Goldy
05-27-2019, 09:13 AM
Hi all,
Thought I would share this experience.
I recently, knowingly bought a 1990 Tarago GLi (4YE) cheap with a blown head gasket. I had bubbles in my coolant and gas in the engine with pressure after standing over night. It would run cool for 30min and then slowly heat up to a point I know is not normal. Yep sounds like a blown head gasket. So I had the combustion gas test done and it passed! well I thought that can't be right but it passed a second time with someone else....so where are the bubbles coming from? Remember I have a sealed system with pressure the next morning. I tried 3 good radiator caps. 13 and 16psi. The following morning I released the pressure (gas only) and the coolant which went into the overflow (whilst driving), I tipped back in the engine. I never had to add fresh coolant and I never ran the engine to a point where it over heated.
This is what I found...8941
The water pump was fine, everything is stock so I'm thinking it has had poor quality coolant in it for a long time. I was told by an old mechanic once that these vans need to have spec coolant and this is why.
Your coolant can cause cavitation and/or erosion corrosion forcing gas out of solution and displacing your coolant thereby eventually over heating your engine.
I hope this helps someone else.
Andre
https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/841/coolant-fundamentals
Thought I would share this experience.
I recently, knowingly bought a 1990 Tarago GLi (4YE) cheap with a blown head gasket. I had bubbles in my coolant and gas in the engine with pressure after standing over night. It would run cool for 30min and then slowly heat up to a point I know is not normal. Yep sounds like a blown head gasket. So I had the combustion gas test done and it passed! well I thought that can't be right but it passed a second time with someone else....so where are the bubbles coming from? Remember I have a sealed system with pressure the next morning. I tried 3 good radiator caps. 13 and 16psi. The following morning I released the pressure (gas only) and the coolant which went into the overflow (whilst driving), I tipped back in the engine. I never had to add fresh coolant and I never ran the engine to a point where it over heated.
This is what I found...8941
The water pump was fine, everything is stock so I'm thinking it has had poor quality coolant in it for a long time. I was told by an old mechanic once that these vans need to have spec coolant and this is why.
Your coolant can cause cavitation and/or erosion corrosion forcing gas out of solution and displacing your coolant thereby eventually over heating your engine.
I hope this helps someone else.
Andre
https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/841/coolant-fundamentals