Thread: 300tdi pressurized cooling system

It could be just a blocked radiator and this would be the first thing to try fixing - your local tame radiator place should do it for around $100 if you remove it from the car and take it in -

No doubt others will say it's the head gasket but before going down that road I'd try the cheaper investigative remedy in the first para -

Have you tried running it without the cap on? - does it foam out if you do?

Originally Posted by 87County

It could be just a blocked radiator and this would be the first thing to try fixing - your local tame radiator place should do it for around $100 if you remove it from the car and take it in -

No doubt others will say it's the head gasket but before going down that road I'd try the cheaper investigative remedy in the first para -

Have you tried running it without the cap on? - does it foam out if you do?

I have ran it without a cap, no foam as such, it just seems to idle away ok. Thankyou for your advice, i really appreciate it

Heater not working, water blowing out of header tank, temp going up and down, sounds like a head gasket to me, probably between 2 and 3 and into a water jacket hole, regards Frank.

Head gasket...

M

Thanks people.. i feared it was the head gasket,, can any one recommend a head gasket, (genuine, aftermarket etc??)

pressure and loss of fluid in the overflow tank usually means head gasket,
250k mileage seems to be a point when the gaskets have a weak moment, get your head checked for hardness, if it has been too hot it will need replacing.
Turners engineering in the UK is good for the parts (head, head gasket, head bolts)
when you have it together get an engine monitor with alarm it is more reliable than the standard gauge in telling you that there is a problem as it reads the actual metal temp and not the water temp (if any water)

I think the going trend is metal genuine if you get the head decked and the other type of genuine if you dont

For the head gasket, I'd go 'Genuine'. There are a few things of note:

• There are 4x different thicknesses of head gasket for the 300TDi. If you look down the side of the engine, you should see a small tab sticking out either blank or with up to 3x holes punched in it. This will denote the thickness.
• You will also need and inlet/exhaust gasket.
• Oil filter & oil coz you'll have to do a change after (for the cooland that didn't drain...).
• Drain the coolant down before taking the head off.
• Get a bit of cardbord, with 8x holes punched in it to store the push rods when you take them off. (So you know which one goes where!) Do something similar for the caps.
• Razor to clean off debris.
• Straight edge and all that...
• "Rule of 9" when setting the tappits.

...and don't forget to teach your Gran to suck eggs.

M