Head Gasket?

[j0nty]

hi all, i'm new to the celica world so just wanting advise on my problem.. car is on a x reg (2000), not had this long and picked it up cheap as needs a few things doing... car apparently has a new engine with 32k. had the car out the other day for a good run 60 miles or so, and it seemed and bit rough and flat at times, on my return i parked up just to pop back out about a half hour later and there was a load water leaking out... seems to be coming from the bottom end of the rad.

i thought to put in some radweld just until i get a new rad next week which seems to have fixed the leak, however the temp gauge went straight up when i took it out after about 5 mins - water pump seems to be working, no oil in water but its spitting out white smoke... has the head gasket gone? I'm not sure if the thermostat is in working order but im going to remove that if i have to do the head gasket...

I've just been through all of this with my MG TF which resulted in a recon engine in the end (6 month of spending cash, elimanating everything else)... is history repeating itself?? i don't want to go through all this again... should i have stuck with the MG? help please??

cars and i dont seem to gel

[RUToyota]

That's bad luck, mate..radiator is no surprise on a Gen 7..but a new one will cure it.!

Could be HGF but why not get yer friendly local garage to do a sniff test to confirm.?..any mayo under the oil filler cap.?

Are you sure the oil levels were ok..?

If it hasn't suffered HGF, then a new water pump/auxillary belt/thermostat..and perhaps a new set of plugs.? wouldn't go amiss.

The Celica is an excellent solid car generally..but unless you know it's history you are buying blind..they do need their regular oil changes.!..and ALWAYS keep your eye on oil levels..pre facelift Celicas can be prone to oil useage..!!

Hope you get it sorted without too much pain.

Neil

[Scarlett Arrow]

Hi, John, & welcome to T.O.C.

HGF on the Gen 7 is exceptionally rare, whereas radiator failure is very common. Radweld is likely to do more harm than good, so I'd advise you refrain from using it. A sniff test as Neil has mentioned is worthwhile, and hopefully a new radiator filled with Toyota LongLife coolant, will get you sorted. The most difficult part of fitting it, is bleeding the system of air.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281070187314?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

PS

I also have an MG TF "Spark" SE, but had a multi layer HG fitted as preventative measure.

[j0nty]

Thanks for the replies. The rad need doing which hopefully will be fitted on Wednesday and I'll go from there... Any links of a how to do the bleeding? I know only too well how important it is to get right From the MG, which I still have until the Celica is sorted.

[j0nty]

Thanks for the replies. The rad need doing which hopefully will be fitted on Wednesday and I'll go from there... Any links of a how to do the bleeding? I know only too well how important it is to get right From the MG, which I still have until the Celica is sorted.

[j0nty]

Thanks for the replies. The rad need doing which hopefully will be fitted on Wednesday and I'll go from there... Any links of a how to do the bleeding? I know only too well how important it is to get right From the MG, which I still have until the Celica is sorted.

[Scarlett Arrow]

You should raise the height of the expansion tank, and massage the hoses with the heater set to hot..there's a sticker giving the procedure on the underside of the bonnet. I watched two mechanics replacing the LongLife on my 7 last year, one revving the engine, while the other squeezed the hoses and topped up the expansion tank, and it took a good while before hot air came out of the heater vents.