Fourtrak head gasket

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I have a 1988 fourtrak 2.8D (the van one) and the head gasket has gone. Now i know a bit about mechanics but do not have the expertise to do a head gasket. I was quoted £600 to have it done. Does this seem a reasonable price? Any help appreciated!
Sam

Glad I'm not alone...

Had exactly the same thing happen to me about 2 months ago, what it will cost all depends on how much your mechanic charges for labour.
The repair bill for mine (1992 SWB 2.8D fieldman, exactly the same) came to £369.72+VAT (£434.43 total)
This broke down into £124.72+VAT to have the head skimmed, head set, anti-freeze, oil filter and oil, and £245.00+VAT for 7 hours labour.
The good news is the fourtrak head is a solid lump, not an alloy, and is very unlikely to have warped so it should be okay with just a skim.
Hope this helps!

Ok heres how it went. My

Ok heres how it went. My mechanic friend and myself took the head off, and to my horror we found a crack in the solid head! Any way we put a new gasket in it and have put it all back together temporarily so it runs. Now my options are find a replacement head (have it tested etc. obviously), put a different engine in it, or get a new car! Trouble is as im only 18 im not exactly rolling in it.
Oh it only cost me about £40 but its still broken.
I've only had it a few months so i think the bloke who had it before me must have let it get red hot to cause that damage. Now I'm buggered so to speak Sad

> When they found him he still had the remote in his hand <

> When they found him he still had the remote in his hand <

BTW we have the van one, 85

BTW we have the van one, 85 vintage though!

I think your cheapest option (the one I'd go for) is to get a second hand head from a breakers yard - I've never got stuff like this tested, but I have done a visual inspection, and most breakers will offer a guarantee.

1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".

1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".

Thrashed

That is really unlucky sam, i reckon the guy before you must have thrashed the f@@* out of it, find another engine if i was you, you can locate secondhand scrap fourtraks fairly easy and pay only a couple of hundred for a complete vehicle, its unlike one of these engines to do that, there fantastic low ratio gearboxes mean you never have to exceed 2000 rpm to do whatever job you point it at, i should think it was bombed about to get speed out of it - who knows, sorry mate.

Full of ideas but no time to do them!!

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Get at least 3 quotes from

Get at least 3 quotes from different garages - I think that sounds excessive!

I'm curious as to whats blown the head gasket.

1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".

1985 Veg oil burning Fourtrak "Rocky".

Heady

Two options are open, the first is to get a second hand head, if you do get it pressure tested first, these heads are very durable and this is unusual. As the head is cracked i would suggest that someone else has replaced the gasked and torqued the head down incorrectly, or not done the job properly.

Option two is to buy an engine complete, before parting with cash insist on it being in the vehicle, and run it thoroughly and look for anything abnormal. This option will give you the opportunity to study the engine under load, and when it is fully warmed, and allow you to check for smoke, back pressure, etc.

Another thought is to do what i advise people to do is to spend slightly more money and buy a complete vehicle. Accident damaged, insurance write offs, etc are usually available, use the engine and sell off all the other bits, this will recoup your losses and you would reasonably make a profit as most parts are sought after. Stripping down a vehicle will give you more of an insight on how a vehicle works, as these are bolt together vehicles, they are relatively easy to strip. You can accumulate a number of spares for your vehicle also, spare wheels and tyres are always handy, as is much of the interior trim.