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[Steve B]

Good news: Picked it up after service & MOT. 
Bad news: Vx say it has a water leak & requires new head gaskets. Asking substantial money plus 2 days to do job & one for testing. Basically replace head gaskets & cam belt? 

Car has only done 55K & had the belt/water pump changed August 2014.

Advice please?
TIA

They are idiots... what are the symptoms, if any...

[Lagondanet]

Well I haven't really noticed any particularly. I drive to London most days so car meets a lot of traffic congestion as you might expect and can run quite hot . ie up to 95 but always goes back down. When I reach home from London the fans sometimes kick in but soon go off.

They said they noticed some 'pink' staining at bottom of engine but coolant level seems OK maybe losing a little given the driving I do. 

Getting out of the car recently I felt quite a lot of heat from the front but I put it down to a break/leak in the exhaust which needed some work for the MOT.

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

[Steve B]

Fitted the wheel wiper stick and fitted a  cruise stick....And found out that the my naff code readers cannot enable cruise on a 3.2 But yet they can on a 2.2 

[05omegav6]

Well I haven't really noticed any particularly. I drive to London most days so car meets a lot of traffic congestion as you might expect and can run quite hot . ie up to 95 but always goes back down. When I reach home from London the fans sometimes kick in but soon go off.

They said they noticed some 'pink' staining at bottom of engine but coolant level seems OK maybe losing a little given the driving I do. 

Getting out of the car recently I felt quite a lot of heat from the front but I put it down to a break/leak in the exhaust which needed some work for the MOT.

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

Rough running would be a start Pink staining is a tell tale of coolant, but this could be left from the water pump change or equally from the HBV... that said, if it doesn't require topping up, then it isn't losing or using any. Simples.

Temp and fan behaviour sounds normal, and the residual heat from a 3.2 can de ice entire roads, so again, normal.

[joff]

Barely 260 from my last one inspite of the manual box current tank looking like 340/50 but have been trying to behave...

Hope to get 400 out of a tank on Friday when I go up to Scotland but after that I bet I don't get more than 20mpg in the highlands over the following ten days

Well had a good drive up, and was up to 30 mpg at one point but now here with 28.9 mpg so happy and only one tank for 386 miles

[TheBoy]

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

Both times the HG has gone on my 3.0l, the *only* symptom has been the need to top up coolant, which gets progressively worse. No poor running, no fluid mixing, no other symptoms.

[05omegav6]

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

Both times the HG has gone on my 3.0l, the *only* symptom has been the need to top up coolant, which gets progressively worse. No poor running, no fluid mixing, no other symptoms.

And when was the last time you encountered a 3.2 head gasket failure, let alone a double one...

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

3.0 engines have slight tendency to eat their head gaskets. 3.2 engines have  hard & fast rule never to do so.
I think your local Vauxhall dealer currently has a quiet spell in their workshop.
It might be worth getting them to put it on paper - diagnosis & price to repair - then report them to trading standards. 


edit. Looks like Mr Telemacher and I were almost posting the same thing at the same time.

[TheBoy]

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

Both times the HG has gone on my 3.0l, the *only* symptom has been the need to top up coolant, which gets progressively worse. No poor running, no fluid mixing, no other symptoms.

And when was the last time you encountered a 3.2 head gasket failure, let alone a double one...

Yup, we know v6 HG failures are rare, although 1998 3.0l V6 seem to be worse than most, leaking from rear of 2/4/6 bank.

[Sir Tigger KC]

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

Both times the HG has gone on my 3.0l, the *only* symptom has been the need to top up coolant, which gets progressively worse. No poor running, no fluid mixing, no other symptoms.

And when was the last time you encountered a 3.2 head gasket failure, let alone a double one...

Yup, we know v6 HG failures are rare, although 1998 3.0l V6 seem to be worse than most, leaking from rear of 2/4/6 bank.

2.5's go as well.    Mine leaked for ages and I put up with it until it started to leak into the oil and it went to mayo 

Oooops! 

[EMD]

Flat battery on the 2.5  Just knew something would opps up
on a quite sunday 

[Shackeng]

Removed the TD i/C fan which keeps blowing the fuse. Bearings are shot, so another fan is required.

[Lagondanet]

Well I haven't really noticed any particularly. I drive to London most days so car meets a lot of traffic congestion as you might expect and can run quite hot . ie up to 95 but always goes back down. When I reach home from London the fans sometimes kick in but soon go off.

They said they noticed some 'pink' staining at bottom of engine but coolant level seems OK maybe losing a little given the driving I do. 

Getting out of the car recently I felt quite a lot of heat from the front but I put it down to a break/leak in the exhaust which needed some work for the MOT.

How would leaking head gaskets usually show up or be identified?

Rough running would be a start Pink staining is a tell tale of coolant, but this could be left from the water pump change or equally from the HBV... that said, if it doesn't require topping up, then it isn't losing or using any. Simples.

Temp and fan behaviour sounds normal, and the residual heat from a 3.2 can de ice entire roads, so again, normal.

Seems to be running OK. I'll keep an eye on the coolant level. Thanks for your help. 

[deviator]

First oil change since my ownership and a spinning housing dealt with like pro, due to the help from here 

[flyer 0712]

Fitted a new radiator and M.A.F. meter today and at long last my miggy drives as it should...perfect....well pleased considering yesterday i went to look at a sport version with a view to buying it,,,but not now