Head gasket

BX596 · Post by **BX596** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:15 am

As above.I think my head gaskets gone

I'm using a litre of water a day,no obvious signs of leaks.I've changed petrol ones in the past,is there any difference/pitfalls I should be looking for ,changing a TD one?All suggestions gratefully received

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:36 am

if you have to have the head skimed by more than a few thou, you will need to have the valves sunk into there seats, so they are the correct depthfrom the head surface, or they will contact the pistons

you might also need new stretch bolts,

and dont bother with the very cheap gaskets, or you will be doing the job again after a short time

regards malcolm

ken newbold · Post by **ken newbold** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:21 pm

Slow down a bit old Pal.

Let's not jump to conclusions, always check the easiest first, no matter how unlikely.

Is there pressure in the cooling system? If not it could be a rad leak or water pump leak

Some leaks are very hard to find as the water can evaporate quickly leaving little or no trace.

Are the carpets dry? especially the driver side?

Rad cap? split hose somewhere?

BX596 · Post by **BX596** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:39 am

Good news,the gaskets not gone.

I've just spotted water dripping from the subframe(I guess I can stop panicking now,Ken

)Obviously I've got a leak from somewhere behind the engine.Just got to find the bugger now

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:00 am

sorry i do agree with Ken, but just mind you keep the coolant toped up if you are still useing the car inbetween fixing it,

or you will knock the gasket out

regards malcolm

mountainmanUK · Post by **mountainmanUK** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:44 am

Check the big braided hose that runs behind the block, to the heater inlet/outlet! It's quite common for this to rub on the bulkhead over time, until it starts to leak!

They can still be bought, but are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive! It's better to keep an eye on them sooner, and take any appropriate "patching" needed!

citronut · Post by **citronut** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:38 am

also the rubber blancking caps on the water branch at the rear of the engine (cam belt end) tend to perish

regards malcolm

mike st gilles · Post by **mike st gilles** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:34 am

Also worth checking the core plug seals on the sides of the block as I had one of these go porous on me (probably because of previous bad maintenance); as it was just behind the injector pump it was pretty hard to find.....just another place to check.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:48 pm

Just get a new car Dean

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 2:21 pm

If the source of the leak still isn't obvious from examination with the car on the ground, I'd suggest getting the front of the car up on stands at your earliest opportunity. You can then run the engine and observe leakage from as many angles as possible.

Note from experience: if the leak isn't any of the things mentioned above, I'd make a note of the RP number of your car, and go to a Citroen dealer to ask them print you out a diagram of the coolant-pipe system in this area . There were small but sometimes significant variations in some areas of piping over the production run. I speak from personal experience here: even if the parts aren't available - and that's quite possible nowadays - there may be useful information on the diagram, e.g. internal diameters some pipes at each end. This can be useful if you, or someone else, have to make up your own repair sections or improvise otherwise.

I had a run of coolant-pipe problems on a previous BX which I had to improvise my way through because of this, and in the end Mulley's route was the one I took (largely due to vital bits on the on the car being seized beyond recall, and a bad case of the orange stuff in very vital areas).

Good luck!

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:13 pm

mountainmanUK wrote:Check the big braided hose that runs behind the block, to the heater inlet/outlet! It's quite common for this to rub on the bulkhead over time, until it starts to leak!

How does it rub on the bulkhead? THe pipe come out away from the bulkhead (infact it should start a good inch from the bulkhead) and off to the engine. Its certainly nothing i've ever heard of, or seen, probably haven't seen as many BXies as many but i dont recollect it being a 'common' fault. The hard plastic pipes from the heater matrix snapping through rough handling, now thats a common fault.

I hate to say it though, 1litre a day might be anything, if the car is driving 2500 miles a day, i don't think i would be too worried about topping up a litre!

mountainmanUK · Post by **mountainmanUK** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:26 pm

I'll post you a piccy tomorrow or Sunday, showing the rubbing, and the wear it causes!! (Not getting under the bonnet today, as we're still quarantined)

I've seen the very same abrasion on other TDs hoses too, and assumed (probably wrongly!) that they were all incorrectly secured!

Possibly the hose on mine has been missing some securing clip for a long time, but the centre of its loop most definitely allows it to "sit" up against the bulkhead, where normal movement during driving has gradually worn quite a chunk out of the braiding, and into the rubber of the hose itself.

I have a spare, should the inevitable one day happen, I really should get it secured away from the bulkhead, but it's one of those jobs that keeps getting put-off for another day!

(Incidentally, even my spare shows signs of having been rubbing in the same place at some time, though nowhere near as badly as the current fitment)

BX596 · Post by **BX596** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:21 pm

MULLEY wrote:Just get a new car Dean

When you spot a low milage valver for £50,give me a shout
'Til then,kiss my arse,the burgundy beauty(or not so beautiful) will live on

kiwi · Post by **kiwi** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:43 am

Lets put it this way

It took me 18 months to finally figure out that the Headgasket had failed on my BX.

The so called obvious signs were not that obvious!

However after being parked up for two or was it three weeks allowing water to seep into a cylinder it became pretty clear the head had failed.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:24 pm

Sorry Dean, if i spot one 1st it may be sitting on my drive, you will of course be allowed to take her for a spin

I'm really enjoying driving the Gti, it feels so much livlier than my txd