head gasket on a 2.8

[D R Oldfield]

Has anyone had any experience of a 2.8 blowing a head gasket mine has been garaged for approx 12 months only being taken out to sit on the drive to run to it get warmed through every couple of weeks it is a first time starter and appears to use no oil and water but today i got it out and noticed a little bit of white dust round the tail pipes and creamy coloured sludge on the oil filler cap the oil on the dipstick is a normal colour it still starts first turn of the key but the temperature gauges has started to rise above above the normal its a 1998
any one any thoughts thanks in advance

 

[mwpe]

I would think that is due to just sitting on the drive to warm up and not giving it a proper run. it will never get properly warmed up without a good run. Those symptoms are the same as cars which just get a couple of miles to the station or something every day.

 

[Jack Ratt]

I'm quite confident your head gasket is OK. As Mike says those are common symptoms for idle cars. Your thermostat can stick if it's only getting periodic use.

 

[handsomejackuk]

as above need to give car a good run and get it up to temperature my 2.8 had some sludge on the oil cap a fresh oil change and a few long runs and i no longer have the sludge i did clean the stuff off the oil cap and have re checked a few times, also my thermostat must have been stuck open as it took ages to get up to temperature and was using a lot of fuel, after installing new thermostat and fresh coolant car gets up to temperature within 2 miles slight uphill, and 3 miles slight downhill i notice it in both directions, also i did remove the viscous fan as i believe it's sticking and allowing the car to over cool... i have since re installed the viscous and it does get up to temperature but take a little bit longer i not convinced my viscouls is working correctly though

 

[t-tony]

When I had my Z3 it was usually sorned and when I periodically ran it up the amount of steam from the exhaust was incredible at I had to get the engine hot to clear it, not just warm. I doubt there's anything wrong that a good run won't sort out.

Tony.

 

[D R Oldfield]

Thanks for all your help is it common for the thermostat to jam shut i have noticed the top hose from , the thermostat never gets hot and the heater doesnt appear to blow hot only cold i left it running on the drive today and the temperature gauge got up to nearly the red but the radiator and top hose appeared cold or is this a sign the water pump is u/s?

 

[t-tony]

Thanks for all your help is it common for the thermostat to jam shut i have noticed the top hose from , the thermostat never gets hot and the heater doesnt appear to blow hot only cold i left it running on the drive today and the temperature gauge got up to nearly the red but the radiator and top hose appeared cold or is this a sign the water pump is u/s?

That shows that the coolant is not circulating round the system. I would change the thermostat in this case as it is not opening allowing the coolant to flow. Unlikely to be the pump unless the impeller has come off the shaft which would probably make some noise. Stat is the 1st thing to change.

Tony.

 

[D R Oldfield]

Thanks for your help i am wondering if when you lay a car up for a long period of time is it best not to start and run it every couple of weeks or is it best to just wash it give it a good coatt of wax then disconnect the battery and let it stand in a dry garage ?

 

[gookah]

you may just have lost some coolant from the system and it needs bleeding again..

I would check the water levels after it has cooled down again.

 

[t-tony]

The level would have to be very low to stop the top hose from getting hot/warm plus the gauge is getting higher than normal. Tells me the t/stat isn’t opening.

Tony.