1998 astra 1.7td van?

[glosfire08]

hi i have recently brought a 1998 astra van 1.7td , it had a problem with the heaters not working and from time to time it would overheat. Anyway i replaced the thermostat and also flushed the rad through. Foundheater matrix pipes blocked with crap so cleared that and got water flowing freely around the system.

Only problem is that the top rad hose gets very hard from what seems like to much pressure, if i unscrew the water filler cap slightly and release pressure the hose goes soft again.

Would this be the headgasket gone causing this or is there another alternative ?

all help appreciated

 

[wotan]

hi i have recently brought a 1998 astra van 1.7td , it had a problem with the heaters not working and from time to time it would overheat. Anyway i replaced the thermostat and also flushed the rad through. Foundheater matrix pipes blocked with crap so cleared that and got water flowing freely around the system.

Only problem is that the top rad hose gets very hard from what seems like to much pressure, if i unscrew the water filler cap slightly and release pressure the hose goes soft again.

Would this be the headgasket gone causing this or is there another alternative ?

all help appreciated

The pressure you describe is perfectly normal, cooling systems do run at approx 5 to 10 psi
If the head gasket had gone you would be losing water and would have to top up very frequently.

Wotan

 

[glosfire08]

my apologies i forgot to mention that i am losing water , i have to top it up approx every 100 miles . no signs of headgasket on oil filler cap (no white creamy stuff) and oil does not appear to be any different when i drained it down. also have no traces of oil in cooling system.

hmmm, suppose if i could find someone with a astra van the same i could compare hoses to check if theres is as hard as mine etc, the van has had a new water pump, thermostat and rad in the last few weeks trying to cure the water loss.

 

[^neo^]

get a new pressure cap for the coolant tank as if the release valve is shot then the sytem will overpressurise

 

[Stivino]

How much water do you need to put in every 100 miles and how does the temp guage read?