300tdi Head gasket

If you run them without water in them, about 30 minutes

Alex

On a properly maintained engine, the head gasket should last the life of the engine.

On or around Sun, 15 Jan 2006 14:50:07 +1300, EMB enlightened us thusly:

note the use of the word "should"

A cynic might read that as 'when the head gasket goes t'engine is dead"

On or around Sun, 15 Jan 2006 15:56:48 GMT, "GbH" enlightened us thusly:

well, yeah. not precisely, though. In our case, it cost a new head, but still cheaper than a new engine.

In theory forever, but in the real world 300's, like 200's, usually suffer a failure around 70 to 110,000 miles. Unlike the 200Tdi, the

300Tdi usually manifests itself as a failry loud, very machanical, ticking/knocking noise that sounds like a duff tappet. As with the 200 it is almost always between No. 3 or No. 4 cylinder and one of the push rod "holes". Replacing the gasket and torquing it down PROPERLY will usually fix the problem for the rest of the engines life.

Under no circumstances run a 300Tdi with low, or no, water in it - the head will get damaged fairly quickly, but worse than that the piston crowns "melt" after a *very* short time..........

Richard