Hi All

I have made the unforgivable mistake of letting the "Local" MAC, replace a HG, with results I will not even speak about.

However on retrieving my vehicle( 1998 Escort 1.4i,multi injection CVH), I had to , Discover and repair a huge hole in the Throttle Body , then discover and replace wrong Inlet gasket, covering injector ports.

Now it runs sweetly, BUT for one huge problem. IT boils the water in the expansion bottle, and gets forced out there. It's not instantaneous, as in a blocked Stat.

I can run for 20 KM, Gauge reads normal, fan kicks in when it should according to the gauge. BUT still the water on the RAD/expansion side is over heating and forcing out of the screw cap.

I have removed the Stat to test, Same, I eliminate the Pump, no prob on long run.
I am leaning towards a incorrect HG, blocking certain ports.

History, vehicle stood for 5 years, owner in Afganistan, only done 95 K/km.
Started up and drove for a full month Before Blowing a HG, I picked it up very quickly before guage even reached 3/4, so no major damage.
Anti-freeze came out clean as a whistle, no rust at all.
Head Had corrosion 5mm on edges of combustion chambers, Had weld filled, and skimmed.
All he was supposed to do was replace the HG & Belt,

Please Help as I am financially drained, and am forced to do this myself, But I dont want to remove the Head if not neccessary.

BEst Wayne

 

HG, needs doing correctly, can you not give it back to the idiot who did it the first time and ask that bit be done correctly this time by someone else at the same garage ?
tabetha

 

Find a garage who can measure CO2 in the cooling fluid.
It's a 5-min test and if CO2 is present then the head gasket is leaking.
Or there's a problem with the head. Has this been pressure tested to find cracks?

 

personally if the head was dmamged (through corrosion or whatever) i would have replaced it. sounds like welding the combustion chambers is a huge bodge and could well be buggering up your compression ratio between cylenders.

sounds like a complete mikey mouse garage to me i'm afraid.

 

Thanks for All the responses so far, On the corrosion, It was only the edges of the combustion chambers , Not all of them only two, So welding up and skim, brought them back to perfection.
Job done at reputable engineering works, So I gather it was tested after weld, I'll inquire on Monday tho.
Thabetha> Never is this car going back to that idiot!

I can and should have done it myself in the first place, But thats spilled milk, I just have to sort it out.

I got another hint that , He removed the Stat, and did not replace it, CAn this have a effect of this nature, Or will it run only taking longer to heat up.

I will anyway install a new stat this afternoon, fingers crossed!

Thanks so far.

 

Welding and skimming back due to corrosion is 100% safe and very routinely done, won't be a issue.
Stat will just cause it to take longer to warm up, not cause pressurisation problems, I'm wondering if he's done something totally numpty like used the wrong HG ?
tabetha

 

OK, Stat no difference, tabetha> Yep not surprising at all, seeing he had the wrong intake gasket on, no gaps for the injectors.
He showed me the Head gasket set, and it's for normal CVH, Would the HG be different for the EFI unit?

This was my next thought , blocked waterways with incorrect HG. I'll whip the head off then to check!
Thanks Again, I'll report back. MAy this be a lesson, If you can do your own work, DIY.

 

WOOP! Fortunately , Some good soul advised me , not to take the radiator for granted, So I whipped it out and on dissasembly, Found what could have easily been 2 handfuls of gunk.
So anybody, who has a vehicle that has been standing for years, PLEASE do the radiator first.

Problem solved!
Thank-you for all the advice,