while on way to ford fair the other week the water temp started to rise on temp guage and lost some power so i persumed head gasket had started weeping and took it easy to save the engine. got home ok and ordered the new stuff for a head gasket swap, did the swap over and problem still there so re ordered and did it all over again incase had gone on wrong never know shit happens. put it all back together took it for the test drive and still there so now i'm wondering if some how i've got a hair line fracture in the head or block and wondered if anyone has managed to do/heard of this as no one i know has and am wondering what else it could be cheers.

 

Why not get the head pressure tested mate??

 

thats next plan but am having trouble where i am as local ones can't hot pressure test it only vac test it or so guy behind counter told me. i've got another head that i know is ok just needs a quick skim before it could go on but just thought i'd see what all the brains on here made of my little problem, more wanted to know if any one else had ever had a cracked head

 

Did you skim the head?

 

had it checked over and didn't need skimming flat as you like. was wondering if block might need decking though but not usally done i know

 

You need to check a few things before removing head again,


Comp test,
leak test with pressure gauge on the coolant system,
check temps with a temp gun, or a accurate gauge.


Is it smoking?
are you looseing oil or water, are they mixing?









i've seen a few cracked cvh heads, i'm working on a RST this weekend that has cracked the head.
But its cracked between valve seats and valve seat to spark plug hols.

 

it's not smoking, loosing a bit of water, no mixing of the oil and water as i said it's just like the water/compression side of a head gasket failure. found a place in liverpool that apparently can hot test the head so i'll probably get that done as i've no access to some of the equipment to do all of your tests but can pressure test and leak test. i took it out when we had some rain the other night to see how much power i'm loosing and in first when turbo came on full boost 18psi instead of the normal loss of grip that we all expect it made all noises but it was if some of the boost was going somewhere else and felt a bit like a standard turbo on 6psi and no loss of grip. have you ever come across cracked blocks as i might put the other head on which will rule the head out altogether, shame your not closer

 

Whats the head fitted? std s2?
is your spare the same?

Blocks can crack, but i've not personly seen a cvh block crack.


if your spare head is in good condition, i would get that skimmed and fit it.


What head gasket and bolts did / are you gonna use?

 

spare head is the same as the one on car standard head and i used ford head gasket and bolts first time and arp and felpro the second time and will use ford one with the arp this time

 

yeah use a Standard ford item, or a Payden, ( same gasket as Payden make the ford ones.)

 

Payen!!!! lol

 

 

iv have got exactly the same problem wiv mine at the mo.i fitted new headgasket and a head from my old car,that ran fine yet still overheats and wont boost up properly.

 

If its over heating, the ignition timing could be retarded?

 

just thought i'd give a little update. swapped the head over and the car was running great but was still getting hot when not on the motorway so i swapped the radiator and sender unit over and now she's running as good as she ever has with no issues at moment