924Board.org

[co]

hello all at the board.my 924S 120k miles ,looking at the history paper work, no sign of any major engine work,ive had the car 3yrs 16k .2yrs ago i had early stages of oil cooler seals going,so i did that job,ive since read about alinment tool for relief valve ,i screwed the valve in before tightening the bolts, as a way of alinment,do you think this is a ok way to do it ?. on to the head gasket,reading a 924S guide ,it says over pressured rad top hose ,needing to top up water often,is early sign of head gasket going ,on my top hose ,it does feel a lot of pressure,but water dosent come passed filler cap,itop the water up some times .is puting a local garage sensor in the water a sure way to tell if gasket has gone .iam on a extended ski hol in switzerland about 800 miles from home,if gasket has gone,is there a way to drive the car, so as to get it home,iam thinking leave the water cap lose ,could this help? chris.

[gohim]

What year is your car?

Here is the US, it is common for the 87 model year cars to blow the head gasket somewhere around 90K-100K miles. Not sure why, it just happens on many/most 87 924S that I have examined. does not seem to be common on the 88 924S, and we did not get the 86 model here in the US.

If your head gasket is blown, you need to get the car fixed where you are, or get it transported to a place you are comfortable getting it fixed. Are you sure that the engine was not just hotter than normal, or in the first stage of overheating?

Were the radiator cooling fans operating correctly? How about the thermostat?

If the head gasket is blown, you will need to have the front of engine service performed while the head is off (water pump, front of engine oil seals, rollers, pulleys, timing and balanceshaft belts), and you should have the head checked (valves, valve guides, seats, and stem seals) and serviced as necessary.

[co]

hi gohim its a 88 le mans model 160hp ,engine no 46j 01068, very last ones made only went to usa germany and 72 to the uk .if i leave the car running stationary, it heat up to 75% on gauge and fan cuts in (only got one fan on my car)temp comes down to just above blue mark then cuts out ,it takes about 4 mins before it cuts in again,always been like this since ive had the car,normal i think .when car is on the move needle stays in the middle, goes up a little when climbing mountain roads fast. had front engine service (not pump)nov 0/3 16k ago when i first got car. only symptons at moment are top rad hose seems to have a lot of pressure and mybe i lose a little water .what is the thing called that a garage would have to test the water for h gasket check? chris

[gohim]

If you are losing water it has to be leaking out somewhere. Have you tried taking off the timing cover to check the water pump for a leak? How many miles do you have on the belts and the water pump? Have you checked the radiator cap to make sure it is holding pressure properly? What happened to the other fan?

[co]

hi ,yes i checked water pump, belts etc ,16k miles on belts, rollers 38k on pump .found a tiny leak from temp sensor on rad, so tiny it does not run down the rad, just damp around sensor, i viewed this when engine was running and hot, after a lot of miles this could be my water loss,hope so,better than losing it through the exhust. Fan,the car only has one, maybe for the mild uk market, they only fit one? or I have a bigger rad my systern has 7.8 litres, is that more than a us 924S. I am interested to know why I've only got one fan? I will look into this further! Chris