Spotting head gasket failure in a K series

[mark387mw]

I'm looking at buying a 1998 MGF 1.8 VVC with 40k on it.
Looking at the end of the dipstick its picked up some 'white stuff' as its been withdrawn out. The oil and also the coolant look good but could've been changed. There aren't any signs of mayo in the filler cap or anywhere else. The seller says what I'm seeing is due to condensation not head gasket failure. Is he correct?

[wildoliver]

Could be especially if the cars been doing short journeys.

Simplest way to find out is go for a drive around a busy town for an hour, if the headgasket is poorly it will soon boil.

[dingg]

I have a vauxhall astra as the daily runabout - it suffers from mayo in the oil filler cap , nothing to worry about other than being a bit unnerving when I first noticed it, car runs like a sewing machine otherwise and has no other issuses whatsoever , you can get a quick check for hydrocarbons in the cooling water at most garages , get it done to disprove head gasket failure if really worried as that engine does have a bad reputation wrt head gasket failure and overheating

[annodomini2]

Another check is to look for lots of air bubbles in the oil.

If you can see the front of the engine (difficult in a MGF I know), check the front left hand corner about 2"'s in from where the head meets the block for oil leaks, common failure point and if it goes here you won't see mayo, but you will lose oil quickly.

If you take it for a test drive, allow the oil to get warm before thrashing it (should be a gauge in the MGF) as this is when you're most likely to induce failure.

If you have time check oil/water levels before and after the test drive (obviously allow for cooling).