Head Gasket replacement on Vectra 2.5 V6

noelmg · 2006-08-05T21:43:23+00:00

Hi allNot into cars at all as you'll probably find out! I have a 1998 R regVectra 2.5 V6 Estate. It has done 107,000 miles.Driving home on Thursday night I had a bit of difficulty starting, butgot it started fine. My Coolant Level warning came on as I wasbeginning my journey, about 20 minutes in to a 40 minute journey. Ithought I could top this up when I got home.I then drove at 70mph for 11 miles before my engine totally quit on me. The temperature was well over 100 degrees and there was steam comingfrom the engine. I ended up blocking the outside lane of the A38 foran hour in rush hour! I had lost all my coolant and I was unable tostart even when the engine was cool. When I topped up the coolant ithad gone within an hour.I got a tow home and we have found the top hose from the radiator tothe coolant system (left hand side) was split. My father in lawreplaced this for =A312 (genuine Vaux part). There is no water in theoil. We filled up the coolant, let the air out and topped up again -the engine turns over but doesn't actually start (it feels like it'sabout to but it doesn't). The cooling system was pressurised full ofgas after just turning over a cold engine.He thinks this is the head gasket that's gone, and I'm resorting to thefact we'll have to get it done. Does anyone know how much roughly itwould cost, and the chances that it would have done any further damageto the engine? I'm going to have to get it towed to the garage but amnot paying main dealer prices for it. We have another car to use fornow, so it isn't a rush job.Thanks in advance for any help you can give!Noel

Aug 05, 2006 22 Replies

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Dave Plowman (News) 19 years ago

I wouldn't bet on that. If the management can kill the engine to prevent damage, why did the gasket blow?

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Tim (remove obvious) 19 years ago

No, the ecu on this car doesnt have the ability to shut down the engine in the event of overhearting.

AFAIK only latest fords have this over heat limp mode, which cycles 2 cylinders at a time before finally shutting down altogether.

Tim..

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Grimly Curmudgeon 19 years ago

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Blue Frog" saying something like:

There's usually a very good indicator of that particular failure - both audible and, if you're really unlucky, visual.

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