overheated on the motorway--remidey??

projectgtr

hey guys

my girlfriends Rover 214 over-heated on the motorway and slowly lost power and came to a stop with a puff of smoke out the exhaust, all due to no coolant.

im off to tow it if i cant get it going, which brings me to my question, is there anything you could recomend i try to get it started or will it be a case of fresh coolant check oil and start?

thanks for any help in advance
and if you can help it please dont mention the dreaded headgasket word :eek:

unkel

It's probably the HG alright

Did you not have your G/F trained to keep checking the engine temp meter and if it goes up to immediately stop the car at the first safe opportunity?

projectgtr

fingers crossed it aint,if it is the case is it new HG or engine f**ked?

i only told her a while ago sure thats how my 130k miles civic is still going strong regular fluid checks, problem is she drove it in the red. any way its happened, if it is a case of new HG any rough ideas on cost? or is it something i could do?

thanks for the reply unkel

Dub13

Is your GF stuck on a Motorway and you are looking for advice on the Net...?Good man,I just hope she has a bit of water as its hot today.

zAbbo

got HG fixed on my gf's 214 recently, cost around 500, exact same story as yours.

It's a known issue with them, and driving while overheating won't help.

projectgtr

Dub13 wrote:

Is your GF stuck on a Motorway and you are looking for advice on the Net...?Good man,I just hope she has a bit of water as its hot today.

nah she is there since last night, has resorted to drinking the windscreen wash:D serves her right!! only joking shes here at home i just wasnt going to tow it till the evening.(is motorway towing ok??)

thanks zaboo, is there any chance i could do it myself or is it a complicated job?

daedalus2097

Yeah, more than likely the head gasket A lack of coolant in itself won't cause a loss of power, but the gasket going most certainly will, and will probably give the smoke as all sorts of things that shouldn't get in and out of the cylinders

zAbbo

yes, it's a relatively easy job, thats why we paid a mechanic 500 bones

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_replace_a_head_gasket

gyppo

projectgtr wrote:

nah she is there since last night, has resorted to drinking the windscreen wash:D serves her right!! only joking shes here at home i just wasnt going to tow it till the evening.(is motorway towing ok??)

thanks zaboo, is there any chance i could do it myself or is it a complicated job?

In all likelyhood, in light of driving whilst overheated, the head has probably warped, and would need to be skimmed otherwise you are wasting your time putting on a new gasket. Its best left to a good mechanic.

projectgtr

thanks qyppo
not what i wanted to hear but thanks all the same:(

could i try start the car or would i be doing damage even if i made sure to keep the temps down?

guys i really appreciate this cant get over the speed of replies thanks

Rovi

projectgtr wrote:

thanks qyppo
not what i wanted to hear but thanks all the same:(

could i try start the car or would i be doing damage even if i made sure to keep the temps down?

guys i really appreciate this cant get over the speed of replies thanks

The damage (whatever it is) is done at this stage.
Pull the dipstick to see if the oil looks okay.
If coolant hasn't made it's way into the oil (milky colour/over full), go ahead and fill with coolant.
If it's not running out of somewhere obvious, start it up and watch the oil pressure gauge/light.
If that behaves normally, and it isn't piddling coolant or putting out gouts of smoke, drive it on nice and gently and keep an eagle eye on the engine temperature and oil pressure.
Make the most of the nice new cold coolant and set off immediately, don't hang around with the engine running.
Keep your rescue car behind you in case it all goes pear shaped and you need to stop quickly.

Bring a tow rope.

projectgtr

thanks rovi, just on my way now wish me luck

hey zabbo a mechanic also wanted in the region of 300-400 for a cat back :mad: i done myself in 1 hour, or i was met with "scrap your car" when i snapped a cv joint so unfortunately i dont "allways" trust the trade and i am an eager learner,

any who thanks for the link i will have a full read when i get back.

projectgtr

no joy had to tow it from swords to drogheda with my trusty civic:rolleyes:
off to the mechanic on monday fingers crossed, going to fix it perfect and sell it for another work horse of a jap mobile and just do her levels when i do mine. ah well lesson learned (i hope)

thanks for the help guys

Dub13

It could be a lot less hassle for you if you just got a new girlfriend,maybe one on these new Eastern European chicks.I have always wanted one of them.

projectgtr

Dub13 wrote:

It could be a lot less hassle for you if you just got a new girlfriend,maybe one on these new Eastern European chicks.I have always wanted one of them.

Fey!

Dub13 wrote:

It could be a lot less hassle for you if you just got a new girlfriend,maybe one on these new Eastern European chicks.I have always wanted one of them.

Works for me; haven't had to tow a g/f home in a year and a half!!!:rolleyes:

OP: to save yourself hassle, try and get her into the routine of checking levels the first time she puts in petrol every month.

projectgtr

Fey! wrote:

OP: to save yourself hassle, try and get her into the routine of checking levels the first time she puts in petrol every month.

good thinking, as i said im trying to get her to get it fixed and buy a jap car, hers is imaculate i bet she would get good money for it (rover money that is ) im on my way to another civic, gonna try order it within the next couple of days if that works out ill bring one over for her.

testicle

If it was due to lack of coolant, there has to be a reason there was no coolant, as it's a closed system! Check your water pump also.

Victor

This thread sounds like it belongs here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=908