Head gasket???

Hi
noticed range to be smoking quite alot last few days (white smoke & lots of it) also looked at oil cap and a white scum/cream has formed. This as far as i am aware means head gasket has gone????
if so roughly how much would i be looking at to get repaired?? and would it be advisable to get other work done at same time to stop it happening again?
thanks

Sounds like head gasket to me. As for how much, don't know, did mine myself.

If you're doing the head off bit, do both (assuming V8 here) I would strongly suggest looking at the condition of the cam followers and if you can, pop the timing cover off so you can check timing chain and camshaft.

If you do take off the timing cover, consider changing the oil pressure relief valve and spring.

Thoroughly clean the plenum.

I know this sounds like an awful lot but trust me I have done all these things at different times and wished I did all at once. If however you take to a a garage, you might want to limit it to just the head gaskets.

hope that helps.

thanks, have spoken to a mechanic friend of mine and he is going to help me have a go at repairing them myself, is there a link to a guide of what to do?
thanks alot

check your radiator while your at it, mine was virtually blocked

cheers but only fitted a new one a couple of months ago, does anyone know of an online guide for fitting of head gasket??
thanks

rangerryan said:

cheers but only fitted a new one a couple of months ago, does anyone know of an online guide for fitting of head gasket??
thanks

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Not sure wht you mean by online guide Would say Haynes book of lies, Rave or pukka workshop manual. Doing a head gasket isn't hard, don't be scared of it. The mechanical bits are generally easy, it's all the pipes and wires around the engine that put people off.

I'm not saying any twit could do it but if you are reasonably smart, have a fair set of tools and a bit of patience you CAN do it yourself.

If you're not confident then take it to a garage and use the time you save to spend with your family and take the brownie points

When it's stripped, strip the rocker shafts down, more than likely they are worn on the rocker journals-cheap to replace.
How much water were you losing??? Is there water mixed with the oil in the sump??
Hope replacing the gaskets does the trick... let us know how you get on.

Hey all soz havent replied earlier been sunnin myself in spain , altho came back to find car had been keyed on every panel!! sad ****s eh!
anyway back to the head gasket should be attempting it this weekend, however i cant get the "rave" workshop manual to work, has anyone got a link or could send me a guide to do the headsgasket??
thanks

or could anyone e-mail me tha guide to head gasket replacement form the Rave manual?
thanks