how many miles does a head gasket normally last

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

i know its hard to give milage but just an average idea. my car is serviced every year and looked after well aswel just a rough idea really, its a 1.1 jst so you know

[PETE-VTR]

check the service book, depends on how the cars been treated as to when the gasket will go.

[Mochachino]

My headgasket was on its way out for over 10k miles when i got it.

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ok mate i dont know if it says in the service book but i will have to have a look just wondered if there was an average milage

[saxo-parts]

about 60k seems to be the life span of an 8 valve head gasket, about the same on Land Rover Tdi's and Zetec Ford, about 3 miles is good going for a Rover K-series

[Lew_C]

about 60k seems to be the life span of an 8 valve head gasket, about the same on Land Rover Tdi's and Zetec Ford, about 3 miles is good going for a Rover K-series

haha tell me about it.
K-ettle series when that rad expansion tank goes tooooooooooooot, Tea is ready lol ;)

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

haha ok so were thinking about 60k. how much roughly is a new head gasket plus fitting?

[Lew_C]

haha ok so were thinking about 60k. how much roughly is a new head gasket plus fitting?

all in (dependant on garage) going rate is around 300-500

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

when you say all in what does that include?

[Lew_C]

when you say all in what does that include?

coolant flush, oil, cambelt and head gasket including skimming head

[davidandrews5343]

about 60k seems to be the life span of an 8 valve head gasket, about the same on Land Rover Tdi's and Zetec Ford, about 3 miles is good going for a Rover K-series

Hahahaha, my mg went this week on 60k

[Lew_C]

Hahahaha, my mg went this week on 60k

For the 9th time lol

[saxo-parts]

all in (dependant on garage) going rate is around 300-500
8 valve head gasket supplied and fitted £325, inc head skim,new bolts,coolant and timing belt

[Lew_C]

8 valve head gasket supplied and fitted £325, inc head skim,new bolts,coolant and timing belt

very competitive price that! And the man knows his stuff, i'd go for that if you are anywhere near by! :y:

[Marky_C]

For the 9th time lol

I also lol'd

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

thanks everybody my head gasket hasnt gone but think its time i looked at getting it done sometime soon, how long does it normally take to have done?

[Lew_C]

thanks everybody my head gasket hasnt gone but think its time i looked at getting it done sometime soon, how long does it normally take to have done?

about a days labour to be fair..

[davidandrews5343]

about a days labour to be fair..

Depends if the head has warped

[Lew_C]

Depends if the head has warped


good point, if the head needs skimming then a few days

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ahh ok how does the head normally warp?

[Lew_C]

ahh ok how does the head normally warp?

under the heat the block can change shape.. imagine when something gets really hot it starts to deform and change shape. When the head gasket goes the block gets seriously hot, hot enough to make tiny changes to the shape of the engine causing the head gasket not to sit squarely and therefore blow

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ahh ok is it worth jst getting it replaced at 60k even if it hasnt gone?

[Lew_C]

ahh ok is it worth jst getting it replaced at 60k even if it hasnt gone?

NOT AT ALL!
Don't waste your money. If it ain't broke don't fix it. A gasket is just a component that sort of holds 2 mating faces and stops it being metal on metal and will weep and fail at some point. doing the head gasket would be pointless. Thats like replacing your rocker cover gasket just for the hell of it! Really not worth it.

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ok i just dont fancy the head warping lol

[Lew_C]

ok i just dont fancy the head warping lol

lol its not like a melting piece of plastic or anything. it would be really really serious for a head to warp badly. For example a typical skim would be about 0.05mm to return it perfectly flat..

[SnakeVTR]

youl be ok, the head will only warp when it overheats like Lew-c said, but like others said rovers are a bitch for at, at my work whenever we skim warped rover heads they never seem to run quite right ever again due to the skimming :P

[Lew_C]

youl be ok, the head will only warp when it overheats like Lew-c said, but like others said rovers are a bitch for at, at my work whenever we skim warped rover heads they never seem to run quite right ever again due to the skimming :P

yeah most run a bit differently and a bit hotter, skimming the head will alter the compression ratio slightly so never will be the same

[davidandrews5343]

Ive caught my head gasket before any overheating, i check the coolant every week, so i should get away with not needing it skimmed

[moxy89]

mate i personally would get it changed.. look after it get it done before its goes. I got my VTS head gasket done at 60k, wasnt gone just another worry off my mind knowing that it will be fine for a while.. get it done, however my 1.1 lasted 90k before headgasket change

