Thread: It's worst case scenario....for me....

Well went back to the radiator shop this morning, with a very heavy heart just knowing what they were going to say...............

Got out of skirts and into old old work duds last night, got out the degreaser, the gurney, the torch etc and did a little cleaning then investigating of my own (my 17yo so is still laughing the sight of me covered in grease sliding out from under the car).

I had noticed yesterday morning...........then worse in the afternoon, that it seemed to be running hotter than it should - had not been an issue before the last couple of days after having the radiator done earlier this year.

And what I found was - an external leaking head gasket.

Even with my limited mechanical knowledge I worked it out.

that said...........Radiator guy suggested 'stop leak' to get me through xmas.

So I then rang Tunstall's and had a big chat with Andrew. Before I even mentioned the stop leak he told me they had actually had some great successes with it.

So...........Off to Tunstall's in the morning. charge of 1 hours labour (i've supplied the stop leak) and then back again to them mid next week to have it drained and replaced with coolant.

The head gasket leak is external, and is 'hairline' I'm being told. And Andrew said the stop leak really couldn't do any more damage than there already is, so I'll give it a try.

Hopefully it'll work long enough for me to get the $ together to get the heads done.

Occasional application of stop leak is a low risk scenario. So long as you continue to monitor radiator levels and temperature it could go like that for years. The cylinder head end leak is common and doesn't mean imminent engine death at all. Just keep an eye on the situation and you'll be fine..