hi, i have a bit of a problem,on the way home tonight my temp gauge was rising above the norm and the heater was only blowing luke warm when stoped in trafic,it all returned to normal while on the open road.when i got home i found the rad a litreshort whith no signs of leaks i took the car for a run and now the car seams back to normal.could the level just have been low and air locked?the coolant level had not been looked at for some time!

 

Could be - obviously just keep an eye on the temp gauge for a while (not to mention the filler tank!)

 

Sheepsplitter - a once off event doesn't mean it's almost certainly the head gasket - esp. if on the same trip the temperature returned to normal. Agree it could be though...

 

swan: I agree, but just wanted to make sure he was aware of the risk and took it easy until he'd proven it wasn't.
Thing is mine did exactly this, then a few weeks later it packed in big time, requiring head skims and all sorts, so I'd not like someone else to go through the same.

 

Almost certainly your cylinder head gasket has gone.
I had this some time ago on mine.
Your symptoms are identical.
Get it checked before you do any serious damage and you might even avoid having the have the heads skimmed when they fit the new gasket (although I'd always have this done anyway to play safe).
Check the expansion bottle is full, drive for 2-3 miles, re-check the expansion bottle (take care it will be hot, but you should be able to remove the lid with a big towel around your hand, just ease it off though to let the steam out first).
Don't be tempted to think it will go away if you ignore it, or you may end up killing the engine.

I will cross my fingers for you and hope it was just an airblock.



[Edited by Sheepsplitter - 1/3/2003 10:45:05 AM]