[timmythechef]

my head gasket went on 87k, but the man that done it said he done a 206, same 1.4 engine, owned from new by an old man and it went on just 27k, and i doubt the old man ragged it round

best way to tell, it weeps, usually on the drivers side block

[SnakeVTR]

yeah most run a bit differently and a bit hotter, skimming the head will alter the compression ratio slightly so never will be the same

yea, rovers dont seem to like it more than most though, volvos and ford and renault for example dont seem to be affected by a head skim when it comes to running them afterwards

[redlinerdj]

mine done 72k before it sadly gave up :(

[saxo-parts]

no point in changing it until it needs doing, if it ain't broke, don't fix it lol

[Lew_C]

no point in changing it until it needs doing, if it ain't broke, don't fix it lol

exactly what I said lol :D

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ok fair enough how much damage would it do if it does go and will i know about it when it does?

[davidandrews5343]

yea, rovers dont seem to like it more than most though, volvos and ford and renault for example dont seem to be affected by a head skim when it comes to running them afterwards

If i do need it skimmed what sort of issues am i likely to face?

[Lew_C]

ok fair enough how much damage would it do if it does go and will i know about it when it does?

Lol its not like going to set fire or anything mate! You will more than likely be able to diagnose its gone when; you use quite a lot of oil and coolant, your coolant tank does not smell like coolant, your oil is mucky emulsified colour or your coolant has a film over the top of it. Your car might run differently particularly feel sluggish and lumpy and you might also notice white smoke from the exhaust, not whispy white condensation but like heavy smoke, this will be anti-freeze burning off. Some go without much notice and suddenly its all dramatic the car shoots into the red and next thing you know its gone. but if you service your car every year, remember to replace the coolant too..

[Lew_C]

If i do need it skimmed what sort of issues am i likely to face?

unless it has been skimmed several times before then no. If it has then you might need to use a different head because there is only a certain amount of times you can skim a head before pistons/valves clash.

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

Lol its not like going to set fire or anything mate! You will more than likely be able to diagnose its gone when; you use quite a lot of oil and coolant, your coolant tank does not smell like coolant, your oil is mucky emulsified colour or your coolant has a film over the top of it. Your car might run differently particularly feel sluggish and lumpy and you might also notice white smoke from the exhaust, not whispy white condensation but like heavy smoke, this will be anti-freeze burning off. Some go without much notice and suddenly its all dramatic the car shoots into the red and next thing you know its gone. but if you service your car every year, remember to replace the coolant too..

ok ,mate how do you mean a film over the coolant? i thought i was using alot of water but KrisB said to me it might have been because i filled it right up and the rad was doing what it was ment to and getting rid of some if i had to much

[Lew_C]

ok ,mate how do you mean a film over the coolant? i thought i was using alot of water but KrisB said to me it might have been because i filled it right up and the rad was doing what it was ment to and getting rid of some if i had to much

hmm, quite hard to explain! Do you know what petrol or like white spirits look like when they are spilled on water, it emits a real colourful tinge on the water of like a pearlescent greeny/purple colour. youll see a glisten to the top of the coolant that is not the same colour as the coolant which is the oil mixing.

[saxo-parts]

if its got a film on the surface of the coolant,sometimes oily, sometimes just like chavs bath grime, its an indication that all is not well. If you aren't mixing oil/water,not overheating, not getting excess pressure in the cooling system,not loosing vast amounts of water,misfiring or chucking large amounts of steam out of the exhaust i'd say all is well. one of the first signs also of head gasket failure is a sound of water rushing behind the dash,usually on start up and a lack of heat from the heater. if you have none of these symptoms keep your money in your pocket, you'll need it sooner or later,after all,its french

[Lew_C]

if its got a film on the surface of the coolant,sometimes oily, sometimes just like chavs bath grime, its an indication that all is not well. If you aren't mixing oil/water,not overheating, not getting excess pressure in the cooling system,not loosing vast amounts of water,misfiring or chucking large amounts of steam out of the exhaust i'd say all is well. one of the first signs also of head gasket failure is a sound of water rushing behind the dash,usually on start up and a lack of heat from the heater. if you have none of these symptoms keep your money in your pocket, you'll need it sooner or later,after all,its french

lmao, what a description. "after all its french" The money will be spent replacing the top end after the cambelt lets go.

Thats a point OP, has your cambelt been done recently?

