P38 4.6 boiling up

Hi I have. 4.6 p38 and it split the hose today that joins the overflow from the rad to the header tank , I was only a mile from home so replaced it with a new bit of pipe,
I refilled it with water and ran it up to temperature and the header tank was boiling over but the engine temp was bang on half
Checked thermostat and it opens ok ( removed it to test it)
Sounds like head gasket or could it be worse?

Did you drive it the mile home after the hose gave up?

sible88 said:

Did you drive it the mile home after the hose gave up?

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Yep , it didn't loose that much water and the temp gauge sat bang in the middle

Looks like it's pressuring up.

Quick easy test is to get a sniff test down on the coolant.

hi mate just worth checking your engine fan mine did that when it was broken new fan cured it as the engine was unable to cool down as no air cerculation worth a check o and WATCH YOUR FINGERS

If the system is not holding pressure it will boil. The higher the pressure the higher the boiling point. If the guage shows the right temperature then I would double check you have no leaks.

Gonna get it tested for hdracarbons tomorrow, looks like it was just the fact it had air in it , gonna take it out for a big today see what happens

All seems ok today , didn't get a chance to get checked for hydrocarbons

Air lock????

All seems to be fine , must of just had an air lock

newt888 said:

All seems to be fine , must of just had an air lock

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Sorry if I've misunderstood your post about when you were testing it, but it sounds to me like you were testing it with the cap off and the engine running...? If you were doing it like that it will boil over every time. You need to keep the cap on to create pressure, and that in turn increases the boiling point of the liquid. If all is well with the cap on, leave it alone!

Just so it's been said, keep an eye on the water level. If you do have a problem you will gradually lose water. Also, make sure you keep the antifreeze / coolant concentration up. It is too easy to just top up with water, and again, and again, and again - and before you know it there's no antifreeze in the system. Yes, I speak from experience.

If the engine overheats (red light on), do not drive it at all - big bills follow. Keep a large container of water, rigger gloves, and a funnel in the boot until you are sure it is all ok. Also from experience.

Hope all is fine!

Turtled said:

Sorry if I've misunderstood your post about when you were testing it, but it sounds to me like you were testing it with the cap off and the engine running...? If you were doing it like that it will boil over every time. You need to keep the cap on to create pressure, and that in turn increases the boiling point of the liquid. If all is well with the cap on, leave it alone!

Just so it's been said, keep an eye on the water level. If you do have a problem you will gradually lose water. Also, make sure you keep the antifreeze / coolant concentration up. It is too easy to just top up with water, and again, and again, and again - and before you know it there's no antifreeze in the system. Yes, I speak from experience.

If the engine overheats (red light on), do not drive it at all - big bills follow. Keep a large container of water, rigger gloves, and a funnel in the boot until you are sure it is all ok. Also from experience.

Hope all is fine!

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Thanks

Almost deffinately happy it was air,
Also to add once thermostat is open and car is running at normal operating temperature you can and should be able to remove the cap as the engine coolant is below boiling any way.
When I had the "air lock" and you removed the cap it boiled over.