Head gasket, or what else is it???

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TriumphDriver

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Tandragee, Northern Ireland
My Td5 facelift blew a top coolant hose 18 months ago due to pressure in the cooling system; it cost me £700 to have the head gasket replaced and a new radiator fitted. The head itself was fine, pressure tested and certified by a reputable company.
Two months ago it overheated while the other half was driving it, but had lost no coolant or oil. I noticed that the top hose was rock hard again and on releasing the pressure cap there was a loud hiss from the coolant expansion bottle even when stone cold. This time it cost me £900 although the head was again pressure tested by a different company and found to be perfect. The mechanic this time claimed it was a cheap head gasket on the last job and charged me £65 for the replacement one.
This morning I noticed a strong smell of burning which eventually passed but on checking the engine it's the same rock hard top hose. The temperature gauge was reading normal and there is no drop in coolant level. The Disco has only covered 102000 miles but I'm starting to get paranoid.
Any thoughts?
 
^^^^^ that, and the thermostat are the first things to check on your symptoms... a certain "hissing" sound is normal when u take off the tank's cap cos the system works under pressure(about 1,4 bar is normal).

Did they lift the tank above the bleed hole when they filled it with coolant? .. anyway, replace the thermostat, take off the cap, lift the expansion tank as high as the pipe from the bottom will let u(u just have to pull it upwords), start the engine and unscrew the bleed niple...u have to see a clean coolant flow there... if not first of all u have to make sure that the system is properly bled... a simple airlock or a blocked thermostat can cause u those troubles.... and make sure that the tank cap's relief valve is not blocked ...it must open at 1,4 bar and it must be tightened to max otherwise it might cause overpressure

IMO u was robbed... a simple splitter test on the coolant would have given the answer if there's a problem with the head/headgasket or not.
 
Last edited:
sierrafery said:
IMO u was robbed... a simple splitter test on the coolant would have given the answer if there's a problem with the head/headgasket or not.
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that... those nice chaps at BLRC were 100% certain it was a cracked head, and carried out the test on the 'exhaust gases in the coolant' bit in front of me to prove it. Their estimate was £2300.
I'll bleed the system at the weekend... the burning smell at idle may just be fluids burning off the outside of the block after the work was completed.
Is the top hose MEANT to be rock hard when hot?
 
TriumphDriver said:
Funny you should mention that... those nice chaps at BLRC were 100% certain it was a cracked head, and carried out the test on the 'exhaust gases in the coolant' bit in front of me to prove it. Their estimate was £2300.
I'll bleed the system at the weekend... the burning smell at idle may just be fluids burning off the outside of the block after the work was completed.
Is the top hose MEANT to be rock hard when hot?
Click to expand...

If the coolant test was positive for exhaust gases then u are unlucky... did the test fluid turn yellow before your eyes?

When the engine is hot the top hose must be the same as the bottom one cos the thermostat must be open and the coolant has to flow around the whole circuit. Check the tank's cap ...it has a pressure valve to not let the pressure build more than 1,4 bar....and it must be fully tightened to not clog the return pipe.

Imo to make sure u have to drain and flush the system to get rid of the presumably polluted fluid, put a new thermostat, refill it with fresh coolant and bleed it properly... if it will have overpressure do the splitter test again. If it will show gasses again then it's bad news.
 
ive just put a new engine in my TD5 disco after seizing the bottom end, just had the head reconditioned so have that for sale at a good price. that should solve it! and wont be anywhere near the prices you have been paying or quoted.
 
TriumphDriver said:
My Td5 facelift blew a top coolant hose 18 months ago due to pressure in the cooling system; it cost me £700 to have the head gasket replaced and a new radiator fitted. The head itself was fine, pressure tested and certified by a reputable company.
Two months ago it overheated while the other half was driving it, but had lost no coolant or oil. I noticed that the top hose was rock hard again and on releasing the pressure cap there was a loud hiss from the coolant expansion bottle even when stone cold. This time it cost me £900 although the head was again pressure tested by a different company and found to be perfect. The mechanic this time claimed it was a cheap head gasket on the last job and charged me £65 for the replacement one.
This morning I noticed a strong smell of burning which eventually passed but on checking the engine it's the same rock hard top hose. The temperature gauge was reading normal and there is no drop in coolant level. The Disco has only covered 102000 miles but I'm starting to get paranoid.
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Ratty knows about these, the heads need to be heated to crack tested
 
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