MG ZT-T 160+ - Help needed please.

[Jizzy]

I wonder if I can pick your collective brains.

We have a 2004 ZT-T 160+ (with the 1.8 turbo’d K-series) which is more than a little poorly.

Some time ago it was diagnosed with the common fault of a broken fan after getting a bit too hot whilst in traffic which was subsequently fixed.
There was no apparent further damage caused by the overheat at the time but…
Not long after it started to lose a bit of coolant, slowly at first and there wasn’t any ‘mayonnaise’ on the underside of the oil filler, and there was no real loss of power so we ruled out a head gasket failure at this point.
After a bit of time with a local garage they traced the leak to a damaged hose but on getting the car back, the coolant level continued to drop.
Not long after a dirty mayo build up became apparent on the underside of the filler, that’ll be head gasket failure then – but still no loss of power.

Into the garage, new gasket and head skim – got the car back, all was well… for about a week when the coolant level dropped again and white smoke became visible whilst the car was cold.
Back into the garage, new gasket (they only charged for the parts this time) and a deeper investigation.

They advised that one of the ‘liners’ was loose and whilst they had patched it up for now, the gasket wouldn’t hold out for too long.
At this point I ran out of cash to have it repaired further, and sure enough 3 weeks later, the problem returned. This time the white smoke was constant (puffing like a steam train) and the car would be dangerous to use (barr as a Bond car), so I had to lay it up and await better times. In the interim four months its gradually lost all its oil and water (refilled now) but I am very keen to get it back in daily use again.

So questions are, does anyone have any experience of this problem, and a possible fix? Is it a case of a new block, a new engine entirely or attempt another repair. In any event does anyone know of a reputable specialist / garage in the north east that might be able to carry out the work?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

The overheat has effectively 'cooked' the block. That is to say that the areas supporting the liners has annealed and gone soft resulting in the liners dropping. K Series motors require a liner 'stand ptoud' of 2 - 5 thou for effective sealing of the head gasket - hence the subsequent gasket failures.

Unfortunately if the block has annealed there is nothing you can do - fit new liners and they will merely drop again.

The block is scrap I'm afraid.

[MGJohn]

Whilst there is the possibilty that the block is beyond economical repair, from your description that is not a certainty. Despite the fact that 4-cylindered K-Series engines are one of the easiest 16 valve engines to work on, entrusting such remedial work to even long established professional outfits is no guarantee that the job has been done properly.

Impossible for me to know for certain but, you may have been wrongly advised both before, during and even after the event of having it repaired. Did they use the MLS gasket AND headsaver shim ... Did the cylinder head really need a skim ~ some outfits skim or charge for it anyway even if it did not need doing and was not done. It's a lazy way of cleaning a cylinder head and some outfits always include the quote for that even if it does not need doing as is often the case. There's so many possibilities. Unfortunately, even if that is the case that they did not do the job properly or overlooked some routine but essential checks, it is never easy to prove it, usually impossible.....

I would have repaired the thing myself ~ it's not rocket science ~ and in so doing would ensure that all that needed doing and checking was done. However, chances are you would not be in a position to do that so, given your situation now, I would be tempted to seek out someone else who reallyknows these motors well and get their opinion. A partial engine strip removing the cylinder head for a proper check should not be too expensive. Only then can it be ascertained if the block is beyond economical repair. It may not be. Then decide the best course of action once in full possession of the facts. Even if the block is BER, a good used block need not be too expensive.

So, get at least one second opinion ~ two will be better. If you draw a blank here on PH, post/copy the story over on MG-Rover.org and/or Rovertech.net with a request for recommended outfits who know what they're doing in your area ( where ) to obtain a second opinion.

That's what I'd do now anyway .... Good luck.