Cracked Cylinda Head On Lucida

[masterblast]

I recently purchaced a K reg lucida jap import with a suspect blown headgasket, after my freind dismantled it all (after lots of swearing) he found that the cylinder head is completly cracked (the 3rd hole being the main suspect with lots of water and crap) but the head gasket was actually ok. I would be grateful if some people could tell me some causes of how it happened. The engine seems fine. thanks for looking

[stefptycia]

I recently purchaced a K reg lucida jap import with a suspect blown headgasket, after my freind dismantled it all (after lots of swearing) he found that the cylinder head is completly cracked (the 3rd hole being the main suspect with lots of water and crap) but the head gasket was actually ok. I would be grateful if some people could tell me some causes of how it happened. The engine seems fine. thanks for looking

Usually a blocked rad is the cause

[Kev Chandler]

I recently purchaced a K reg lucida jap import with a suspect blown headgasket, after my freind dismantled it all (after lots of swearing) he found that the cylinder head is completly cracked (the 3rd hole being the main suspect with lots of water and crap) but the head gasket was actually ok. I would be grateful if some people could tell me some causes of how it happened. The engine seems fine. thanks for looking

I know it is a bit late but I have just seen the post, I had a J reg Estima and whilst towing our caravan the water pump failed, being mid engined and covered from below no signs were present (staining around the pump and water on floor) hence one blown head gasket and warped head, I know it did not crack head but I was lucky that a layby stopped me having to go any further!

Kev

[propnut]

Cracked heads are very common on the DIESEL Estima range. It's primarily down to an engine being used in a location for which it was never intended and being mated to a very marginal cooling system that degrades over time due to sedimentation.

If you buy one of these you are 99.9999999999% likely to need to change the head at some time. This coupled with fuel consumption that is not great quickly erodes into the hypothetical savings you are supposed to be getting by driving a diesel.

If on the other hand you run it on WVO then you running costs may well offset the cost of a head replacement depending on how long you have had the bus before the head cracks.