banjodeano Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Guys, my daughter has a Ford Ka and it keeps overheating, she has been told its the head gasket, i called a garage for her and they quoted £500, is that the going rate.? anyone know anyone decent in the Rotherham area.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Is it losing water? That's one of the main tell-tale signs of gasket failure. Look for a "mayonnaise" type substance on the oil dipstick and the inside of the oil filler cap, and look for an oily look and deposits on the coolant fluid tank. If there's none you might want to consider replacing the coolant tank's cap, they do fail over time and that could be where any water loss could be, as steam, and be unnoticeable. As for repair costs, they can vary from £200 to £800 depending on car and engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjodeano Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 Is it losing water? That's one of the main tell-tale signs of gasket failure. Look for a "mayonnaise" type substance on the oil dipstick and the inside of the oil filler cap, and look for an oily look and deposits on the coolant fluid tank. If there's none you might want to consider replacing the coolant tank's cap, they do fail over time and that could be where any water loss could be, as steam, and be unnoticeable. As for repair costs, they can vary from £200 to £800 depending on car and engine. Thanks for that mate....it was bubbling outta the reservoir tank, she took it to a garage and they told her the reservior tank was split, it was replaced and now it still overheats...same garage say the head gasket has gone, i have been told about looking on the filler cap....but the other day i just looked at the dipstick and the oil seemed okay.....i will have to wait and have a look at it again... cheers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 Thanks for that mate....it was bubbling outta the reservoir tank, she took it to a garage and they told her the reservior tank was split, it was replaced and now it still overheats...same garage say the head gasket has gone, i have been told about looking on the filler cap....but the other day i just looked at the dipstick and the oil seemed okay.....i will have to wait and have a look at it again... cheers... The garage should be able to do a "sniff" test of the header tank..this will show if any hyrocarbons are finding their way into the coolant via a HG failure between the cylinder and the waterjacket..did they replace the filler cap along with the header tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjodeano Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 The garage should be able to do a "sniff" test of the header tank..this will show if any hyrocarbons are finding their way into the coolant via a HG failure between the cylinder and the waterjacket..did they replace the filler cap along with the header tank? i am not too sure...i have only had a small chat, will get some more info and get back to you all.... thanks guys... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greengeek Posted July 20, 2012 Share Posted July 20, 2012 The garage should be able to do a "sniff" test of the header tank..this will show if any hyrocarbons are finding their way into the coolant via a HG failure between the cylinder and the waterjacket..did they replace the filler cap along with the header tank? I was going to say that any reputable garage should be able to do a sniff test! The mayo under the cap isn't a fool proof way of checking either, it's great if you're buying a car as you can use it for discount but if the car has only been used on short journeys then it's going to have mayo there anyway. It could be that the thermostat is blocked closed. Do you get heat out of the heaters? Get the car up to temperature and carefully feel the radiator hoses. Could be the water pump has failed. When the car is cold, take the cap off the header tank and start the car. You should be able to see the water moving in the header as it's drawn round the cooling system. Is the fan coming on? Either the fan sensor has failed, fan ceased or relay/fuse problems. Check fuses F20 in the car and F37 in the engine bay. After going through these steps, then look at head gasket failure. Unless it's obvious with oil in the coolant/loads of mayo even after a good run or it's using loads of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjodeano Posted July 20, 2012 Author Share Posted July 20, 2012 I was going to say that any reputable garage should be able to do a sniff test! The mayo under the cap isn't a fool proof way of checking either, it's great if you're buying a car as you can use it for discount but if the car has only been used on short journeys then it's going to have mayo there anyway. It could be that the thermostat is blocked closed. Do you get heat out of the heaters? Get the car up to temperature and carefully feel the radiator hoses. Could be the water pump has failed. When the car is cold, take the cap off the header tank and start the car. You should be able to see the water moving in the header as it's drawn round the cooling system. Is the fan coming on? Either the fan sensor has failed, fan ceased or relay/fuse problems. Check fuses F20 in the car and F37 in the engine bay. After going through these steps, then look at head gasket failure. Unless it's obvious with oil in the coolant/loads of mayo even after a good run or it's using loads of water. Thanks for all that greengeek...i dont think this is a reputable garage...my daughter phoned the guy up and asked what his conclusion was now he had got the car back to the garage...he had already fitted a new reservoir bottle that was supposed to have split and been the fault....his conclusion was.."he didnt have a clue".........i have booked it in somewhere else that i have used in the past, .... hopefully it will be one of the cheaper problems..but i will have a quick look myself first..... thanks a lot.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 If the head gasket was gone between the water jacket and the bores a compression test would show this up. As you say if there is antfreeze coming out over the cap it would suggest the system was over pressurised hence a failed pressure cap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banjodeano Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 It turned out that it was just the thermostat...the garage took it out and told her to see how it goes....i think he didnt have much of a clue....they didnt even put her another one back in...well it worked so now i am going to fit her another....he charged her £40 just to take it out....he will prob want another £40 to put another back in...so like i said, i am going to replace it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teddybare Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Ford Ka = hot girl's car. Always. Theory's been tested for over 10 years. When all the Kas are gone what will replace them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.