Cracked cylinder head after head gasket replacement - bodge?

Jan 26, 2005 1 Replies
J

Bloody car saga continues!!!



After last post about sealant around the head gasket, my mechanic has told me there is now a crack in the cylinder head. This has occurred after I had a rather dodgy looking head gasket replecement (sealant around the gasket visible from the outside).



My question is should a cracked cylinder head have been spotted or tested for when the gasket was replaced? The car's only done about four hundred miles since the expensive gasket replacement and it doesn't seem right that the head, which has just been skimmed should now develop a crack.



Is my mechanic negligent or is this just one of life's harsh lessons that I'm going to have to swallow?



Cheers,



Jake.



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M

These heads are prone to cracks between the valves, even good heads often have them, so it isn't just a question of replace it willy nilly, most people baulk at the price suddenly rising by 400 pounds when the head comes off and a crack is seen, so usually the engine is rebuilt and fingers crossed. Sometimes the crack is so fine that unless you spend a good bit extra on a crack test it wont be spotted. Mind you all these things are why a good mechanic charges a lot.

mrcheerful

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