My sons car keeps blowing cooling hoses, running warm etc. Doesn't appear to be loosing oil. Having replaced most hoses now it still has problems, what do you think, water pump or head gasket. Any suggestions on how to test for failure off either.

Thanks.

Head gasket is pretty common on the 1.3 MPI

Run the car up from cold and see if there is alot of pressure built up in the cooling system quickly.

:iagree:

Head gasket is pretty common on the 1.3 MPI

Run the car up from cold and see if there is alot of pressure built up in the cooling system quickly.

Think of it logically - a water pump on a car does not create any great pressure its more of a circulating pump to move water around. The only place you can get presure from is from is the cylinders or - your gasket has probably blown/leaking between a bore and a water channel they are quite close.

The engine in the Felicia and 8v fabias is basically the old skoda unit with alloy head found in the 136 and later 130 estelles which had major problems in this area that Skoda were never sure what exactly caused them to fail with erroded heads etc - and that was the MD of Skoda Uk at the time who told me that (combination of alloy type /gasket type construction/coolant???)

When a leak is formed to a water way it can pressurise although the other effect is that it stops circulation and overheating then occurs with steam creating great pressures.

My moneys on the head gasket.

John