Thread: How many hours to fix blown head gasket

Originally Posted by pop058

OK, I'll bite. what fire ??

Engine overheated without me knowing...I didnt have an engine management system in place at that time..,,I was on a backroad...dirt...early summer about 37C day pulling a camper trailer at low speed , maybe 80 k's. The plastic bung where the thermostat is spat the dummy (broke in half).....the hot steam ****ing out there caught the bonnet fabric on fire.....burnt a lot under the bonnet...hoses, brake master cylinder lid, top radiator shroud cover, wiring etc... Not good. I now use brass plugs. I imported a new head, about 20K so far after the new head. Very scary scenario....it could have caused a bush fire.....bloody land rovers.

Originally Posted by theNEWT

Engine overheated without me knowing...The plastic bung where the thermostat is spat the dummy.....the hot steam ****ing out there caught the bonnet fabric on fire.....burnt a lot under the bonnet... I now use brass plugs...it could have caused a bush fire.....bloody land rovers.

Call me Mr Silly, but in all my days as a NSW Bush Firie, and all those before and since, I've never heard of steam starting a fire ... I can't help thinking we haven't got to the heart of this fascinating Landroverie mystery Mr Newt ...
When my own dear little top plastic bung let go in that famously impressive, inconvenient and obscenely expensive manner, the hot, steaming, billowing clouds would've extinguished any car, bush, house, truck, factory or Zeppelin fire within several clicks of my unfortunate old lady.
Diesel is not easy to get going without pressure or catalyst, so I wonder if there may have been some combination of diesel, oil, plastic, exhaust manifold heat or other source of ignition ?
I love a good firie whodunnit ...

It's not the steam that causes the fire but the coolant (glycol) that's contained within it. The infamous P38 coolant hose recall was due to cars catching fire from blown hoses.

Originally Posted by DrDeath

Call me Mr Silly, but in all my days as a NSW Bush Firie, and all those before and since, I've never heard of steam starting a fire ... I can't help thinking we haven't got to the heart of this fascinating Landroverie mystery Mr Newt ...
When my own dear little top plastic bung let go in that famously impressive, inconvenient and obscenely expensive manner, the hot, steaming, billowing clouds would've extinguished any car, bush, house, truck, factory or Zeppelin fire within several clicks of my unfortunate old lady.
Diesel is not easy to get going without pressure or catalyst, so I wonder if there may have been some combination of diesel, oil, plastic, exhaust manifold heat or other source of ignition ?
I love a good firie whodunnit ...

Glycol is flammable, once the water boils away on a hot surface the glycol can indeed catch fire...

AUTOMOBILE ENGINE COOLANT RELATED FIRES

“Antifreeze “It doesn’t seem logical for a water based chemical to be flammable.

And people complain about "bang gas" in air conditioners...

Originally Posted by bee utey

Glycol is flammable, once the water boils away on a hot surface the glycol can indeed catch fire. And people complain about "bang gas" in air conditioners...

Ye Gods, I never knew that (or I forgot in my old age, but the result is the same).

My sincerest thanks to you both Messrs Scouse and Bee Utey, for plugging that hole in my Landrovery understandings.

Makes me a bit unsettled when I think of my own adventure in the world of nasty cheap little plastic radiator bung thingies ... Limey blighter could've ruined my devilish good looks ... dog might've run away in horror ... I could've got squashed by that blasted Toymota full of spotty faced rich kids passing by ... the classless little ****es weren't even concentrating, they were laughing so hard ... oh horrors unbounded ...

Originally Posted by 123rover50

He is getting it done anyway.
I will keep you informed as to the outcome.
Keith

The bill came to just over 3 grand for those interested.
Keith