Blown head gasket (again!)

[Bod]

Ask them to bring a new temperature sender!

 

Good news, hope the cause is found, and corrected, at their cost not yours.

 

Let us know how it goes.

 

Bod

[Pretty Funked Up]

When you had the head off did you see any narrowing or even blocked water channels?

What condition was the water pump impeller?

[larkshall]

Just two little things to check re-overheating

 

Check that the flexible pipes to and from the skin tank haven't delaminated inside. You will need to remove to do this, and examine carefully. I have had this happen on a Jag V12 engine with very costly results !

 

If Barrus are attending, that should solve your sender problem !!!!

 

Re the broken bolt. Before messing about with pliers etc. Remove pump, get competent welder weld the bolt back onto the broken stub, and remove with proper spanner. Alternatively determine how much of the stub is protruding, and obtain a snapon, 'easyout' This is a tool that grips the remaining stub VERY |Tightly, and you then unscrew using a socket and a decent 'T' Bar. Note the welding is best, the heat being used to re-attach bolt head will often 'crack' the seal the bolt stub will have made. I re-iterate, don't mess about with pliers, grips etc, you really only have one shot at the removal.

Edited March 19, 2013 by larkshall

[smileypete]

If it runs OK without thermostats, I wonder if the existing thermostats need and have a breather hole to stop air locks forming under them. That would prevent the thermostat's heat sensing bulb being in the coolant to sense it's temperature.

 

Nevertheless if there's no air bleed on the top of the skin tanks maybe a lot of air could collect and be released into the cooling system when the engine is revved, enough to stop the thermostats working regardless of whether there are breather holes in them. Given there's some brown goo in the cooling system it's probably been run without antifreeze, the goo many also block a small breather hole in the thermostats.

 

Wonder what the Barrus peeps will say when they check it out?

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[IdealStandard]

 

Wonder what the Barrus peeps will say when they check it out?

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

Who bloody knows. I hope it's conclusive.

 

The engineer recommends that if they show an inkling to accept culpability for the design of the coolant system, that I should seek compensation for some of the money I have spent on engine work.

Edited March 19, 2013 by IdealStandard

[IdealStandard]

Another update.

 

The Barrus engineer finally made it. He was very nice and I told him all about the recent history.

 

He had come with the intention of installing a constant bleed for the skin tank. He was going to put a hose from the skin tank bleed point to the header tank hose so that any air accumulated would be expelled through this. He said that he has done this on some similarly tricky engines and that it has worked. Unfortunately I don't have any skin tank bleed points, so he couldn't do that. It was pretty frustrating, as if I had know I could have started installing some before he arrived.

 

He left me all the fittings and showed me exactly where to put everything. it make good sense to do it, and is also an easy way to install a bleed point, I just need a decent quality 1/4" bsp tapping bit.

 

After that he jumped in and started poking around, he wiggled some pipes and stated that there was still loads of air in the engine. He spent a good two to three hours running the engine, manipulating pipes, opening and closing the filler and letting the coolant settle. He put another 5 litres of water into the engine before it found it's level and stopped taking any more.

 

He pressure tested the coolant system and found it to be without leaks, even with the sheared off stud. He gave me a new temperature sender that has both overheat and temperature senders.

 

His conclusions were simple. There's noting wrong with the engine, but they are a pain to get all the air out of.

 

So basically, my jobs are:

- Flush the skin tank of all the crap built up inside

- Install a 1/4" BSP bleed point to the skin tank

- Switch out the temperature sender

- Remove sheared off stud and tap the hole

 

In the Bristol harbour there isn't anywhere to flush the skin tank or remove the water and I don't want to drain the coolant twice.

 

My thinking is that I will head out of Bristol, keeping a very close eye on things until I get to somewhere with bile pumping facilities. Maybe try to get someone cheap and friendly to come and help with tapping the skin tank and sheared bolts and spend a day getting it all back together and filled up again.

 

If anyone knows of someone who could help me, probably around Bath or further up the K&A and a friendly boatyard that wouldn't charge me a fortune to flush the skin tanks, please let me know.

 

Tim

[Bod]

Sounds like good news!

1/4 BSP tap shouldn't be too expensive, splash out on a ratchet tap wrench,(makes access easier,as a whole turn of the wrench is not needed, trying to use an adjustable spanner is asking for trouble!)and the correct size new drill bit.

As you need other taps, the wrench will come in handy, so its an investment!

 

The advice for flushing a car rad. is to put the water pipe in the bottom hose, and wash through till clean water flows from the top hose. If you don't have any antifreeze in the engine now, then just pumping the plain water/rust mix over the side may not be a problem.

 

Bod

[Ex- Member]

Another update.

 

The Barrus engineer finally made it. He was very nice and I told him all about the recent history.

 

He had come with the intention of installing a constant bleed for the skin tank. He was going to put a hose from the skin tank bleed point to the header tank hose so that any air accumulated would be expelled through this. He said that he has done this on some similarly tricky engines and that it has worked. Unfortunately I don't have any skin tank bleed points, so he couldn't do that. It was pretty frustrating, as if I had know I could have started installing some before he arrived.

 

He left me all the fittings and showed me exactly where to put everything. it make good sense to do it, and is also an easy way to install a bleed point, I just need a decent quality 1/4" bsp tapping bit.

