Mgf head gasket
Discussion
dont worry is my answer, If its never been replace then chances are (but not 100%) it will fail, Keep an eye on the levels weekly and dont worry about it until there are signs of failure, It will never be catastrophic failure without warning signs, Then when it does start to go change it before complete failure and you wont have to worry with the expensive bits like head skimming,refurbing and liner heights
Ex X Power said:
dont worry is my answer, If its never been replace then chances are (but not 100%) it will fail, Keep an eye on the levels weekly and dont worry about it until there are signs of failure, It will never be catastrophic failure without warning signs, Then when it does start to go change it before complete failure and you wont have to worry with the expensive bits like head skimming,refurbing and liner heights
^^^^This.If it goes, it goes. If you maintain the car well and keep an eye on the levels etc, it may never go, and if it does, you'll catch it before it causes further damage. If it ain't broke...
Despite the widespread concept that the cylinder head gaskets on these cars 'fail', they rarely actually do. What invariably happens is that something causes them to be damaged and thus can no longer do the job they are designed to do. CHG damage is usually a result of overheating following coolant loss. In my limited experience of these K-Series engined cars, a prime cause of coolant loss is a worn or wearing Water Pump.
A lady friend's car started losing coolant and a quick check showed where it was being lost ~ from a worn Water Pump. The car had done 90,000 miles but in my experience, wear on these Water Pumps is more age than mileage related. It is not always as easy to see coolant leaking from below the Pump location as was the case with my friend's car soon after switching off the engine :~
Sometimes there are tell tale stains left and no sign of actual wet coolant.
Also, coolant can be lost from a wearing pump leaving no tell tale signs on later cars because of the evaporator built into the water pump. That collects and evaporates coolant leaving no signs for the alert car user.
Two MG ZS 120 cars in my family, one bought new in 2003, both started losing coolant after six years and about 45,000 miles. The first one showed no signs of stains or leaks anywhere and I suspected a damaged cylinder head gasket. As did the previous owner of the second MG ZS I bought used which is why he decided to sell it. BOTH cars did not have a damaged CHG. In both cases a worn water pump allowed coolant to escape.
I had no idea about the evaporator on these later cars ... until my wife arrived home after a long hot Motorway run and pulled up. After switching off the hot engine on arrival home, a waterfall of coolant soon appeared under the car. The pump had finally expired big time with a rush of coolant that the evaporator could not cope with. Good job that did not happen on the Motorway otherwise .....
I renewed the Water Pumps on both cars and both have been faultless since with a very stable coolant level. Wise to check it though as recommended by all manufacturers. In both cases, I did not fit the Evaporator device so if or is that when the new pump wears, it will leave tell tale little pools under the car to alert the car user before further damage is done.
We have had two K-Series cars in the family bought new. One in 1993 and the other ten years later in 2003. Both have never had the so called "they all do that" so called failure and are still in the family.
Several other family and friends' K-Series Rovers and MGs also give good reliable service after I had renewed their damaged CHGs. In each case I was able to identify what caused the damage and rectify it. Two were professional service incompetence 'failures' and the others simply poor or absent checks by their owners who failed to identify a problem before it became more serious. Mainly due to user ignorance of what checks you should do on any car.
I took a picture of the Water Pumps I renewed on our MGZS. The dirty one is the original with the little evaporator at the bottom. The replacement I fitted which did not have that device for reasons given above :~
The latest new Water Pump I've fitted on a family Rover 25 did have the the Evaporator housing facility. However, I now know what to look out for and check when coolant levels start to drop. This picture shows the new pump has the housing for the rubber Evaporator insert but, I did not transfer it over from the old pump :~
The K-Series engine in my son's Lotus Elise S2 which he's had for three years now has not needed its cooling system topped up during his ownership. Perfectly stable coolant level in all that time which is remarkable. However, he wisely keeps an eye on things like coolant levels as recommended by all manufacturers.
In a nut shell, give your car a once over at regular intervals. It does not take long and one day, it could save you a lot of hassle and expense. Not only that, possibly save something far more precious.
So, keep 'em peeled....
A lady friend's car started losing coolant and a quick check showed where it was being lost ~ from a worn Water Pump. The car had done 90,000 miles but in my experience, wear on these Water Pumps is more age than mileage related. It is not always as easy to see coolant leaking from below the Pump location as was the case with my friend's car soon after switching off the engine :~
Sometimes there are tell tale stains left and no sign of actual wet coolant.
Also, coolant can be lost from a wearing pump leaving no tell tale signs on later cars because of the evaporator built into the water pump. That collects and evaporates coolant leaving no signs for the alert car user.
Two MG ZS 120 cars in my family, one bought new in 2003, both started losing coolant after six years and about 45,000 miles. The first one showed no signs of stains or leaks anywhere and I suspected a damaged cylinder head gasket. As did the previous owner of the second MG ZS I bought used which is why he decided to sell it. BOTH cars did not have a damaged CHG. In both cases a worn water pump allowed coolant to escape.
I had no idea about the evaporator on these later cars ... until my wife arrived home after a long hot Motorway run and pulled up. After switching off the hot engine on arrival home, a waterfall of coolant soon appeared under the car. The pump had finally expired big time with a rush of coolant that the evaporator could not cope with. Good job that did not happen on the Motorway otherwise .....
I renewed the Water Pumps on both cars and both have been faultless since with a very stable coolant level. Wise to check it though as recommended by all manufacturers. In both cases, I did not fit the Evaporator device so if or is that when the new pump wears, it will leave tell tale little pools under the car to alert the car user before further damage is done.
We have had two K-Series cars in the family bought new. One in 1993 and the other ten years later in 2003. Both have never had the so called "they all do that" so called failure and are still in the family.
Several other family and friends' K-Series Rovers and MGs also give good reliable service after I had renewed their damaged CHGs. In each case I was able to identify what caused the damage and rectify it. Two were professional service incompetence 'failures' and the others simply poor or absent checks by their owners who failed to identify a problem before it became more serious. Mainly due to user ignorance of what checks you should do on any car.
I took a picture of the Water Pumps I renewed on our MGZS. The dirty one is the original with the little evaporator at the bottom. The replacement I fitted which did not have that device for reasons given above :~
The latest new Water Pump I've fitted on a family Rover 25 did have the the Evaporator housing facility. However, I now know what to look out for and check when coolant levels start to drop. This picture shows the new pump has the housing for the rubber Evaporator insert but, I did not transfer it over from the old pump :~
The K-Series engine in my son's Lotus Elise S2 which he's had for three years now has not needed its cooling system topped up during his ownership. Perfectly stable coolant level in all that time which is remarkable. However, he wisely keeps an eye on things like coolant levels as recommended by all manufacturers.
In a nut shell, give your car a once over at regular intervals. It does not take long and one day, it could save you a lot of hassle and expense. Not only that, possibly save something far more precious.
So, keep 'em peeled....
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