Blown radiator twice

[FR33K]

hey people
blew my radiator twice in about 3 months
i cant figure out why its building up pressure...
my radiator cap is gunky and oily and dirty (been like that for a year.. seems to be gettin dirtier)
any ideas ?
my engine temp is always fine

thanks in advance

[EG_2_TEG]

what radiator fluid are you using?

could be a crack in your head, or you head gasket could be ****ed :S

[wynode]

What exactly blew? Seems like the cap isn't release the water at a low enough pressure. Have you tried changing the cap?

[FR33K]

yeah ive been told it could be the head gasket as well
sometimes when i start the car when its hot its like "br br br br br brb rbr " and feels like it wants to stall
but other then that its normal
its got valvoline in there...
its also using alot of water (without any leaks) so this could be another reason its the head gasket ????
first time i cracked the bottom plastic tank.. and today i cracked the top one

[MR-VTEC]

hey i not exactly sure on this but have you checked your thermostat. it might have seized up and could be causing built up pressure. but as i said im not sure.

[tinkerbell]

yeah ive been told it could be the head gasket as well
sometimes when i start the car when its hot its like "br br br br br brb rbr " and feels like it wants to stall
but other then that its normal
its got valvoline in there...
its also using alot of water (without any leaks) so this could be another reason its the head gasket ????
first time i cracked the bottom plastic tank.. and today i cracked the top one

sounds like Head gasket with a smallish leak.

like most have suggested.

a simple compression test might not pick this up, but if you take it to a radiator place they can test the coolant for traces of exhaust gas to see if there is a leak.

also check you oil, if it is showing any signs of being 'milky' - then this is a sure sign...

the br br br br on startup is probably hte cylinder with teh leak not firing properly due to overnight leakage into the cylinder.

if this continues you might 'hydro-lock' your engine if there is too much coolant in the cylinder when you try to crank it...

check the colour of the spark plugs too - this can also show you if one cylinder is running with water in it - the plug will be cleaner or whiteish if this is the case... (if you are using proper coolant the plug can be greenish - or whatever colour the coolant is.)

[D16A8]

Milk oil is a good sign of a blown head gasket.

[FR33K]

oh ok thanks people
well i disconnected my radiator today and took it out to get it serviced..
came back later and under the car was a little puddle of browish milky stuff where the bottom radiator pipe had been draining out... same shit i always find on the radiator cap.. but its been like this for so long i thought something majorly wrong woulda happen by now hehe
i have done 325000kms..so i should be expecting something to go wrong sooner or later

oh and my oil is fine

[tinkerbell]

i have done 325000kms..so i should be expecting something to go wrong sooner or later


fcuk! that is alota km!

[FR33K]

and i dont drive like a grandma either hehehe

[majic777]

time to drop that h22a in that youve just got lying around freek... :D

[ginganggooly]

my top tank spontaneously exploded once... just get it fixed, no biggie.
i would have thought it was bad luck and old plastic more than anything else. there was nothing sinister about it when my one cracked open either, normal temp etc.
i'd expect you to notice a rapid loss of coolant if the head gasket was gone (i was getting about 15k's between top ups when the head gasket went in two of my cars), i don't see how a dodgy head gasket could cause an end tank to split open...

[ECU-MAN]

defenantly sounds like the Head gasket, when you go the time drive your car so its nice and hot ( not overheating ) and when you stop take out your spark plugs, wait 3 or so hours and then get a torch and look down the bore of the spark plug channel. you will be able to see the crown of the piston, you will be able to see the coolant on the piston. also you could just crank the engine and you will see the coolant rush out of the spark plug hole.

[tinkerbell]

i don't see how a dodgy head gasket could cause an end tank to split open...

not a causal relationship for sure, but a cooling system that is 325,000km old will tend to let go in more than one way...

so the blowing radiator and the leaking headgasket are probably both symptoms of the bigger problem...

also - coolant loss on leaking headgasket is much less rapid than on a blown head gasket...

[tinkerbell]

oh yea - fr33k - you will probably be needing a new water pump too ;)

[redliner]

damn that just might badluck, sounds like a expensive repair job coming up...
like most said it could be a crack somewhere.. could be thermostat? The mechanic cant figure it out? If you're in Sydney, take it to hanny's for inspection :)

[FR33K]

ill just keep driving till i hear something explode lol
i changed my water pump about 20,0000kms ago hehe hopefully i wont have to change it again ???
ive been to hannys a few times... i told them about the problem and how i got dirty shit on my cap.. they didnt really bother checking it out.. they just said dirty radiator and to flush it out...
n i told them it was using water.. they did a pressure test and there was no leaks..
i guess ill figure it out sooner or later !