matty_gti 20 Posted April 4, 2006 just wondering how people know when there head gasket has gone? And after having a recon head put on my gti, do i need to run it it???? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dee205 3 Posted April 4, 2006 No need to run a head in. Check for oil mixing with the coolant. When mine went on my old 1.6 engine it would run on 3 pots first thing in the morning until it cleared out the water that had leaked into the other cylinder where the gasket was broke. Damien Oh. look for the white smoke too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hengti 2 Posted April 4, 2006 simplest way to get a definite diagnosis is to take it to a garage to have it tested - most have a contraption that they seal across the top of the rad expansion tank which contains a special liquid that reacts (changes colour) when it's exposed to combustion gases - which, if your HG has gone, are likely to be finding their way into the coolant oil/water contamination is usually another sure sign that somethings not right don't need to run a head in - but you would need to run in a new cam/bearings if you're doing those at the same time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonah 1 Posted April 4, 2006 On mine it was slow coolant loss and the cooling system sometimes pressurising and forcing coolant out of the top of the header tank past the pressure cap. There were no other symptoms at this point, and even a sniffer test (the thing that hengti is talking about) came up negative. From what I could tell it was only blowing under heavy load - sustained hard throttle and high revs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
