456 cooling issues too - seems major!

From your descrtiption it sounds like the water cannot circulate correctly.
I would check the water pump and the thermostat, but there may be something in the cooling spaces that is obstructing the water passage, such a piece of gasket, scale or other debries that may have blocked the passage of the water in a restriction, like throught the thermostat.

 

Uh oh!!

Mmmmmmm, ok.

WOW!! You would think it would blow a radiator hose off or split a radiator hose before it would split the radiator tank!!

Yes, PWR are top notch!

The headgasket blew out!!

Get ****ed!! Where was the water leaking from the engine this time?? Did it blow out the head gaskets again??

Where abouts did he find water in the engine Al?? Did he say?

Did he perform a compression test to see which cylinders were down/full of water??

Interesting!! Did he check the waterpump by any chance?? That it actually STILL has the impeller attached?

Im VERY suprised he didnt send the heads away to get checked the FIRST time!!

What was he thinking? After all, overheating an alloy head can cause it to warp........VERY easily.

EVERY headjob (lol ) I perform, I send the head to the local machine shop to get them to check valves and to check for cracks, warping and to replace seals/guides etc....etc...

If the head/s ARE cracked. Then 90% of the time they can be repaired mate. Depending on where the crack is etc..etc..

Dont stress now, wait and see what the machine shops says about their condition. I am still shocked as to why he didnt send them there in the first place. Did he check that waterpump? Did I say that already?

(I am currently doing a headjob now on a friends Ford Courier diesel. The head should be ready on Friday. Was warped and had cracked pre-combustion chambers that was leaking coolant into engine. The pre-combustion chambers can be replaced in that head. )

About ****en time!

Dont worry just yet Al, the heads may be ok!!

Next time, fly me down to do the job for you!

 

agreed this is somewhat a need to look into...but would have to be a large blockage or in a lot of places. IIRC those spaces for passing coolant are small but adequate enough to allow good flow. BUT, having almost some of your same problems, I am surprised the mechanic didn't do a bit better job in inspecting the entire package. You might also look into the heater core, not that it will be the problem but might need serious addressing too, especially now that all is foul.

You should make sure you have the upgraded hoses too, as you mention this to be a GT not the 'M' I suspect the hoses need looking into...you might PM rifledriver on those specs.

Another aspect it the abient exterior temp. might be playing more havoc with your 456, I know mine gets, STILL, overheated or near so, to my discomfort, when the external temp is > 85F and I am running for over an hour, say, at 85-90MPH [cross your fingers ...knock on wood, make sure RADAR detectors are functioning...]

If the older radiator had that common buildup from poor maintenance then I always thought the interior passages could be getting blocked too, but Rifledriver mentioned that probably isn't the case.

The engines, for whatever reason, seem to run hot. You can even toast your exhaust manifold much like the 355's got....they aren't cheap. The head gasket can get weak spots due to, in MY mind, poor circulation points, but what do I know, I just know my head gasket needed replacing and was only found by RIFLEDRIVER doing the right thing of checking the chemistry of the coolant and bingo, gases in the coolant.
thanks brian.

so, have your mech. do a bit more to check how that coolant is truly circulating....but, there are probalby other issues too.

keep us posted.

rik

 

The other posts cover all the bases - to condense a little for a cooling system to operate to spec it and the combustion chambers and lube system must be sealed, the impeller of the water pump being driven, free flow of cooling air, the correctly rated thermostat opening, the cooling fans cutting in at the appropriate temperature, coolant flowing freely and no airlocks.

Usual causes of overheating are stat stuck closed, fan circuit or motor faulty causing overheating in traffic, pump impeller shaft broken, low coolant level, blocked/partially blocked radiator or other restriction. We sometimes get head gasket failure for reasons unknown however one assumes that the failure may be the legacy of one or more of the above at some point in time. Head gaskets usually fail due to engine overheating. Cooling system pressurisation usually due to head gasket failure

A satisfactory head gasket repair often involves refacing the head - very rarely the block surface may not be true. I would think a pressure test which in the UK would involve placing bungs in the various openings in the head then submersing in an oil bath, slowly heating whilst introducing compressed air and checking for bubbles, would be sensible on a ferrari as a matter of course however I don't know off the top of my head whether on the 456 this would mean cams and valves out to facillitate and it may be that your mechanic saw enough evidence on the head gasket(s) to consider the potentially very lengthy work to strip the heads for testing as unecesssary.

Best of luck - be interested to hear how you get on.

I would think a used head from a breaking car would be the way to go is it comes to it - there a few in the UK or states that I have come across on the net.

Jeremy

Jeremy

 

that reminds me, the switch/connectors for those fans can deteriorate easily over time. Check to see if you even have a good connection and fans are working properly.

 

Already got a name picked out........

"Pap's Exotic Chop Shop"

And dont worry mate, it looks like you would be my BEST customer!

 

Any update on this Al??

 

Well, there ya go!

I am glad to hear its finally fixed mate!! I hope you enjoy the drive and I am looking forward to hearing good news afterwards Al!!!

 

Nice looking 456!

 

Fantastic to hear Al!!

Car looks awesome mate!

 

nice car. Glad it was fixed. Remember to post the 'new' problem.
r

 

Love the paint job on your wheels. Looking great!

 

i had the exact thing happen with my 456, took it to every mechanic/ radiator shop i could find they all pressure tested and the car was fine.

My problem was one of the hoses became loose while driving spirting all the water out of the radiator. I would get all pipes checked and then you check them for yourself, the water was coming out of the top radiator hose down in the motor.

check them all

 

Good to hear the car is still running sweet Al!!

Speakers on the blink? Bah, just put the pedal to the metal and listen to that V12 SCREAM!!

 

Pap needs a V12......more his style...thinking 550/575

once he tastes 12 he'll never go back

 

Dont worry mate, I LOVE V12 Ferraris! Namely the 550/575!

I think I will bide my time and pick up a 599 in the future when they become more affordable for mugs like me.

 

you are in brisbane, i am too! we should go for a 456 run? [email protected]

 

Al actually lives in Sydney.

 

599 would be the one to get, and if Napolis is correct, should be nearing the 100's soon. THAT is a deal and one to get.

good luck, hope you get one.

rik

 

Cheers Rik, I hope I get one too.

Trouble is, in Australia the cheapest used 599 for sale is currently AU $479K!! That is US $405K.

So I WONT be getting a 599 for another 10+ years or so I reckon.........................IF I can wait that long for one.