sport track elxi 16valve

Forum: 

ello folks i bought a sport track
and picked it up last night but broke down on the way home as it kept over heating, had to pay recovery truck to get home.
kept putting water in it and after a few mile it would over heat again,unscrew the radiator cap and the water just gushes out with some force also on further in spection the oil cap was missing on top of the engine.
theres know oil in the water.
could this be an air lock problem
or has the head gasket gone.
plus how much would i be looking at for a head gasket kit as all car shops are closed today.
opinions welcome thanks daz

Head Gasket sets run about £

Head Gasket sets run about £50 (Click on the 'Parts Dealers' menu at the top of the page. You'll be lucky of the head isn't cracked.

The radiator is always under pressure when the engine is warm so it's not surprising the water gushed out, but once the radiator cap is off it shouldn't keep gushing. an Oil and water mixture looks like chocolate milkshake, so check your coolant and oil.

cheers

thanks for the replys and advice folks ive had the thermastat out and in a pan of boiling water(im told thats how you check them)it seems to work Sad so sounds more likely the head gaskets gone gutted daz

Circulation.

I suggest you investigate further before replacing the head gasket. High pressure in the radiator is unlikely to be from the head gasket. Any coolant leak into a cylinder usually comes out the exhaust pipe. Investigate the water circulation before going further - have you flushed the radiator and the engine block? Use a hose pipe !

thanks

these posts are the best advice i,v had so far,prior to picking the car up the other night i was told that it had just failed the mot on emmissions and a light bulb(have faliure sheet)only spoke to two mechanics on phone 1 said the emissions could be just down to something called a lam or lamb sensor and cost of that and setting it
will be about £180 i dont know what hes talking about but it sounds steep.
the other fella said ahh just because theres no water coming out or mixing with oil etc that doesnt mean the head gasket hasnt gone.
there was one fella who came around and told me to check the thermastat,also to excelerate the engine to 2500 revs why he stuck his nose up the exaust,he was coughing a bit:O but said it was alright but running a bit rich.
i wish i took up mechanics if only for my self.
im replaceing thermastat tommorrow and will see how it go,s

update

just an update and thanks for the advice ,i think the over heating problem is sorted i decided to replace the hose and thermastat housing minus the thermastat left it running for about 45 minutes...no over heating cheers folks

A few with good manners to say thank you!.

Good to hear you listened to the advice and didn't dismantle the cylinder head.Not many posters here get back to thank those who spent time writing solutions to users problems. Nice to know there remain a few with manners and a memory. Enjoy the Sporty!

PS .. fit a new thermostat, running without will rocket the petrol consumption.

cheers

cheers

head gasket

sorry to bore you again with this folks but i tried to drive the car today and after some time it over heated,it appears the head gasket has gone, the radiator bubbles up and pushes water and steam in to the expansion tank.
the water is moving around the system freely but there was moisture dripping from the exaust.
as i said im no mechanic but have changed plenty of engines,
as i cant afford to pay a mechanic at the moment i fancy fitting the head gasket myself,.
i need to know if you think this is an easy job and could i take the head off complete with exuast manifold,injection manifold,distributer,
and all the other bits attached in one go,clean both sufaces and replace it all and get some one else to fit cam belt and time it up.
advice needed thanks daz

thermagasket

just looking around the site and saw the ad thermagasket
has any of you used stuff like that to repair a head gasket
is there any other stuff on the market in the uk i could try and save changing the gasket?

where are you located? if yo

where are you located?
if you are anywhere near me i'll do your head for a small sum.
did my own at the weekend

cheers

im in leicester pastltd just off junction 22 M1

head.

Now it does sound like the head gasket if bubbles smelling of exhaust or petrol are coming into the expansion tank.
Changing head gasket should not be too difficult if your a diy car mechanic.Take it apart rather than lift with bits attached. If you have no 'idea' then you will cause more damage than you repair. If doing job yourself you will need the CD guide with the necessary torque settings, timing marks etc etc. Remember to get the head skimmed - no point in puting it back without skimming to get the head absolutely flat. If you dont get it skimmed it will leak again.

Any "mechanic" who sticks his

Any "mechanic" who sticks his nose up the exhaust of a running motor and purports that he is able to diagnose head gasket problems is, at best, a charlatan. Actually, he is a complete knobhead.

???

i know its not the norm but he wasnt diagnosing the headgasket problem
he was checking the emmissions lol as it failed mot on them,he said it was running abit rich i gave him the benifit... because he was a senior technician at a main vauxaull dealers,
knob heads a bit strong...it was free advice daz

Overheat

1. Is the 'fan' belt attached to the water pump ... silly question but are you certain the belt exists? There are 2 visibly belts - steering pump and water pump.
2. If there is a belt, is the water pump working?
3. Next check for a blocked radiator. If its about 10yrs old its probably corroded and blocked.
4. Possiblity that the thermostat is jammed closed. Engine will overheat and coolant will boil. Remove thermostat and check its condition.
5. Suspect headgasket if white water vapour comes from the exhaust whilst driving hot. To check remove spark plugs and look for white deposit on electrode. Alternative method is to sniff into the radiator .. remove cap whilst engine is running hot, bubbles in coolant smelling of exhaust Unknw