Guinness
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| posted on 12/7/09 at 01:01 PM |
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Head Gasket or Engine Swap?
The big old zed has had some serious problems with the cooling system this season.
It took an age to warm up, then when it did it wouldn't cool down again. Rad / block was flowing clear. I've stuck a bottle of k-seal in
it and then taken it out again! Replaced the water pump, changed the coolant, drained it, flushed it, re-filled it. Bled it. Everything.
Each time I take the car out it loses coolant, just about the same amount. So after I got home last night, I topped the system up, and left it for an
hour. An hour later the same amount of coolant had disappeared!
It's not on the floor beneath the engine (had a sheet of lining paper underneath!). It's not mixed in with the oil (level is same as when
I parked it). So where has it gone??? Top it up again before bed. Got up this morning and checked the level. No drop!!
Took the plugs out and turned it over. Fine. Put the plugs back in, fired it up and there is sooty water coming out the exhaust! 
So I'm thinking head gasket and / or cracked head. (To be fair to the old girl, I've done 1 trackday, several hundred miles around
Scotland and several blats with this cooling problem!)
So question is, do I strip the head off the current engine, examine the head / gasket and replace it? (I have a spare head!) Head gasket is about
£40.
Or do I simply swap the engine out for my spare (but unknown to me) engine? (Which could have all sorts of unknown problems, gearbox, clutch, oiling,
further cooling, etc etc) This will need at a minimum, new sump gasket, clutch gasket, oil change, plugs and valve shims doing.
Don't want to miss too much of the rest of the summer.
Oh and does anyone know if the head bolts in a ZZR are stretch or if they can be re-used!!
Mike
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RichardK
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| posted on 12/7/09 at 05:11 PM |
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Do the gasket as that'll be fairly easy, if it doesn't cure your problem rag it until the end of the season, then switch engines over the
winter would be the way I would do it.
Was it the engine that was chucking oil over my car or your dif ? If it was the engine I reserve the right to change my mind!!
Hope you got your little problem sorted out too 
Take care mate
Rich
Gallery updated 11/01/2011
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lotusmadandy
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| posted on 12/7/09 at 07:26 PM |
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Do the Gasket Mike,
it will be easier than an engine swap.
If it makes no difference then as rich said
bray the nad's off it untill the end of the season and swap it.
After all if it's been like that for a while you can't do it any more harm.
Andy
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mad-butcher
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| posted on 12/7/09 at 08:52 PM |
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How much water is it loosing, surely if it's half a litre or so the plugs would go rusty and the engine would not start.
sounds like a major air lock to me, when the engine is cooling the pressure is droping so the water is finding it's own level.
tony
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Guinness
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| posted on 13/7/09 at 07:10 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mad-butcher
How much water is it loosing, surely if it's half a litre or so the plugs would go rusty and the engine would not start.
sounds like a major air lock to me, when the engine is cooling the pressure is droping so the water is finding it's own level.
tony
The plugs are fine and the engine starts first time.
I've bled the cooling system with the car tipped up on axle stands, nose up, then left side up, then back end up, then right side up.
I'd much prefer it to be an air lock, if I could fix it.......
Mike
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