Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

My 2.8tdi Pajero is building up excess pressure in the cooling system. Bubbles can be seen if the radiator cap is off. I have a 0.9 bar radiator cap but the pressure does not release into the overflow tank. The engine did overheat. If I release the pressure, which is not substantial, every 80km of continuous driving I may have to add about 300ml of water and she runs fine. There is no water in the oil. Am i dealing with a cracked head or a blown headgasket. It has a new waterpump and thermostat in. Please help.

Gas bubbles flowing from the rad neck is a sure sign of a cracked head. The overheat , unless caused by a leak in cooling system, or a belt or fan failure, is a consequence of the cracked head.

Heads can be bought made up or bare, and you'll need a top quality head gasket too.

Thank you for replying and your advice.

These heads are impossible to pressure test, or fix. Bubbles are a sad telltale of head issues. My advice would be to replace only with AMC head at reputable workshop, your best bet.