 

After that he jumped in and started poking around, he wiggled some pipes and stated that there was still loads of air in the engine. He spent a good two to three hours running the engine, manipulating pipes, opening and closing the filler and letting the coolant settle. He put another 5 litres of water into the engine before it found it's level and stopped taking any more.

 

He pressure tested the coolant system and found it to be without leaks, even with the sheared off stud. He gave me a new temperature sender that has both overheat and temperature senders.

 

His conclusions were simple. There's noting wrong with the engine, but they are a pain to get all the air out of.

 

So basically, my jobs are:

- Flush the skin tank of all the crap built up inside

- Install a 1/4" BSP bleed point to the skin tank

- Switch out the temperature sender

- Remove sheared off stud and tap the hole

 

In the Bristol harbour there isn't anywhere to flush the skin tank or remove the water and I don't want to drain the coolant twice.

 

My thinking is that I will head out of Bristol, keeping a very close eye on things until I get to somewhere with bile pumping facilities. Maybe try to get someone cheap and friendly to come and help with tapping the skin tank and sheared bolts and spend a day getting it all back together and filled up again.

 

If anyone knows of someone who could help me, probably around Bath or further up the K&A and a friendly boatyard that wouldn't charge me a fortune to flush the skin tanks, please let me know.

 

Tim

 

Bath & Bristol & won't charge me a fortune rarely appear in the same sentence

 

There are some boat yards en route to Bath. RLL boats at Keynsham and a yard next door 100metres further down, Phoenix Marine. You'll see a crane on your Right and pontoons heading toward Bath Which if still there belongs to RLL boats as do the pontoons.

 

Then Bath Narrow Boats in Bath of course.

 

These are not recommendations, just boat yards I know.

Edited April 2, 2013 by Julynian

[IdealStandard]

Sounds like good news!

1/4 BSP tap shouldn't be too expensive, splash out on a ratchet tap wrench,(makes access easier,as a whole turn of the wrench is not needed, trying to use an adjustable spanner is asking for trouble!)and the correct size new drill bit.

As you need other taps, the wrench will come in handy, so its an investment!

 

The advice for flushing a car rad. is to put the water pipe in the bottom hose, and wash through till clean water flows from the top hose. If you don't have any antifreeze in the engine now, then just pumping the plain water/rust mix over the side may not be a problem.

 

Bod

 

Fantastic advice as always Bod.

 

My current thinking is that I want to be near somewhere with welding facilities just in case the steel is too thin on the skin tank to get a good tap. I'd also be keen to try welding something onto the sheared off stud and attempt removing it without drilling.

 

I am also pondering whether a local handyman/towpath engineer with some decent tapping bits might cost the same as getting the bits myself and add some peace of mind and expertise into the bargain.

 

I was helped when the gasket first went by a guy called Jim, and I felt safer in his hands then with the Bristol engineers. I don't have his number anymore unfortunately.

 

For the time being I am getting myself sorted with an array of equipment for monitoring the engine temp so that I can make it up there without overheating again.

[Chalky]

If you're re-filling from empty look at using the pink antifreeze rather than the blue/green. It's based on a different technology (organic acids) and has a life expectancy of 5 years compared to the older type which lasts for 2. The pink antifreeze is OEM fit for most car makers.

[Bod]

If you're re-filling from empty look at using the pink antifreeze rather than the blue/green. It's based on a different technology (organic acids) and has a life expectancy of 5 years compared to the older type which lasts for 2. The pink antifreeze is OEM fit for most car makers.

 

Agreed, in my recent experience, the price difference was only £1-2 per 5 litre can more!

 

Tip. use the same mix in the central heating rads.

 

Bod

[IdealStandard]

Bath narrowboats quote me £2.25/litre to pump out my bilge.

 

That must be some kind of joke!

[IdealStandard]

I was given the green light on the engine by Barrus, set off towards Bath and only got as far as Keynsham.

 

Gasket between the water pump and block failed, dumping all the coolant in the bilge and overheating the engine.

 

I'm not stuck tied to a tree with heavy rain forecast tomorrow.

 

Great.

[bizzard]

I was given the green light on the engine by Barrus, set off towards Bath and only got as far as Keynsham.

 

Gasket between the water pump and block failed, dumping all the coolant in the bilge and overheating the engine.

 

I'm not stuck tied to a tree with heavy rain forecast tomorrow.

 

Great.

Did you replace the busted waterpump stud.?

[IdealStandard]

The barrus engineer pressure tested the coolant system and recommended against doing it. I was more than willing to lap up that information as I really needed to get going. It was obviously bad advice.

 

Interestingly the gasket hasn't blown around the sheared bolt, but it seems far fetched for the two things to be coincidence.

[Greedyheron]

If you got as far as keynsham,do you still need a friendly boat yard/welder? I'm having all kinds of boat 'fun' in the area at the moment, but have been provided with really good welder, engine folk contacts by folks on here. Happy to pass on the numbers And the one for the boatyard Im at if needed. There seems to be a good network of people locally so they can probably put you in touch with someone to help. I got a tow up the river last week (more apologies to those affected by the uncontrolled turning the boat manoeuvre).

[the present time is now]

I know this is old thread but .

What was the outcome 

[WotEver]

3 hours ago, the present time is now said:

I know this is old thread but .

What was the outcome 

@IdealStandard paging @IdealStandard