Thread: 300tdi,Replace Head gasket before it blows ?

Just did one today at 292,000km, and one yesterday at 305,000km. The former actually failed when I was test driving it

Both were already 'blown' through the fire rings in multiple places.

Do it now or at 230K, IMO 200 may be a bit early UNLESS the vehicle has been overheated etc. BUT the vehicle is now quite old, and composite gaskets don't last forever....

GET an ENGINE SAVER, they do what it says on the box.

JC

generally IME a head gasket lasts 3 timing belts. thats about 240K Km.

I usually replace them with the 3rd timing belt or if Im doing a head replace the timing belt as well to reset the schedule.

Originally Posted by justinc

Just did one today at 292,000km, and one yesterday at 305,000km. The former actually failed when I was test driving it

Both were already 'blown' through the fire rings in multiple places.

Do it now or at 230K, IMO 200 may be a bit early UNLESS the vehicle has been overheated etc. BUT the vehicle is now quite old, and composite gaskets don't last forever....

GET an ENGINE SAVER, they do what it says on the box.

JC

Engine saver is in the mail, should be here this week.
It did get hot once when the viscous coupling failed, that was 15 years ago @ 70 000 klms. Got to just over 3/4 on the gauge.

Still prefer the Elring composite JC on a straight gasket replacement or have you warmed to the MLS ones now ?

on a similar note, my 200tdi disco has done about 250,000kms with no service history except for the fact that the previous owner didn't change the timing belt in the 90,000kms that he owned it for, so before i get it back on the road i'm going to replace the timing belt, should i replace the head gasket as a precaution also?

I would reccomend it.

Originally Posted by justinc

Just did one today at 292,000km, and one yesterday at 305,000km. The former actually failed when I was test driving it
JC

Did they believe you?

Originally Posted by djam1

Did they believe you?

it was a good start to the day, not.

had a timing set/ optimize and performance tune to do on it, a 1995 300tdi with d-gas, 292k old.

got to 15psi, and upstream egts of 480 odd with gas on, going like a train. got back to work and hopped out to see a river of coolant and hissing from the bottle. engine temp normal, top hose like concrete.

2 years ago i had the vehicle in for a transfer case mod, and when test driving it i mentioned timing felt retarded, hasn't had much use at all since then. drove 3 hours to get to me today from the north of the state for this timing adjustment and tune, only to have this happen.

owner is a great guy. understood why it happened, we pulled the head to reveal a rotten and quite broken down gasket, i just hastened its demise testing it up hills. i reckon it wouldn't have got him home after i had adjusted the timing etc, so good thing it happened here not on the midlands highway on his way home

still very stressful though

jc