Gasket OR Irontite?

Hi guys and girls,

I have a Rangey p38 4.6 with LPG, which IS RUNNING FINE but:

The problem:

• does NOT appear to overheat (guage at vertical)
• does NOT appear to be water in the oil, as dipstick looks normal.
• Odd drip from one head gasket, which is burning off on manifold, producing a disturbing puff of smoke.
• This happens only when very hot, after 40 miles + run.
• While looking for the fault, I revved her violently on gas to get her warm so I could see where drip was coming from.
• MOMENTARILY overheated (light on) for a few secs.:doh: Switched engine off and coolant boiled in the tank and overflowed slightly.
• No noticable oil loss, and no major coolant loss, and car still runs sweetly even on a 100+ mile journey, but engine bay stank of burnt oil afterwards.

I know I SHOULD get the gaskets done sharpish, but short on both time and readies at the moment, and need the car daily for shortish runs (less than 10 miles). Can I get away with irontite, or have I missed something more griefy (liner issue, cracked/porous block etc?). Any experience of iron tite in the longer term?

Ady

irontite will not help if you got slipped liner, it will seal a hgf..

TheCamelStory said:

Hi guys and girls,

I have a Rangey p38 4.6 with LPG, which IS RUNNING FINE but:

The problem:

• does NOT appear to overheat (guage at vertical)
• does NOT appear to be water in the oil, as dipstick looks normal.
• Odd drip from one head gasket, which is burning off on manifold, producing a disturbing puff of smoke.
• This happens only when very hot, after 40 miles + run.
• While looking for the fault, I revved her violently on gas to get her warm so I could see where drip was coming from.
• MOMENTARILY overheated (light on) for a few secs.:doh: Switched engine off and coolant boiled in the tank and overflowed slightly.
• No noticable oil loss, and no major coolant loss, and car still runs sweetly even on a 100+ mile journey, but engine bay stank of burnt oil afterwards.

I know I SHOULD get the gaskets done sharpish, but short on both time and readies at the moment, and need the car daily for shortish runs (less than 10 miles). Can I get away with irontite, or have I missed something more griefy (liner issue, cracked/porous block etc?). Any experience of iron tite in the longer term?

Ady

Click to expand...

Odds on it's the head gasket. Sensible person would change them. Somebody with a death wish for his engine would put Irontite in. Does that answer the question?

If it is the gasket irontite will do the job. It could last a week or a year. Just don't get complacent and forget that its a temporary fix and as soon as you have some more time, do the job right.

rasheed said:

If it is the gasket irontite will do the job. It could last a week or a year. Just don't get complacent and forget that its a temporary fix and as soon as you have some more time, do the job right.

Click to expand...

And meanwhile Irontite has clogged everything up in the engine it is possible to clog up. Making the eventual gasket change a waste of time. Irontite is designed specifically for sealing cracks in the block or head NOT for repairing gaskets.

thanks for your input one and all.... I have had another look. the oily drip is coming from the rocker cover gasket.
Am I right in my assumption that (as apposed to a head gasket failure) this explains why car is running ok and no overheating? I suppose that being near the top of the engine the drips only start when its very hot?

Someone tell me if you think I'm wrong.

Still looks like a pain to get the cover off as the air pipes etc all go over that side. oh well. If it was the whole head that had to come off, I probably would have not attempted it myself, but I'll have a go at the rocker gasket, a bargain £2.49 from Island 4x4 + a tube of silicone. Anything I need to be aware of or any special tools I'll need before I get stuck in?

A few years ago, I was replacing a RCG on an Astra. With bits off the car, an emergency came up and I had to scramble to put it back together cos I had to use the car, clumsily breaking the new gasket in the process. Put it back together using ONLY silicone sealant, no rubber gasket. Bought a new gasket but the silicone held out for another 30,000 miles....