The sum of all fears

[silverswedemachine]

I think my head gasket is on the way out, after 157,000 miles, it could be ready... I have recently noticed that the water level seems to be running very high - just under the return pipe on the bottle from the thermostat - i did the oil the other day and noticed it but just thought it was the very warm weather, i did initially think there was an air lock so let it cool abit before cracking the header top, a fair amount of bubbling and pressure release later, i did take abit of water out the header tank so it sat just on top of the 'MIN' on the bottle (cold engine) to give abit more space for it too 'grow'... Had another look today, after a run, and its gone back upto where it was before, just under the return pipe... Im guessing it should not go this high but the car runs fine, holds temp, uses no water and the fan does it job... Im guessing head gasket but i just want it confirmin...

[Tomcat]

Is there any water in the oil?, if not then get a 'sniff' test done on the water, this'll tell you for certain.

[silverswedemachine]

No, no oil in the water, but i think the cylinders or cylinder is pressurizin the system...

[Tomcat]

Sniff test will tell you for certain, it'll pick up any traces of the exhaust gasses in the water.

[Dangerous Dave]

Get a compression test done, it confirmed my HG failure.

[t5 stealth]

if it aint losing water and it aint missfireing and it aint mixing oil and water it probably aint the head gasket..........
if the weather is hot then the car will get a bit hotter than normal.............that is normal...........if the fan kicks in that is good...........
the problem is maybe you cant see the max line on your header tank........
let the engine go cold....ie check it in the morning....that will be its true level........
opening the cap when its hot will result in bubbling and water movement....
its a pressured system...you opened it........
get the water level correct when the engine is cold..........
then monitor it over the next day or two...
when the engine is hot the level will be higher....

[Volvostorm]

What colour cap is it?

Grey ones crack, and lose pressure, thats why your level could be high, it should be green.

[smithy]

i always replace the cap when i get a new car or every 3yrs .replace the cap mate with a new volvo one

[silverswedemachine]

Its got a green cap... I ALWAYS set the water level when its cold... Anyway had a look round with my friend it probably looks like i have air lock somewhere (its been along time since i did the thermostat), done my best with it today - read: made lots of mess and soaked every thing in hot water - , topped it and we shall see in the morning, then a good run and see what it does...

[TenaciousC]

Check the bottle cap. Cooling system must be sealed.

C