Head gasket gone, advice on which way to go.

[pistol]

Hi all,

Been a member here a while but not posted much.

Here's the story.
My Ex-partner who kept our Surf has put it in for MOT and been told head gasket has gone.

It's an L reg maroon SSRG 3.0L
We have had it many years and its been solid up to now.

Not sure what to do. Can't get the MOT, we haven't got any serious money between us right now to spend on it.

Should we try and get it fixed so how? Is it worth it? Or sell for spares or repair?
What is it worth in its current condition?

We are not sure which is the best route. I do not have the facilities to sell off the parts and get rid of the shell.

Any help would be great. It's such a shame, I love these trucks!

Cheers

Rob

[Koi]

So how exactly did the MOT tester come to the conclusion that the head gasket has gone ?

[pistol]

He is a dealer of jap imports and he used to deal in a lot of surfs. We were just told the head gasket had gone, I had no reason to doubt him. He drove it back to us but water is just emptying everywhere.

[stormforce]

has this just happened when he bought it back to you or was it losing water before hand

[pistol]

No it seemed ok before it went in for MOT.

[NiftyNev]

Get a second opinion. The first guy diagnosed a head gasket fault and then drove it anyway. That all sounds a bit sus.

Nev

[markjd]

Sure it didn't go wrong while he had it ticking over during test then revi
ng the b**ls off it for the smoke test. Sure there is a liability while testing vehicles!

[pistol]

She did say it happened during the test.

[Rob5464]

Do you ever drive it hard? If it has a cracked head and its not the gasket then you probably wouldn't notice if it was minor and you gave the engine an easy life.

First you need to confirm the actual problem. Find out what the symptoms are.

Does the exhaust smell sweet?
Can you smell exhaust fumes in the expansion tank?
If you rev it hard for a long period does the expansion tank bubble?
Where is the water actually going?
Have you checked for leaks?

[Koi]

so she said it went during the test

hes a reputable dealer and never phoned you but just decided to drive it back to you with the head gasket gone

so how reputable or knowledgeable is this dealer???????????????

[pistol]

As far as I'm aware my ex got a call to say that the head gasket had gone. I haven't been directly dealing with this unfortunately. Then as far as I know after she found out the truck was driven back to her.

Other info I have got since posting is that a hose has burst off under pressure, that's where the water is coming from. Also it was picked up for the test and dropped back and the chap was heavy footed on both occasions... :-/

[Rob5464]

As far as I'm aware my ex got a call to say that the head gasket had gone. I haven't been directly dealing with this unfortunately. Then as far as I know after she found out the truck was driven back to her.

Other info I have got since posting is that a hose has burst off under pressure, that's where the water is coming from. Also it was picked up for the test and dropped back and the chap was heavy footed on both occasions... :-/

I would be going down and having words. So what if the hose blew off its not going to overheat just like that unless he continued to run the engine dry.

[TonyN]

You can drive a truck with a cracked head/gasket no problem, most people do for ages, before admitting its gone and fixing it.

The onus is really on you to present the truck in a condition to take the test, but even so I seriously doubt you'll crack a head or do a gasket that isn't already on its last legs or full of Radseal just by reving it, even to the limiter, cam belts and con rods are the usual things that explode on the emissions test, and that rarely.

Things happen, it's not always someones fault.

[Shadyadie]

Things happen, it's not always someones fault.

Wish someone would tell my boss that

[tashtego]

Wish someone would tell my boss that

LOL, you are right... thank goodness Tony is back with his philosophical quotes!