...it's too dark now to do much investigation other than there is practically no water in the engine!
I did a 10 mile round trip...what with a new baby in the back & my radio playing (ie head in the clouds) I didn't notice anything until i got home - it was like a nuclear furnace under the bonnet. Any guesses what damage might have been caused?
If it's the head gasket (due to there being no water)...what's a fair price for replacement? How long would a skilled mechanic take?
Most likely the cylinder head has warped too. If you're lucky and it isn't to bad then it can be skimmed whilst the HG is being replaced. If the warpage is too bad then you're looking at a new head or recon head. If you're really unlucky and the overheating was really bad then the block may have warped too in which case you're probably looking at a new engine. :-(
HG replacement and head skim is usually in the region of £200 - £300.
HTH
Same thing happened to me recently (also a P-reg 214Si). The temperature rose very suddenly and the car stalled at traffic lights very soon afterwards. When I pulled into a nearby service station and let the car rest, I noticed there was no coolant returning to the tank. It seems the inlet manifold gasket had blown, letting coolant into the no. 4 cylinder. The repair included a new gasket set and refaced head, and the mechanic insisted on new head bolts and hydraulic lifters, claiming that he'd had trouble with cars in which he had replaced the old bolts and lifters. Some will dispute this, but I have good reason to trust this chap. Along with a service and MOT, which were due anyway, the cost came to £670.
I'm told these models are prone to gasket failure and cracked cylinder heads. A friend has an older 414 and had to replace a cracked head a couple of months ago.
Thanks. I'll remember that if it should happen again, Gawd forbid.
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