Repeated Head Gasket Failure - Lancer 93

Tags: #<Tag:0x007f876b374228>

lancer93 (lancer93) 2015-02-03 07:40:29 +0500 #1

The car in question is a Lancer running a 4G13 12v carb engine with around 220k km on it which was overhauled about 100k km ago.

The head gasket has blown thrice over the course of 9 months and it went bust again last night. 4 gaskets in less than 15k km! The car does not heat up before the gasket dies...However there is a gradual buildup of pressure in the radiator in the days leading up to a blown gasket ? so much so that even on a cold engine there is substantial pressure when I remove the radiator cap.

The radiator is in okay condition, no blockages etc otherwise the car would be heating up. The last time I got the gasket fixed was mid of December and the mechanic had the head faced up as well ? one month 10 days the gasket lasted!!

Can anyone help out and let me know why this is happening so frequently? I have to get the car up and running again but I really want to fix the problem instead of the fixing the symptom?

Thanks

margallar (margallar) 2015-02-03 07:53:37 +0500 #2

hmm, either seems to be uneven tightening or the engine is in bad shape, maybe too corroded

i believe your engine needs new headbolts too, whenever the head is opened. you need a good mechanic

Proverbial_Slang (Proverbial_Slang) 2015-02-03 08:29:16 +0500 #3

Seems like the head is warped. Get it faced from a place "Kharaadiya" which has a big facing machine.

lancer93 (lancer93) 2015-02-03 09:18:15 +0500 #4

yes, i was reading up on this. bolts could be it. The engine probably needs a rebuild, performance and economy wise its pretty much okay but it is sounding more and more like a diesel engine.

Thanks

imrananr (imrananr) 2015-02-03 12:59:30 +0500 #5

The head needs to be faced by a "kharadiya" at the time of replacement of head gasket.
Also, the engine block surface needs to be checked for smoothness.

Xulfiqar (Xulfiqar) 2015-02-03 13:05:11 +0500 #6

the head can only be faced 1 time only if its slightly bent, if its heavily warped out of shape then the camshaft bearing alignment is also thrown off and so is the timing alignment as the total height of the head is reduced each time its faced.

Did you have the head checked for cracking and did your mechanic check the bolts for damage - they are known to go bad. If you find that the head is out of shape really bad or is cracked then get another cylinder head and rebuild it.

judgevt (judgevt) 2015-02-03 15:59:56 +0500 #7

It might be worthwhile checking the block surface for flatness.

lancer93 (lancer93) 2015-02-04 02:51:30 +0500 #8

i've asked the mechanic to open it up and check the head before doing anything else. have a feeling i'm dealing with cracked/out of shape head

Proverbial_Slang (Proverbial_Slang) 2015-02-06 19:42:27 +0500 #9

How will the mechanic check the head?

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Xulfiqar (Xulfiqar) 2015-02-06 19:47:00 +0500 #10

machinist straight edge

Proverbial_Slang (Proverbial_Slang) 2015-02-06 20:09:01 +0500 #11

Exactly why I asked. I have seen mechanics assess the head with a visual inspection and touch.

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saboor73 (Saaboor A saad) 2015-02-06 22:08:38 +0500 #12

op sir in lancer case you have to find a good mechanic or in the end nothing but current engine will be ruined and it will need replacement the local mechanic doesn't even know how to deal with lancer carb and call it "piston wala carb"

lancer93 (lancer93) 2015-02-13 02:14:08 +0500 #13

Yes, I've had trouble with mechanics and have come to the conclusion that most treat the symptom rather than curing the problem. Through a painstaking process I have found one who does a half decent job

lancer93 (lancer93) 2015-02-13 02:27:29 +0500 #14

Got the work done from a guy named yousuf who has a shop near Plaza. Apparently he is the best around (that's according to my mechanic).

Anyway the car is back and now I'm wondering what's the best way to break in the rebuilt engine. Mechanic says try driving constant speeds under 50 km/h. What's your take on it?