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Garage say blow head gasket 2nd opinion?


northernmonkeyz
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Hi all.

Not had my 2nd gen that long but long enough to know I am gutted.

Anyway will make this quick...

A month or so ago we had really really cold weather and when I was driving home from work the heaters wouldn't come on.

I wondered if this was due to the cold so I got home and hoped they would be working in the morning.

Morning came and no heat. I carried on to work and on the way home I noticed that the temp gauge was going to the max then back down every couple of minutes or so.

Got home around 10 mins later and the next morning the same thing.

I wondered if it was the coolant so when I lifted the bonnet the coolant had boiled over and was splashed everywhere.

Next day I looked online and was given the advice to try burping it. After about 30 mins the heating came back on so I topped it off with coolant and off I went.

20 mins later over heating again :sad:

Decided after taking to a neighbour we thought it was the thermostat so I took it to the local garage and bused it to work.

2 hours later the garage called and said it was a blow head gasket, He said he ran the engine for ages and the coolant was spraying out of the coolant header tank and again was everywhere.

He then said he did a sniff test which came out positive.

My question is, could a false reading be given if everywhere was soaked in coolant or am I clutching at straws?

Worth getting a second opinion?

Thanks,

Al

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A blown head (or head gasket) can allow any of three things to mix: combustion gases, coolant (water), and oil.  If combustion gas gets into the coolant it blows the coolant out the radiator or header tank.  It will also contaminate the coolant with 'aroma' of combustion gases.  It seems you have a two-fold confirmation that your problem is head related since you have coolant blowing out and evidence of gas in your coolant.

BTW your original (lack of) heater problem was probably due to a low coolant level, and if it been rectified before it ran low enough for the engine to overheat your car would probably be ok.

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Hi

Thanks for the reply.

The coolant was coming out of the header tank reservoir not the head gasket if that makes a difference?

I know the coolant wasn't low as I checked it a few weeks earlier and no leaks. I also checked the levels after the heaters stopped blowing and it was still fine.

So what do I do with it? Scrap or get it fixed?

😩

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Yeah the coolant will come out of the header tank.

How did you check the coolant, by radiator or header tank?  The header tank can be full but the radiator not.

A head gasket repair will probably cost about £500-750, but could be much more if the head is warped.  A replacement engine from a breaker probably in the same price bracket by the time it's fitted.

To repair ir scrap is the age old question only you can decide.

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I'd say get a second opinion. HGF on a Gen 7 is very rare, and the overheating almost certainly caused by a leak in the bottom corner of the radiator. This on the other hand is very common.

If you are lucky and it is just the rad, they are very cheap on eBay..but do use genuine Toyota LongLife coolant.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi

Thanks for the reply.

The coolant was coming out of the header tank reservoir not the head gasket if that makes a difference?

I know the coolant wasn't low as I checked it a few weeks earlier and no leaks. I also checked the levels after the heaters stopped blowing and it was still fine.

So what do I do with it? Scrap or get it fixed?

😩

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