To Head Gasket or Not To Head Gasket?

[rover220]

if i fill mine to the top, the level drops to about an inch or two below and settles there. the cooling system needs some air in it so the coolant can expand without blowing out the cap everytime.

i wouldnt worry but its by no means gospel thats yours is ok.

[carsounds_dan]

if anyone else has any videos of what a zxr clutch and engine should sound like it would be greatly appriciated... o how i love youtube
cheers
dan

[rover220]

i have one of mine but im not a member of youtube

[RedexRobB]

As i understand it, the coolant expands into the expansion tank, then when it cools and contracts the fliuid in the expansion tank is syphoned back into the radiator.

[rover220]

As i understand it, the coolant expands into the expansion tank, then when it cools and contracts the fliuid in the expansion tank is syphoned back into the radiator.

it cant work like that, the rad cap will only lift for pressure to get out of the rad, it cant lift for fluid to come back fomr the overflow. the expanson tank is unpressurised after all.

[carsounds_dan]

yeh i can't work out how its meant to work to be honest, i recon that if the system gets too hot (more pressure) than the rad cap opens and leaks some fluid into the expansion tank, as the pressure lowers the temperature drops and it gets sucked back into the rad.
I recon i'll see how it rides and how the water level goes through february (when I've past my test hopefully) and if its shot I have a "half term holiday break" at the end of feb so i'll sort the head gasket then.. Either that or i'll do a comp test when I change the plugs and see what comes up.
Cheers
dan

[ross59]

When my head gasket went it used to kick the water out of the radiator to the expansion tank which is normal but would do it instantly rather than waiting for it to get to hot. I don't think you would be able to tell from it just idling as it is the exhaust gases which replace the fluid. It would then leak out the overflow pipe and would leave a small puddle of coolant nearly every time I stopped. If you don't need to top your radiator up and the system is pressurising taking the coolant back correctly then I would say your fine, if you are having to do this frequently then sounds like the dreaded head gasket. Worth checking it's not the radiator cap though before going to all the hassle of changing the head gasket!

[carsounds_dan]

kl will do, it depends where the gasket goes to what happens with symtops i suppose. If the gasket goes between an oil line and a coolant line then it'll mix oil and fluid. if it goes between a cylinder and a waterline then the coolant will be pumped either out the exhaust or the exhaust will pump into the coolant. rarely do they go between oil lines and cylinders but it does happen. I know that the 2.4l Toyota Hilux turbo diesel engines go between the cylinders but thats just a really badly designed engine with the bored really close together.
cheers
dan

[garyzxr400]

dont know if this helps at all but when my head gasket went i ended up with water coming out of my exhaust