Sooooo, head gasket or duff radiator cap?

[bortaf 96]

idle it for 20 to 30 mins with water and dishwasher tablets in there, drain and flush with water a few times, if you have a condensing tumble dryer, use water from that.

You  need to get a head gasket test kit (about a tenna on Am or egay) and lidle do a good laser temp gun, usefull for checking stat temp operating ect, i think i paid £15 for mine ?

[Beeper 85]

Update. The day before and again today, I did the fresh water and dishwasher tablet trick and the water is still a bit orange, although not as much silt in it this time. I also adjusted the tappets, as per the Haynes manual. 0.20mm and 0.22mm (cold) and it still sounds like a black cab. No clearly visible excessive wear on the cam lobes so my next diagnostic guess would be worn followers. I still have the original head (complete) which was not as noisey as this one (which is a lead free Sierra head, I dunno what size though. 1.6 or 2.0. Any identifying marks?) that I bought from 'Janey', before I was unceremoniously booted off the MTOC site, for refusing to pay the membership randsom! So maybe I'll try running it with the cam cover off to try and detect which lobe/s  is/are the offending item/s and swap it/them over. Oh, the leaking garage roof has finally been resealed after 15 years of reporting it! Today, the car got a sort of wash as it was raining when I was working on it. So whilst it was nice and wet, I took an old dirty tea towel and wiped the car down, mainly to get rid of the cement residue. Tomorrow, it'll probably be covered in dirty greasy streaks. Still, it'll detract from the rust coming through the paintwork I suppose!

Edited May 17 by Beeper

[bortaf 96]

[Beeper 85]

Thanks for that. I shall have a look tomorrow and see what I have.

[TimB 102]

Did you manage to get the tea towel back in the kitchen before the Mrs noticed.

 

[Beeper 85]

Nah, it was an old one and she won't miss it, we have a drawer full!

[Beeper 85]

Another question regarding the 'stat'. Are they a tight fit? I can't remember because when a mk3 was my daily driver I was 20 years old, I'm 61 at the end of the year!!! Yes, the rubber ring is fitted behind it but it may be the original because the 'stat didn't have one with it when I bought it.