Head Gasket Problems Steel Seal Repair Anybody Used It?

[Paulmac19 4]

Hi all

I have been having coolant loss problems for a while now,

I have the usual oil filler cap gunge but the dipstick is showing lovely clean oil.

 

A friend of mine check the engine over yesterday and came to the conclusion that i have head gasket failure and coolant is leaking into a bore and vaporizing into steam via the exhaust

 

When i start the car from cold it runs off a cylinder for a few minutes and a bit steamy via the exhaust, this quickly clears and everything runs fine except i am using / losing a fair amount of coolant

 

I was going down the route of changing the head gasket, reconditioning the head, and possibly fitting new rings.

But i am cash strapped at the minute and don't have the skills or tools to carry this out myself.

 

I have been told about this Steel Seal stuff http://www.steelseal...-repair-1-p.asp

I was just wondering if anyone has used it to any success?

 

Or is this a temporary quick fix and i will end up replacing the head gasket eventually anyway?.

 

Also if that Steel Seal doesn't do my job or you don't recommend it, how much do you recon the head gasket, rings, and head bits and pieces would set me back? and most importantly which make of gasket, and other parts should i use

 

Thanks as ever, for all your help that you give me

Paul..

Edited May 31, 2012 by Paulmac19

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

The symptoms that you describe of your head gasket failure are exactly the same as what happened to mine.

 

As others will probably say, you will not know the condition of your head until it comes off. Only then can you see how rotten

the waterways/faces are.

The head will most probably need a skim so budget for that. When I had the head off mine the first time round, it had new valve guides and valves which added to the labour cost.

There is a good Motaquip head set (part No. not to hand for a 1.9gti) which costs about £45 and includes all the gaskets you need for head removal and refit, stem seals and new head bolts. It is very good value for all the things you get in one pack.

Go with a good garage that knows 205's and i reckon it would be £300+ for head removal, skim and rebuild for sorting out a head gasket. If you need head work or rings replaced then be aware that it could be an open cheque book job...

 

Good luck with it. I would definately say to get it done properly and take the financial hit, rather than bodging it and praying it limps on. I wish i'd taken a picture of my recent rotten head gasket, basically only the liner rings and outer edge was intact!

[Paulmac19 4]

The symptoms that you describe of your head gasket failure are exactly the same as what happened to mine.

 

As others will probably say, you will not know the condition of your head until it comes off. Only then can you see how rotten

the waterways/faces are.

The head will most probably need a skim so budget for that. When I had the head off mine the first time round, it had new valve guides and valves which added to the labour cost.

There is a good Motaquip head set (part No. not to hand for a 1.9gti) which costs about £45 and includes all the gaskets you need for head removal and refit, stem seals and new head bolts. It is very good value for all the things you get in one pack.

Go with a good garage that knows 205's and i reckon it would be £300+ for head removal, skim and rebuild for sorting out a head gasket. If you need head work or rings replaced then be aware that it could be an open cheque book job...

 

Good luck with it. I would definitely say to get it done properly and take the financial hit, rather than bodging it and praying it limps on. I wish i'd taken a picture of my recent rotten head gasket, basically only the liner rings and outer edge was intact!

 

Thanks for your reply Alan i have organized a run over here on the 24th you can find it here

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=99447&st=220

 

So i am maybe going to try that Steel Seal and as my car is a soft top i really only drive it over the summer months

Hopefully i can get the cash gathered up and do the head up and gaskets over the winter,

i will let you know how i get on with the Steel Seal anyway.

 

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply

Paul...

[lagonda 42]

It really is amazing what "Radweld" & the like can fix.

 

We were using our old Rover 2000 to tow the caravan up to Scotland for a holiday, & the engine was behaving very strangely by the time we got near York. Discovered that water was either being sucked into a combustion chamber, or being blown past the radiator cap, according to load & engine speed. Walloped some Radweld in, & it completely fixed the problem....& I thought it would have no chance given the pressure, suck-blow & presence of oil.

 

Then on my Lancia Y10, a core plug rusted through (own fault as running without antifreeze) whilst on holiday in France. Water poured out of the hole as quick as I put it in...found a nearby pound shop (you know what I mean), bought some similar French stuff, & again to my surprise, it fixed it. Only downside is that the car ran hotter afterwards...clearly because the stuff had partially blocked the radiator.

 

So certainly good for a temporary repair, but you need to consider any downsides.

[Ryan 99]

It might fix the leak temporarily, but it will coat the inside of the radiator, engine block, probably clog the thermostat, and generally make the cooling system less efficient.

 

It's the sort of thing you use to cover up a problem for 500 miles while you sell the car to some unsuspecting sap. I'd never use it in any car I actually cared about.

[Sinbad 16]

The longer you run burning water,the more damage you will do to the head face/valves and stems in the form of pitting.

[Paulmac19 4]

Well Boys and girls i am not the type to bluff a job and bodge a repair on my beloved 205,

Truth be told i am down to a three day week and struggling to find the cash to fund what i want / need to do to get the head done up, and i had heard good reports about this Steel Seal gear

 

But i have taken you advice on board and i am going to replace the head gasket and get the head done up while i am at it.

Alan has suggested a motoquip Gasket set anybody else got anything they would recommend above the mtorquip set?

 

Thanks for all you advice and help..

[Alan77 78 1 Cars]

VHSB122 is the part number for the 1.9gti motaquip head gasket kit. It contains everything you need for about 45 quid.

Also consider a new cam belt and water pump if it's needed and you can budget for it.

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

forget any seal stuff for a head gasket its a joke i doubt concrete wouldnt seal sufficiently, about the remarks about getting a new waterpump and cambelt this is an absolute must, tensioner too as if any one of these 3 fail after rebuilding it it will all be for nothing and you will probably ruin the engine

[Paulmac19 4]

VHSB122 is the part number for the 1.9gti motaquip head gasket kit. It contains everything you need for about 45 quid.

Also consider a new cam belt and water pump if it's needed and you can budget for it.

 

Cheers for that Alan / Slo

I am going to start stripping the head off it tomorrow or tuesday

I already have a new belt and tensioner kit and water pump fitted less than 300 miles ago,

So at least i don't have to factor that into my repair bill