Engine over heat with blown head gasket

Hi Folks,
another newbie here. My daughter-in-laws C3 with 1.4 petrol engine suffered varying temp but ultimately went high.
The car was stopped before the engine did anything nasty (too late!!).
Upon inspection of the rad contents there was a thick custard mess in the header tank.
The garage diagnosed a blown head gasket. However shortly after they phoned back to say the engine was terminally dead as the combustion gases had turned the coolant mutant and had bunged up the water ways.

Is it possible that contaminated coolant can block the waterways up so much that it completely ruins the engine - I'm a little sceptical about this.

Is there a way of cleaning the water ways?

Roger

Hello Rogerh, welcome to the C3 owners forum.

Rogerh wrote:C3 with 1.4 petrol engine suffered varying temp

That's a good time to look at the cooling system/test the coolant for combustion gasses etc. The Temp gauge should be rock solid when it get to working temperature.

Upon inspection of the rad contents there was a thick custard mess in the header tank.
The garage diagnosed a blown head gasket.

Sounds pretty straight forward.

But one more thing spring to mind which may be the key.

Citroen C3 Coolant and Antifreeze
The post mentions not to add Blue antifreeze to the Red OAT antifreeze in the C3 (or add red OAT to a C3 with the wrong blue antifreeze). Doing so causes the antifreeze to gunk up and not flow around the engine causing the head gasket to fail. A few well worded questions to whoever maintains the vehicle may provide you some interesting answers.

But, I know that doesn't get things fixed.

Is there a way of cleaning the water ways?

Its entirely possible to flush the cooling system. Remove radiator - its easier to change it for a new one than clean it. Remove the thermostat housing and then connect up a garden hose pipe to the various coolant pipes now available to you and force clean water through the cooling system. Spend an afternoon flushing and reverse flushing the various parts of the cooling system. Then head off, new head gasket and put it all back together. Long job.

I think the garage my be unwilling to take on the work as it not possible for them to prove that the system is clean, and any cooling problems that arise later will be laid at their door.

Hi Arfur,
thanks for your reply, it is most encouraging.
However having spoken to the owners dad it would appear that one of the cylinder sleeves has moved!!!

I will be popping along to the garage tomorrow to understand the facts.

I don't think the antifreeze has been mixed with other antifreeze (but who nows!!)
What is causing the gunking needs to be established

Roger