after a recent basic service (check oil etc) the mechanic said the head gasket might need replacing soon.
i've not noticed water on the dipstick, no steam/white smoke from the exhaust and no bubbles in the coolant resevoir. i'm thinking he's out to make a buck.
anyone got any tips on what else i should be looking at to determine the condition of the head gasket?
cheers
I think your mechanic is out to make a buck. In 20-some years of doing this, I've never heard of anything that would indicate a head gasket needs replacing "soon". It either needs replacing or it doesn't.
Quick head gasket indicators:
- Steam in the exhaust. But disregard the first several minutes of a cold engine, that could be just overnight condensation. Hold your hand in the exhaust for a minute or so and then see if your hand smells like antifreeze.
- Light brown foam on the dipstick, indicating an oil/water "emulsion". You probably wouldn't see actual water droplets.
- Compression test with greater then 10% difference between one or more cylinders.
- Car runs at normal temp around town but overheats at highway speeds.
More advanced testing would be a cylinder leakdown test or testing the coolant for exhaust gasses, there's a dye test that can do that, but I wouldn't bother unless you have a specific reason to.
- FM -
My experience is this. If you have exhaust bubbling up throught the coolant overflow reservoir, oil stains in the reservoir, or a mysterious loss of coolant with no visible leaks, you need a head gasket and possibly a good used head if yours is warped. VW heads are pretty durable and rarely require replacement unless abused through lack of maintenance or severely overheated due to loss of coolant or a stuck thermostat that you don't catch until the temperature gauge needle pegs high. If you do not have these indicators, ignore your mechanic. Maybe he is trying to come up with money for his kid's college tuition?
I agree with none2u. I changed my head gasket in my 83 GTi engine (in my '83 Audi 4000s) since it started leaking antifreeze more externally. I examined the gasket and there was a small crack leading out to the front of the engine possibly caused by antifreeze leaking slightly over time.
My '91 Passat 16V engine leaks a tiny bit of oil and antifreeze from the cylinder head gasket. It still runs very well but will need it's gasket changed soon! lol
Once upon a time I used to find the coolant hoses swelling up due to pressure just after starting an engine with a bad head gasket. I have not seen this too much lately. ;-)
I would ask your mechanic WHY does it need a new cylinder head gasket. Unless you mean it needs a new valve cover gasket.
later, dave (One out of many daves)
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