TD4 Headgasket....?

Since we got our current TD4, the coolant level has been a little erratic. Sometimes a little below the level, and sometimes a little above. I noticed recently a small amount of white smoke / steam on start up from cold, and a little rough idling for 2-3 seconds, before smooth clean service is resumed.

I also spotted some aeration in the header tank. No massive bubbles, pressurisation or constant streams / overflows etc, just enough to make the coolant appear a little milky. Which then cleared as soon as the engine stops. Feeling physically sick at the thought of a headgasket repair bill, I added some K-seal to the header tank. This stopped the aeration, but the level is still a bit erratic.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does it indeed sound like the beginning of a headgasket issue? Has anyone had a headgasket changed, and how much did it cost?

I've had a look in the Haynes manual, and ceratinly don't feel I have the facilities to attempt this job myself!

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. (Especially the 'don't worry, they all do that' bit....)

check your hoses there are 2 to really look at 1 if it is a manuel the 1st one is the one that goes over the gearbox as this can rub on the gearbox the second one if it is a auto is the one that goes to the top of the oil cooler but I never had the header tank going up in water but a head gasket it a bit unusual on a td4 but I suppose not un heard of hope this helps

small bubbles are not too much of a problem in the header tank, usually the yellow caps get old and don't vent properly causing your header tank to start cracking/overheating.

two friends of mine have changed the header tank cap and it's cured there similar symptoms

That's a great help, thanks guys. I'll start checking hoses etc more closely as soon as I can. It's a 2003 manual, so I won't have the oil cooler hose to check. Although the k-seal may have 'hidden' any leaking hose, before I could identify it for repair.

The increasing coolant level in the tank did seem somewhat strange. I guess I just hope it's due to differing temperatures. I have recently changed a faulty thermostat (stuck open), but I've released the bleed screw several times since then, just in case, and always got coolant straight away.

As an after-thought....

Would a leaking gasket not cause the engine to overheat? Which it isn't, even towing the caravan...

eventually ,it overheats as pressurised gas pushes coolant out leaving areas uncooled ,as low level /air in system can

Thank's James, I'll have to hope it doesn't come to that though. I'm hoping for a leaking hose somewhere I haven't been able to see....

check your oil aswel, for emulsified oil (white in colour) oil and coolant mixed, this is a sign of head gasket trouble, will poss mean oil has got into the water jackets through a failed head gasket, and keep your eye on the temp gauge & levels etc, any misfiring, they always run a bit lumpy when first started in the morning for a few seconds and a bit of smoke out the back on start up is pretty standard i would say

Only prob i've experianced with a td4 losing coolant was a slight but steady drop in coolant level, finaly traced to the water pump housing o ring weeping, from memory located at back of engine on drivers side. look for deposits left when coolant/antifreeze evaporates.

The good news is the oil is still ok. I had a look earlier today, with a degree of trepedation (spelling...?), and all appeared well. The temp has run very low since we bought this model last summer, and only warmed fully when towing the caravan. This was solved by changing the faulty thermostat, which was no simple task! Since then, the temp has run spot on the middle of the gauge, solo and towing, within a few minutes of starting up. The FBH also switches off now, and average economy increased from 30-32 mpg, up to 38-39.

simonmcghie said:

The good news is the oil is still ok.

Click to expand...

I think you can therefore confidently rule out a HG faliure (from my limited experience).

good luck, keep us posted!

Thank you to everyone for their input. As soon as work allows time to investigate further, I'll start hunting for possible leaks etc. A can sleep a bit happier now hgf is more unlikely than I first thought.

I'll report any findings, as they may be helpfull for others facing similiar symptoms..

Just a bit of an update.

All appears to be well with the headgasket. We've towed the caravan for 100 miles this weekend, without any signs of overheating, change in performance, or water loss. So I'm hoping the loss has just been a leaking joint / pipe, which the K-seal may have solved.

I've had a good scout around, and can't see any evidence of a current leak. Although there is the odd trace of an antifreeze stain here and there.

Now we just need to address the mil lamp coming on and going off....

K-Seal :doh:

have a good look where them traces of antifreez are this is a indication of something leeking