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ahhh ok mate im with you thats fine cheers

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

if its got a film on the surface of the coolant,sometimes oily, sometimes just like chavs bath grime, its an indication that all is not well. If you aren't mixing oil/water,not overheating, not getting excess pressure in the cooling system,not loosing vast amounts of water,misfiring or chucking large amounts of steam out of the exhaust i'd say all is well. one of the first signs also of head gasket failure is a sound of water rushing behind the dash,usually on start up and a lack of heat from the heater. if you have none of these symptoms keep your money in your pocket, you'll need it sooner or later,after all,its french


lol love the first bit!! my car doesnt do any of that lol but if im stuck in traffic the van does end up kicking in but cools the engine done and its fine again for a bit is that just normal

[Lew_C]

if im stuck in traffic the van does end up kicking in

The van kicks in, is it a peugeot partner?
on a serious note, fans in traffic is pretty normal

when was your cambelt last changed robbie

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

haha ooops lol erm its never been done its only done 50000

[Lew_C]

haha ooops lol erm its never been done its only done 50000

Id suggest changing the cambelt my friend.. thats something to actually worry about, not like a head gasket which has never gone in the first place :) lol

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

oh ok when i rang Citroen they said cambelt every 80000 miles, is it not worth doing head gasket and cambelt at the same time cus doesnt the cambelt have to come off when doing the gasket?

[Lew_C]

oh ok when i rang Citroen they said cambelt every 80000 miles, is it not worth doing head gasket and cambelt at the same time cus doesnt the cambelt have to come off when doing the gasket?

Lol, worry about the head gasket when it actually goes! Until then just continue looking after the car as normal. Citroen are bullshitters my friend. Id suggest doing cambelt every 5 years or 30,000-40,000 miles for peice of mind. After a while the material can start to de-grade and wear quicker than when it was new and can snap without warning.

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

okey dokey well i have my service end of the month should i get it done then

[Lew_C]

okey dokey well i have my service end of the month should i get it done then

lol why you asking me?
It's your bank balance :P

But yeah, I would! 1 less thing to worry about.
Get the coolant pump changed at the same time

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

lol ok mate i will do. expensive month lol sevice mot tax lol

[Lew_C]

lol ok mate i will do. expensive month lol sevice mot tax lol

ouuucchhhhhhh haha. My tax/mot runs out the same month. Absolute killer lol

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

haha yep!! so whats the difference between cambelt and timing belt or are they the same

[Lew_C]

haha yep!! so whats the difference between cambelt and timing belt or are they the same

same thing mate! A cam is what controls the timing the valves open/close on the engine. so it is either known as a timing belt or cam belt

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ok thats all good mate cheers, just another one, if you go on short journeys would you get little bit of white shit in the rad cap? i do only mean like up the road and back probs 1 minute drive

[Lew_C]

ok thats all good mate cheers, just another one, if you go on short journeys would you get little bit of white shit in the rad cap? i do only mean like up the road and back probs 1 minute drive

Yeah just a build up of gunk, completely normal for short drives only!
go for a long blast and if it clears then all is sound :)

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

ok i done that the other week and it went but i think there is quite a bit in there and its all around the rad bottle but i might drain the coolant and flush it all

[Lew_C]

ok i done that the other week and it went but i think there is quite a bit in there and its all around the rad bottle but i might drain the coolant and flush it all

lol, that could actually be your headgasket.. but flush it first and make sure it dont come back.. is it like mayo?

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

yeh it is like mayo mate white a thick sort of stuff? its been there a while but had no other signs of the gasket

[Lew_C]

yeh it is like mayo mate white a thick sort of stuff? its been there a while but had no other signs of the gasket

wouldnt worry then, especially if only used on short journeys

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

okey dokey well when i have my service they might say something about it i will see when it comes

[Lew_C]

okey dokey well when i have my service they might say something about it i will see when it comes

yeah sound!
You better give me a lovely blow job i've helped you too much :homme:

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

call it a deal mate :) i will be over in a while get the cherry lube out and then u can have sucky sucky :O

[Lew_C]

call it a deal mate :) i will be over in a while get the cherry lube out and then u can have sucky sucky :O

Durex play cherry.. got plenty of it lol
:sweetheart::kiss:

[laberridge]

mine went on my westy just before 50,000miles

[Barry123]

erm... do I have a magic saxo then?

101,000 miles and still on the same HG as far as I understand.

[titchster]

Changing the HG doesn't mean you're fine for the next XX amount of miles, they can go at any time (I did mine, and within a week it'd gone pop between 2 cylinders), depending on when, or even IF, they develop a weak point. And in that respect, no, there's no point in changing it before it goes.

[Robbie-Flat-Arch]

Durex play cherry.. got plenty of it lol
:sweetheart::kiss:

haha same it tastes bloody good!!! go to ann summers and get some of there candy floss lube fuck its heaven lol

and cheers guys im just guna leave it and when it goes it goes now im not to fussed and i have a 2nd car so can use that if it does go