Head gasket? Sniff test

[Axsices]

Hi everyone,
I’ve had my beloved van for nearly 5 years with no trouble at all, last year I sent it to BS for sills/arches/spray/rocker cover/slam panel/crossmember/new wings/welding rear quarters/tailgate and lots of other bits n bobs...
It has never over heated, never lost coolant (when I’ve had a leaky pipe I’ve repaired it right away!
It has however had 2 radiators within 2 years...
Both rads top seal split, again no overheating, 2 separate garages who knew bongos refitted the rad and bled system, it runs like a sweetie.
Monday past, I had it booked into BS for an alternator (I noticed it wasn’t charging my lb through the split loom) and a nice paper silver service.
Told BS about the radiator last summer and they performed a sniff test before anything else.... he failed
Combustion gasses present in the coolant.
I was shocked!!
They said £1k for repair
I haven’t got it at the moment, he will have to be sorned until January but what could have caused this?
And if he is off road for the next 6 months, what maintenance should I be doing to him?
Start him once a week? Roll him back n forward so his tyres don’t go out of shape?
Should I remove his battery??
Any advice would be lovely, thank you
Diesel Auto 2.5 (meant to say)
And coolant does appear to have an oily film in the header tank

[Roy748]

Hello
If you have no reason to suspect any over heating causes neither do you have any signs, I woukd seek a 2nd opinion before agreeing to any work.

[Axsices]

Hello,
Thank you for your reply, I was thinking of flushing my coolant and refill/rebeleed (which I have never done before ) and buying a kit of the internet to retest it...
I’m quite far from a garage (a knowledgeable Bongo one at least)
I’ve been avidly watching the YouTube bleed programs

[Bongolia]

Pressure build up to split rad like that I would have thought the cap would have let by. Is the cap OK?

[Axsices]

Hi,
Radiator top split last summer, was under warranty from 11months Bought before (same issue) so Replaced just under a year ago and been running fine since.

No issues with overheating at all.
Did a thorough check of all the pipes yesterday and the radiator top hose S shape to The bottom metal pipe from engine has a wet join...
No leaks anywhere else, running up to full temp, thermostat open, no leaks..
Haven’t lost any coolant...

[rita]

You need to get the pressure cap on the expansion checked,it will give you more information .

[Bongolia]

Hi,
Radiator top split last summer, was under warranty from 11months Bought before (same issue) so Replaced just under a year ago and been running fine since.

No issues with overheating at all.
Did a thorough check of all the pipes yesterday and the radiator top hose S shape to The bottom metal pipe from engine has a wet join...
No leaks anywhere else, running up to full temp, thermostat open, no leaks..
Haven’t lost any coolant...

Hmm.
A sniff test is usually done with a gas analyser and a note made of HC readings.
On diesel I would not have used that method my goto on a diesel, if there were no obvious signs, would be a chemical block test. You can buy small test kits on fleabay for around 15 quid these would give a better indication than a sniff.
If the motor were pressuring the system high enough to pop a rad then it would likely be obvious using a couple of checks.
1 run the motor to temp then take it on a fast run. Stop and check pressure in the hoses and look for any ballooning around clips if worm drive or leakage if spring type. There will be pressure in the pipes obviously but you should be able to compress them a bit if its rock hard then you have excessive pressure in the system.Do not remove the expansion bottle cap until motor is cold
2 check the release pressure of the expansion bottle cap as this should let go above a certain pressure to avoid potential damage to radiators and other components in the system,core plugs etc.
So check you have the right poundage cap on and that it lets by when it should. The last bit may mean a helpful garage but if the cap is of any great age then probably better to swop it out for a new one anyway.
One final thing, make sure you use the correct coolant type and mix for the motor cheap crappy stuff can gas up but still not enough to generate that sort of pressure.

[Axsices]

Hi,
Thank you for your replies,
I was told it was a sniff test performed, it was a tube with black rubber stopper top and bottom so maybe it was a bock test? It’s liquid was dark..
It’s the right cap on rad and expansion tank.
I may take it a run later but to be honest, I’m scared to run it in case I make the engine worse?!?
I felt like I was driving a bomb with a lit fuse the 250 miles home from the garage...
I think it’s going to be better the devil I know and go with the expert at the garage... off road for the next 6 months till I’ve got the cash - £1k quote to fix plus £400 recovery and may ask them to do all the hoses/rad/thermo at the same time for peace of mind.

[Bongolia]

Yes, that does sound like a block test, liquid should turn a pee yellow color or green with some AFs.
I would still check your cap is releasing when it should and the other checks.
If you drove 250 miles back a trip up the road wont hurt.
Where in the country are you? Someone on here may be able to recommend a Bongo savvy garage nearer to you.

[Axsices]

Thank you, I’m in Ayrshire
There are one or two garages in the Glasgow and surrounding area, a few other Scottish owners have recommended but I’m not sure they do head gaskets...
Campers Scotland are a no, Calder's campers seem to only Do vans they have sold.
The place I got van from Direct Campers don’t do aftercare.
There is an Engine room in Kilmarnock but they said it’s so old it’s not worth doing...
I’ve no idea where I could test the cap?...
It’s a little frustrating....

[JulesMartin]

I think a new pressure cap would be your cheapest and most assuring alternative to trying to get yours tested considering the distance you need to travel and the relative cost of a new unit. If however you've driven 250 miles without any problems I would consider a second opinion or buy a kit from ebay and test it yourself. Cottonballing your beloved Bongo for 6 months just on one test seems a bit extreme. I did my head gasket last year got it wrong blew it and did it again and on the second attempt the sniff test proved positive again! Drove it for a few days to see if it was going to overheat again and it didn't. Second sniff test proved negative and has proved so on the occasional test ever since. For peace of mind I have fitted a coolant level gauge in the expansion tank and a digital temperature gauge to keep an eye on things and so far touch wood all has been ok. £1k seems a bit pricey too. I live down in London where we pay through the nose for everything and that still seems a bit steep. If you are going to SORN it and not move it and you are concerned about the tyres I'd take them off and store them away. I do this with my caravan each winter. I would also suggest that you start it up and run it up at least until the thermostat opens on a regular basis. Good luck with it all.

[Bob]

It's not really up to the garage to declare it's so old it's not worth doing.

However, it's not worth talking someone into a job they don't want to do.

One wonders if a 1933 Bently would be too old?

[Axsices]

Many thanks for all your replies, I went off camping for a few days there to cleanse the soul
I will order another test and fit both the coolant alarm and engine temp sensor while he is resting up just now, can’t do any harm

[JulesMartin]

Many thanks for all your replies, I went off camping for a few days there to cleanse the soul
I will order another test and fit both the coolant alarm and engine temp sensor while he is resting up just now, can’t do any harm

Good news is that in fitting both the alarm and sensor you do not need to interfere with the coolant at all so no need to worry about bleeding the system and as you say, they can't do any harm