I have done a search and found that exhaust fumes can get in to the cooling.
I have also noticed that the radiator hoses seems to be possibly under great
pressure, would this also be a sign of a blown gasket.
That pretty well confirms it.
If the gasket is gone can I still use the car as I cant get it fixed now
before Christmas.
At this stage, assuming the leak has not developed catastrophically,
you can still use the car, but loosen the cooling system cap so that
pressure will not build up. This won't do anything for the efficiency
of the engine, but it will save you blowing a hose and dumping the
coolant, leaving you stranded. Expect to loose coolant like this, so
keep an eye on it, and be gentle with it.
If you are doing the work yourself, the gasket change is fairly
straight forward, but you do need to get the head checked for flatness
or other damage, getting it skimmed if necessary. Yellow Pages should
turn up a local workshop that can do all this for about 30 - 40 quid.
While you are at it, take the oportunity to change the timing belt,
and its tensioner if it is more than a couple of years old or feeling
rough. Some people would recommend changing the water pump at the same
time.
--
Stewart Hargrave
For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name
