Send oil sample to Larry, lab can pick up presence of glycol in oil. That narrows it to cracked head or blown head gasket. -- Max Dillon Charleston SC '95 E300, '87 300TD, '73 Balboa 20
Curt Raymond <curtlud...@yahoo.com> wrote: >So how do I at home troubleshoot a blown headgasket? > >Driving to work yesterday my '78 240D started to heat up in heavy >traffic, once I was moving it was okay, I cranked the heat which blew >hot and got it to work. >At lunch I added maybe a quart of coolant which brought it up to just >below the neck of the radiator. > >On the way home the temp started to rise, again in heavy traffic, so I >pulled over and added (fortunately I'd left the cap loose) most of a >gallon(!) of water. I got home but the temp would tend to creep up >(slowly) if I stood still. When I got home I got most of another >gallon(!) of water into it... > >Today Angie went to take it to work and it started to heat up again >after not much distance. In playing with it I find I can put coolant it >but it bubbles right out of the neck of the radiator again. > >Playing some more I put my mity-vac on the overflow port, put my palm >(with rubber gloves on) over the fill hole and dragged the radiator >down to 10" of Hg which compressed the upper radiator hose good and >didn't seem to leak out other than where it leaked around my hand and >around the mity-vac. > >As another point I can't get hot air out of the heater... > >I have 2 current theories: > >#1. The headgasket is toast. Since the car is fairly rusty this means >the car is toast, its not worth a headgasket. > >#2. The thermostat has stuck shut but this doesn't explain coolant >bubbling out of the radiator neck... > >No rising oil level, no white plume out the back, no excessive coolant >smell out either the back or in the oil. > >Angie wants to buy a diesel Jetta, I don't want that big car payment >but I'm tired of screwing around with cars and I guess if it came down >to a Ford Fiesta I'd prefer the Jetta although I should go drive one >before I say that. > >-Curt > >-Curt > >_______________________________________ >http://www.okiebenz.com >For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com >To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
