hi all,
overheated my renault extra 1.9d, neeeds a new water pump.
The problem is though, that being an idiot with only 5 miles to go until st.agnes, i didnt pull over immediately.

The engine cut out whilst slowing for a junction at 15mph.

The engine has re-started (not for long of course) and sounds okay, (except the rattle of the water pump)

DOES AN OVERHEATED ENGINE THAT HAS CUT OUT MEAN ENGINE DAMAGE?
im wondering weather to bother fixing it as half the mechanics ive spoken to are saying "need to open it up to see if there is scoring damage done by the piston"
#i dont understand: how many people overheat per year?!! all those cars cant be scrapped...

any help would be greatly appriciated
thanks.

mart dk, falmouth, November 2007

I personaly would follow the advice given by bg and David. Yes colin is right when he says parts can be expensive but look around scrap yards and search the internet and you will find cheap parts. As for why the engine cut out, if my memory serves me correctly that engine did have a thermal trip to prevent overheating causing too much damage. Also don't assume that the main dealer part is more expensive than an after market part, sometimes the main dealer can be the best way to go.

Darren, November 2007

Proably the worst you could have done is blow the headgasket but without letting it run you`ll never know ..I`d replace the waterpump and go from there.........check the oil and see if it looks milky ..if it is you`ve proably blown the headgasket if not its proably OK .......good luck

bg, November 2007

I would try a second hand water pump then run the engine to see if it pressurises i.e. throws water back out of the top of the header tank when the cap is off, if it does then the head gasket has prob gone, should be £2/300 to fix, same applies if there is water in the oil.

David, November 2007

Personally, I wouldn't bother. French cars are notoriously expensive for parts.
It might be worth it if the car is fairly new...

colin, November 2007