My Disco

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lolly_5087162

Dec 1, 2005
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My Disco is back from the menders after my husband "broke" her, she also has new tyres and looks a beast now!

So glad she's home, really missed her!

Anyone who is thinking of getting a 4x4, go for it, I love mine.

Lolly x
 
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lolly_5087162

Dec 1, 2005
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Stuart left the cap off of the expansion bottle, and the head gasket popped on her :(

He will never live that one down!

Lolly x
 
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Lol1

Mar 14, 2005
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I didn't think the expansion bottle was that important, I once drove 200 miles without the radiator cap on, down some seriously fast roads, with no ill effect. It may not have been hubbies fault, it usually isn't..........

Oh no it isn't!
 
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MikeP

Mar 14, 2005
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Leaving the cap off will allow the system to run at atmospheric pressure rather than being pressurised. This lowers the boiling point of the coolant, which can allow it to boil as it is pumped around the engine. Boiling equals expansion, and the head gasket is one of the weak points. Others are a rusty radiator or a perished hose.
 
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MikeP

Mar 14, 2005
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No, when I was a student and in my first job I used to run heaps, so I what I know about cars is from bitter experience and hours spent in the garage. All good fun though.

You know the sort of car - turn up at a girl's house to take her out, and worry that a piece of rust might fall onto her father's perfectly swept drive. Once we stopped for a quick kiss and cuddle (and it was quick) and when I tried to start the car the battery was flat. Happy days ...
 
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parker1158

Mar 27, 2005
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Hi All

I would not have thought an expansion cap left off would cause head gasket failure (Unless the gasket was so weak imminent failure was likely anyway). Like Lol I once drove a merc around 150 miles with the cap loose so the cooling system could not pressurise because of a leaking water pump although a couple of stops to top up coolant was necessary.

The only way it could have caused a gasket to blow is if enough coolant escaped to allow overheating but then hubby would have noticed the temp gauge showing hot, wouldn't he?
 
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CliveV

Mar 14, 2005
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It does happen. Not having a pressurised cooling system allows for localised boiling in the block. Superheated steam as opposed to liquid does not make for a happy engine.

Same thing happened on a Mercedes G Wagon a few years ago. And it was the owner that left it off - so it does happen.

I have heard one of the most vulnerable engines for this is the diesel engine in some Vauxhall saloons - the Isuzu derived unit. Where it is a tall engine the water ways are very vulnerable to air locks anyway. But if you run the cooling system un-pressurised it goes pop very quickly apparently!
 
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