i have a renault clio 1.2l 94 reg. It has split two water pipes in the past 2 week and overheats.it isnt losing any water,but the water is brown and smells.someone said the head gasket could have gone.My friend has taken the head off and said it seems fine, but he is sending it to be pressure tested.what happens if it fails? or if it passes whats wrong with my car?

debbie, July 2007

A head gasket is a gasket between the engine block and cylinder head if it wears out, water will enter the engine cylinders. The crack might not be much and often hard to see. The pressure of the cyliners needs to be checked so as to find out if the gasket is infact leaking. If so, it just needs to replaced. The gasket itself is not expensive but the cost of removing the engine head and realigning everything can be expensive.

Alfred, July 2007