Our Liberty RX seems to have blown a head gasket. Shortly after 130,000Km service we travelled 5 hours, parked a week in the snow (temps varied above and below freezing, but not much below), and on descending the mountain the engine overheated. No coolant, and the overflow bottle was over-full. I expect that the gasket had blown out all the coolant, as when I tried to refill it, it continued slowly bubbling. That might have just been boiling however. The oil was clean, and about 1 litre (1cm on the dipstick) overfull.
What's the most likely cause?
- no antifreeze added, so radiator was blocked, excess heat caused gasket to fail, or
- oil overfull, causing increased pressure on gasket, or
- something else?
Does the head necessarily need work before the gasket is replaced? The estimated price of $AU2500 seems a bit steep...
Clifford Heath.