wouldn't you know...I've cracked it!

[skyhooked]

well i am just enjoying a large helping of humble pie...a while back i posted how my surf was running like a champ, and now guess what...

cracked head!

i drove to the garage 10 mins ago, got the combustion test done. the dark blue water turned a lovely shade of green - combustion gases in the coolant the man said

i just went on a hunch as once or twice the temp gauge had wandered into the red, but the truck still runs like a champ! i was blasting about in the woods last week, and yesterday completed a 300mile round trip without a hint of trouble

there really are no other symptoms - the surf is hiding the problem very well indeed! no water spitting from expansion tank, it even looked ok when the coolant system was pressure tested

anyway, new head just ordered from stevo - our saviour - and the truck booked in to the garage for wednesday. all being well, will have her back on the road friday!

so luckily i had predicted something like this could happen - and have been squirreling away the pennies so i could respond straight away. i'll be looking forward to getting my truck back this weekend, strengthened!

am heading off to france this winter, up in the mountains so its gonna be good peace of mind to know it'll cope. heres to years of trouble free surfing!

(gotta stay positive in times like these...)

[Sancho]

Yeah, mine just trundled around merrily with the head cracked for god knows how long. It was only when it couldn't hold its drink for more than 50 miles that it became a problem.

Glad to hear you had the cash for the fix too.

[andycook]

bad luck... hope you get it sorted soon

and make sure you fix whatever caused it to overheat ? as the heads dont crack without overheating first
blocked rad?, viscous fan operation etc

[skyhooked]

bad luck... hope you get it sorted soon

and make sure you fix whatever caused it to overheat ? as the heads dont crack without overheating first
blocked rad?, viscous fan operation etc

hi andy - thanks for that - yes it was a coolant leak from the small hose that comes from the thermo housing (comes off to the right) and also the viscous fan is a bit weak

stevo recommended an 82 deg thermo to replace the 88 deg one, so will swap that out too

but overall, think the previous owner didnt take too much care of it. never mind, its in good hands now!

[marky]

Its worth replacing the WATER-PUMP as well.

[skyhooked]

Its worth replacing the WATER-PUMP as well.

hi marky - few q's...

how much is one of those? any signs that all is not well with the water pump?

the surf has done 40k miles, is it likely to need a new pump already?

many thanks

dom

[marky]

hi marky - few q's...

how much is one of those? any signs that all is not well with the water pump?

the surf has done 40k miles, is it likely to need a new pump already?

many thanks

dom

STEVO will advise you mate. As he can supply them as well as the Head

[TonyN]

hi marky - few q's...

how much is one of those? any signs that all is not well with the water pump?

the surf has done 40k miles, is it likely to need a new pump already?

many thanks

dom

If there is no sign of water leaking from the front bearing, and it isn't noisy or loose when you spin the impeller, its probably OK, but for just £40 on top a big bill some people like to just change it anyway.

[skyhooked]

If there is no sign of water leaking from the front bearing, and it isn't noisy or loose when you spin the impeller, its probably OK, but for just £40 on top a big bill some people like to just change it anyway.

£40 for a new pump - thats not bad. may as well then for extra security.

be a dull couple of days without the surf, time to get the mountain bike out again. still the garage is tucked away about 400m from here, nice and handy

my family and friends have all been very supportive and understanding - all looking on the bright side!