cylinder head reface

**jason7100** · April 1st, 2004 02:41 PM

tsikoteers,

My car is overheating when I go for sustained runs of 90 to a hundred kph after an hour of driving. Also overheats on steep climbs in low gear. Dont know what to repair. Some said I should reface the cylinder head as it is warped during high temps... ( I just said... "what duh???) :confused:

thanks!

**Ungas** · April 1st, 2004 03:19 PM

Are oil leaks visible inbetween your cylinder head and engine block? Did you just overheated the engine recently to a point that the engine stalled?

Common culprits before cylinder head resurfacing:
- cylinder head gasket torn, leak due to excessive heat build up.
- cooling system clogged; radiator cleaned and checked for leakage or clogged up channels. Insufficient coolant level. Check and Inspect for water pump failure.

**jason7100** · April 1st, 2004 03:47 PM

Originally posted by Ungas
Are oil leaks visible inbetween your cylinder head and engine block? Did you just overheated the engine recently to a point that the engine stalled?
-wala naman leaks, obvious leaks that is. Nope, it did not stall either. pag malapit na red mark yung gauge I stop and let the engine cool down. Ewan ko lang dun sa lumang owner ng car.

Common culprits before cylinder head resurfacing:
- cylinder head gasket torn, leak due to excessive heat build up.
- if this is the case, the gasket will just be the one replace w/o refacing?

- cooling system clogged; radiator cleaned and checked for leakage or clogged up channels.
- cleaning of the radiator is easy but panu yung channels?

Insufficient coolant level. Check and Inspect for water pump failure.- coolant is always ok. water pump is ok coz wala naman daw water leak.

My bet is the clogged channel or the torn gasket... can you recommend a good autoshop?

Thanks!

**Ungas** · April 1st, 2004 04:28 PM

Hmm... I did got confused with your replied quote. Next time do reply below the quoted message, so as not to confuse other readers. :D

-wala naman leaks, obvious leaks that is. Nope, it did not stall either. pag malapit na red mark yung gauge I stop and let the engine cool down. Ewan ko lang dun sa lumang owner ng car.
Your engine should have stalled even before it reaches the red mark. So that means, engine temp is still tolerable. Mechanics should only require shaving the cylinder head if the leak can't be remedied by gasket. That means the warp has badly damaged your cylinder head.

- if this is the case, the gasket will just be the one replace w/o refacing?
Yes, possible if cylinder head did not warp.

- cleaning of the radiator is easy but panu yung channels?
There's this one shop that offers radiator and engine cooling channel cleaning. This will cost you around Php900-1,000 for the job. They use a Euro brand machine named Lav-ra-mon. It cleanses all the channels that your coolant-water passes even inside your engine block. They tap hoses to and from your engine and radiator, and with 40 liters of clean water, they will require you to start your engine. You will see all the rust and other inhibitants coming out. Repeat the process a couple of times more. Then add a cleaning solution with another set of water. Drain all the solution inside and another set of clean water to wash out the chemical solution. This will be done 3-4 times just to be sure. Then vaccum all the air out to check if your cooling system has leaks. They will only refill your raidator again with water & coolant if everything is ok.

The only shop I know who has this Lav-ra-mon machine is Mancor services located at Caltex E. Rodriguez.

**OTEP** · April 1st, 2004 04:34 PM

A warped cylinder head is usually a CONSEQUENCE of driving the vehicle while overheated. It is rarely the cause of overheating.

You should find out the true cause of your overheating.

Have the radiator checked and your water pump replaced if needed. The water pump should be replaced along with the timing belt (to save on labor charges). Are your electric fans working properly? Do you have the proper coolant mixture in your system? Is your radiator cap ok (check springs and gasket).

If your cylinder head is leaking (either through a gasket or due to warping), there will be some small bubbles and maybe even oil in your coolant. Also, your exhaust will have visible emissions even after it has reached optimum operating temperatures.

**jason7100** · April 1st, 2004 06:47 PM

Originally posted by OTEP
A warped cylinder head is usually a CONSEQUENCE of driving the vehicle while overheated. It is rarely the cause of overheating.
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You should find out the true cause of your overheating.

--->I have replaced the thermofan and thermostat, the fan is working ok coz when i rev down, temp drops as quickly as it went up.
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Have the radiator checked and your water pump replaced if needed. The water pump should be replaced along with the timing belt (to save on labor charges). Are your electric fans working properly? Do you have the proper coolant mixture in your system? Is your radiator cap ok (check springs and gasket).

---> The mechanic I last talked to said the water pump still may be ok as busted pumps tend to leak water. I might be replacing the timing belt when it reaches 70t km. Fans are still working and coolant is ok. Also bought a new rad cap. The old cheap 80 peso cap just lasted for 3 days :mad

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If your cylinder head is leaking (either through a gasket or due to warping), there will be some small bubbles and maybe even oil in your coolant. Also, your exhaust will have visible emissions even after it has reached optimum operating temperatures.

---> emmision is still ok and smokeless. the only problem I see is that when the engine is reved up and starts overheating, the radiator fluid tends to overfow to the reservoir. This means that the coolant is not enough inside the engine block and radiator. When I let it cool down, the fluid reverts back. But of course we have to take considerations of fluid expansion from the heat. I tried revving the engine whilst it is still cool and the radiator cap removed... It overflows... is that normal?

---> my last hope is the lav-ra-mon method or replacing the gasket with-out refacing. I just hope that shop I consulted is not robbing me blind for unnecessary repairs.

Tnx Ungas and OTEP.

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**OTEP** · April 1st, 2004 06:54 PM

Malamang water pump yan.

A water pump does not have to leak to be considered bad and your mechanic did not check it.

The next thing you have to find out is if the cylinder head is indeed warped.

**afrasay** · April 5th, 2004 05:51 AM

Jason7100:::Replace your cylinder head gasket. there is a leak between your cylinders and the water chambers. this is the reason why your radiator water overflows to your reservoir. it is due to the pressure from the pistons moving in the cylinder that pushes the water.

**speedyfix** · April 5th, 2004 05:52 AM

also consider having a compression test performed. kung pantay pantay yung readings then alam mo di moproblema yung head gasket and it is something else.

**jason7100** · April 12th, 2004 08:49 PM

I finally found it... the radiator tubes are blocked by sediments... I had it cleaned... okey na ulit. temp never goes more than half the guage even at high speeds and steep climbs.

NOW eto yung natutuhan ko... when trouble shooting, always suspect the least cost parts for repairs or replacement (ang laki ng gastos ko replacing the thermostat and thermoswitch)... exception of course kung obvious na yung sira... "putsa bakit wala ako preno??? ah kasi sira yung aircon... " labo noh???

Thanks tsikoteers!