. Have a look from the radiator screw in cap on the left side where the Expansion tank feed from. Test the temp from there if cold the flow is blocked.

What engine is it?


Lynall

fanatic said:

hopefully you had head skimmed and crack tested

Click to expand...

Agree with him. Also check if you have a water cooled oil filter housing, could be a crack in there too causing overheat and mucky oil

I havent done many land rover head gaskets but have never skimmed or pressure tested any of the ones i have done and all have been fine, roughly 6 of mine and a couple for friend etc.
Series engines 200 and 300.


Lynall

a crack wont really show up on compression test ,where any of pistons cleaner than others ,water cleans piston ,unless necessary i would never skim head,

Hey all, it's a 2.5 petrol engine..thanks for your various responses, in all honesty i did not skim the head, i scraped and thoroughly cleaned it then checked it on a flat plane of glass.... thats the only question mark i really have left.

i replaced the oil filter too, not a water cooled oiol filter housing..

standing in front of the landy, the top left side of the rad, taking off the screw cap the water is always cold, the pipe coming out of the top right is boiling hot..i dont know how it can still be an air block having filled it with the screw off...

No pistons where distinctly cleaner than others, all were the same except number 4 having some score marks in it...

If i rev the engine with the expansion tank cap off, the water level drops, then when i come off the revs the level raises again, this tells me that the pump and everything works properly and that no exhaust gases are getting through the coolant system...

going to take the head off again i think and have it crack and warp tested... though i dont get if this was the case, why would i run fine for a few weeks... it never o/heated before i changed the gasket in the first place, i just changed it because of the mayo oil everywere!

thanks again eveyone!

Oy, I hope you get it sorted. Sounds just like my saga - only I don't have the skill (or cash right now) to do a head gasket replacement & skim.

its rare for 2.5 petrol head to crack or warp ,blocks can crack but is rare ,the easiest way to tell is after removing head fill block with water just below coming out of block face holes clean bores ,**** bonnet and check for rust line in morning,i found alot of earlier engines blocks full of rust/scale can be easily seen behind core plugs on side if removed